Veni, vidi, vici

Lvcivs Cornelivs Scipio, scion of one of the great families of Rome, and hungry for power and glory; riches are but a means to attain this, revels as Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Protector of Rome and grandfather of Romulus and Remus, unleashes his lightning over the landscape. This must be a good omen, Jupiter will lead this true Roman to Victory. The barbarian warlord beside him smiles and says, “You look forwards to battle my friend Lvcivs Cornelivs? That is it should be, I lust for it and the revenge we have been denied for too long. The honour of the Kembroz will be restored. I look forwards to seeing you and your men in battle, the famous Roman legionaires. It will be a pleasure in many ways. Look at that huge hall; the greatest in all the Suebi lands, and built by the last Rugoz king with our gold. Now his miserly son rules there, and as he keeps a small retinue to save money, we should be able to take it with even as few troops as we have. But I would like to hear your opinion on how to proceed.”

Raurik the Tightfisted has sent most of his father's large retinue away. While his father was a cunning and prudent man who always kept 120 men at his farm. His surviving son is a miserly and self-indulgent coward, who values cooks, jugglers and bards more than warriors, and only keeps ~20 warriors on his manor. He has positioned some of his old Erloz and Hirdmen in villages nearby though, to save money on feeding and gifting them, while still getting some security form their presence. And though small groups have been sent to raid their manors or ambush them as they try to come to their King's rescue, some might still get through.

The manor has a solid fence/palisade around it, with one main opening and two small ones elsewhere in the fence. The guards, if any- none are discernible in the rain and dark- are less than vigilant and it is likely you can get very close before an alarm is raised.


It is your choice how to proceed.

Visibility and hearing is reduced to 10, there are no fires outside, nor can any be lit in this downpour, perception rolls can be made to see if anyone notices anything just as a lightning flashes.
Thus, command range is 10 outside. Inside, the hall and longhouse are lit by a few torches and dying embers of fires, but the defenders may light oil lamps on the pillars; 1 element (including civilian) can light one 6'' R light every round.

Háriáwulf's objectives are to kill or capture Raurik and find the gold, if he can gain honour by winning personal combats and/or make enemy heroes change sides (especially if by defeating them), he will even be happy. There is an additional objective that will only be revealed at the proper time.

Lvcivs Cornelivs Scipio's objective is to find the gold and defeat some barbarians.


Aslak broods in his High Seat as darkness falls and clouds gather; a night of thunder and downpour seems to be at hand. Bad for harvest, but something more worries him; he has a sense that danger is near, very near. All his warrior's senses, fine-tuned by 30 years of combat, screams alarm, and his shepherds have muttered amongst themselves about movement in the wilds at night and a very few tracks in places where they should not be. Two days it had gone on, but he had found nothing. Yet he was alarmed. He knew in his gut that something was wrong, and he knew as certain as day follows night that the Kembroz had not forgotten their slight; especially not now with the proud, powerful and ambitious High Chief and Warlord in power. He knew in his bones that they would want revenge. Gold won in war was one thing, but as he saw it, this treasure was won by treason by his old lord Ákiláz, and treasure won by treason often burned the owner; like Dragons' hoards they were cursed. Too bad Ákiláz' brave and honourable sons had all died like true men in the Kembroz first assault. With Raurik ruling the people and more focused on self-indulgence than on proper manly virtues, nothing good was going to come to the Rugoz of this whole affair...

Aslak held out his horn for his wife to pour more mead, and walked slowly to the door, looking out on the lightning flickering in the horizon as the first large drops began to fall, taking a huge swallow. Yes, He was certain in his bones, he had heard stories of the heroism and travels of Háriáwulf and the cunning and power of Hrothulf, he knew the lust for blood and revenge of the Kembroz. He knew they would not marshal a large army like last time and slowly march to a huge battle as Raurik believed; leaving the Rugoz and their powerful allies of the Svionoz and Langobardoz time to gather an army. No, much more likely the glimpses seen were small bands of their warriors getting in position to raid the unprepared and vulnerable Rugoz, as long as the Langobardoz threatened their flank, they would have to attack merely in small numbers. He would have to try and warn Raurik tomorrow, make him try and see sense...
As he arrived at this conclusion he spotted a rider flogging his horse through the downpour towards his farm, he knew that way of sitting a horse, Váliásoz, his foster brother who should be serving the Langobardoz King, Aslak's unease grew...

