"Charlemagne is winning," I voiced, unsurprised by the development but I could and did find it rather annoying regardless. I had really hoped that he would stumble here, even if I knew, objectively, that it was better if he won as he would then be tied down in the region for years to come. Hadi and the thirty thousand men that were sent with him were already sweeping across the South. I didn't know how far they had gone, but I would be shocked if Hadi had failed to take at least one city by now.
The battle had been raging for a week, and the cracks were starting to show in Abd al-Rahman's army. His advantage in numbers had been steadily ground down, and though he still had more men, the gap wasn't as large. The Paladins were used more sparingly once it was clear that the battle wasn't going to be won in a single decisive display. They rotated, acting in groups of six to keep the other half of their numbers fresh.
Both sides had quickly identified each other's strengths and weaknesses, and the battle became just as much about suppressing those strengths as it was exploiting weaknesses.
Whenever the Umayyads' heavy cavalry was able to charge the Frankish army, they delivered brutal devastation. The Franks, naturally, did their best to suppress the heavy cavalry with their own lighter cavalry. But, when the Umayyads used their own light horsemen or when the cataphracts targeted the lighter Frankish cavalry in particular, they had trouble doing so. Every charge was devastating and watching the battle I was reminded time and time again why I feared a cavalry charge.
The Franks, logically, should have been in a bad position. They were unable to properly use their own horsemen. They were getting absolutely hammered again and again. But, where they were winning was in the infantry. The Paladins each cut their own bloody swaths, and each time they did, the Umayyads had to not only push to stop the advance but also to fill the gaps they made. Meaning that the Umayyads couldn't properly cycle their frontline.
Things had been fine on the first day, but after a week, the exhaustion was starting to sink in. Not to mention the loss in morale because the dead infantry more than balanced the losses the Franks suffered.
"Think it'll be today?" Thorkell asked me, tossing a peach in my direction. I caught it deftly as I pondered the question.
"If not today, then tomorrow," I reasoned, taking a bite out of the fruit. Watching the battle had been informative. A useful experience. I hadn't ever participated in a battle of this scale, and I could see how it was different. It was… clumsy, for lack of a better word. With the ever growing size of my army, I had already felt the effects. The battle line stretched on longer than you could see, and it was difficult to tell where you were winning and where you were losing. Which was why I needed Astrid to oversee the whole field.
That got a sigh out of Thorkell, "Shame. This was a lucrative opportunity." That was an understatement if I had ever heard one. Sitting on this hill and watching my enemies kill each other while getting paid to not interfere, I had amassed nearly seventeen thousand talents of gold and silver over seven days by steadily increasing the cost of each day's payments. They started at five hundred talents a day, but the price steadily grew as both side's losses became more apparent, their weakness growing, and I became more of a threat. This morning, I collected two thousand talents total from both sides. "You going to accept the offer, then?"
The offer in question wasn't just for my continued inaction, but to 'purchase' the hill from me. The Umayyads, as they were more desperate, had a standing offer of sixty thousand talents. Charlemagne, though pressed, was in a far better position, so his offer was significantly lower at twenty thousand.
"I hate it, but I think I am," I sighed. I couldn't let personal feelings get in the way. It would be bad for me, as well as Saxony if Charlemagne was defeated here. I imagine he'd walk straight across his kingdom with his defeated army, and even at a fraction of its current strength, it would be well beyond Saxony's ability to deal with. And I couldn't yet return without giving up on a number of Quests or the rewards they offered.
"It's the smart decision," Thorkell agreed with me, sounding like he liked it even less. "I'll fetch a runner, then?"
"Aye. Send word to Charlemagne that the hill is his for twenty thousand talents." I decided, leaning in my chair, gazing out at the battlefield that was utterly strewn with corpses. "Payment upfront, and in the dead of night, we shall slink away."
"You don't want to stay until the end?" He asked, sounding surprised.
"There wouldn't be any point. I already know how Charlemagne will win. He'll sacrifice his infantry to the cataphracts