He listened in silence as the drenched Valiásoz told of the newest developments at the Langobardoz court; Áiláthêwáz, the King's heir, will marry Háriáwulf's sister, Godáhilthjo; the Langobardoz had decided to throw in their lot with the Kembroz instead of the miserly Raurik. Aslak almost wished he could do the same as he told his foster brother to get some dry clothing, and went himself to rouse his 60 warriors, deciding to leave 20 behind for defence of his own holdings...


Aslak's objective, despite his loathing for the self-indulgent and cowardly Raurik, is to defeat the enemy force by either killing both enemy generals or 2/3rds of the enemy force. Unfortunately, an ambush on the way cost him 23 men, so he has 17 at his disposal.

Visibility and hearing is reduced to 10, there are no fires outside, nor can any be lit in this downpour, perception rolls can be made to see if anyone notices anything just as a lightning flashes.
Thus, command range is 10 outside. Inside, the hall and longhouse are lit by a few torches and dying embers of fires, but the defenders may light oil lamps on the pillars; 1 element (including civilian) can light one 6'' R light every round. Aslak is not a defender, only Raurik's and Theudelindá's men are.

Being both men of action, Lvcivs and Háriáwulf decided to sneak as close as possible, then just rush the gate opening and longhouse behind it; one from N. East, the other from N. West, while Háriáwulf brought two pairs of men sneaking in the back openings. Due to the heavy downpour, they got as close to the gate without being noticed by the guard, who- like all the guards- had moved to shelter from the rain. Maion Maienos, the Cretan, took a surprise shot at him, but failed to kill him; instead the guard jumped back in, slammed the door and gave the alarm.

At this point everybody in front rushed forwards to try and batter down the door. As it was a solid one, it took Háriáwulf 20 seconds to do so and charge the single guard. This time was used well by Raurik, the Rugoz chief, who ran to his hird in the next house, wearing only his smallclothes. Thus a lone guard defended the largest hall in Sweboz lands.

He was quickly overwhelmed by Háriáwulf, but the combined delay from the door and him was sufficient that Raurik's hird was ready, some with armour, some without, to defend the exit of the longhouse; creating a bottleneck as Háriáwulf charged through. Their combined numbers were enough to force him back through the door; elated by the success, the hirdmen charged in after him and were quickly overwhelmed. While this happened, Raurik was putting on one of his hirdmen's armour, and the Romans formed up in lines on the other side of the house, both guarding against reinforcements and being ready to reinforce.

At this point the area between the two houses developed into the bloody slaughterhouse typical of warriors and while Háriáwulf cut his way through his enemies to reach Raurik, the latter ran out the back door, much to the dismay of his Hird. Unfaced, Háriáwulf made his way around the house to defeat Raurik. The latter, however, kept sending warriors and even archers (the archers in this game wore chain shirts), to intercept him despite Maion Maienos coming around the house to the west and shooting a few, while Háriáwulf's German archers flanked to the east, taking out a few others. At this point, Háriáwulf's men sneaking behind the palisade noticed that a group of 5- 7 warriors with distinct shields were holding back somewhat from the fighting and focusing more on defending the guesthouse. Though not enough that it was very obvious and when it appeared as if they could catch most of Háriáwulf's hird between the two houses and forces, they did move forwards.

While this happened and his friends in the Hird were being cut down by Háriáwulf, Aslak's remaining reinforcement forces sneaked closer, not risking another ambush and not being noticed by the attackers' lookouts until they fired on them, though with little success. The fight on this side of the house developed into a faceoff as neither side wished to engage through the gate. When Aslak charged, fed up with the rain of Pilae and arrows (Maion had turned that way) against his forces while his own javelins did little damage against the heavily armoured Romans, it was too late.

As Aslak led a charge through the gate a bloody melee developed there as well, and the battle neared a climax. Behind the Hall, Háriáwulf had cut his way through Raurik's hird and left his own behind to clean up while he searched for his enemy. As he turned the hird-house, a warrior and archer engaged him, and when his back was turned, Raurik took his chance to run up and attack him from behind.
Unfortunately, Háriáwulf sensed his approach and turned to face him, and his mere presence made Raurik's bowels go weak, drop his weapon and beg for mercy.

That ended the battle (and the evening was late). With their leader's cowardice exposed, most of his men either fled or threw down their weapons. Only two tried and make their way to join the melee between the Romans and Aslak, and the Svionoz were in full retreat, trying to protect their chief's daughter. But with most of his friends inside the palisade cut down by Háriáwulf, Aslak was surrounded and defeated; fighting to the last.


The aftermath:
Háriáwulf was happy, having defeated his hated enemy personally and himself cut down at least 6 of his warriors with only two men unrecoverably lost himself. Further, he held three prizes, the gold, silver and amber of the Rugoz (hidden in the barn), Raurik himself (who will be sacrificed by Lvcivs' favourite priestess), and the daughter of the Svionoz high chief with her maids (some high born), who were there with her brother to formalise an alliance and engagement. Her brother got away though, but Háriáwulf is pleased with that as well, as the message will reach the High Chief faster that way and the war stop.

The Rugoz are soundly defeated, after four days of raiding the Rugoz Rally under the few leaders surviving to try and drive out the invaders. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Háriáwulf offers battle after six days, Raurik's sacrifice had offered good portents. In a hard battle with heavy losses fought on a warm day of August, he rout the Rugoz levy. Though few, his warriors are much harder and better led, while the massacres of the surprise raids have taken out the head and spine of the Rugoz.
On day eight, the second wave of reinforcements come up and the harrying of the countryside continues unabated for another three days. Before he sends parts of the army to support against the Danoz while another part marches the captured cattle and prisoners home through Langobardi lands , leaving much cattle there “as a show of friendship”, and the survivors of the first wave sail home with key prisoners and the treasure.

The war against the Svionoz was mainly fought by the Heruloz and Gautoz with some Kembroz support and met with stunning success. The Svionoz were caught as unaware as the Rugoz, and took longer to rally, they are harder warriors though, but are eventually defeated. Leaving only the Danoz to resist the Kembroz. The Danoz were not caught as much by surprise as the Rugoz and Svionoz, and they too are hard warriors, the war against them is harder and they are only slowly defeated, but on day 15 as Háriáwulf's reinforcements arrive, they too are defeated. The war then dies down as both sides regroup; the Kembroz does not have the forces to hold what they have taken, merely pillage and destroy it.

Eventually, the Sweboz tribal chiefs (Hrothulf and his enemies included), meet and intervene in the war, but that is after the Romans go home. As summer draws to a close and the harvest that can be salvaged is, Hrothulf and Háriáwulf happily hosts a feast to celebrate that Kembroz honour is risen again, the victory and the loot.

Most of the loot is from Rugoz lands, and most of this is gifted to Lvcivs Cornelivs Scipio and Rome in exchange for friendship, alliance, trade, reciprocal gifts and a promise that Rome will keep out of Kêmbroz; A third (app 400.000 Denarii) when Lvcivs departs, the rest as the reciprocal gifts and “treaties” arrive.
In total Lvcivs Cornelivs Scipio will get 1.212.300 Denarii worth of amber, silver and gold, some is expected to be gifted to Rome from the Kembroz, the rest is a gift to Lvcivs and his friends, though most of Caivs Caecilivs Rvfvs' reward is in “trade concessions”.
With him to Rome, travels Háriáwulf and Hárjáboko the Priestess, and 500 warriors, more to follow with the rest of the treasure. It is up to you to house them there, probably best to keep the majority outside Rome, perhaps Caivs Caecilivs Rvfvs has a Villa Rustica somewhere...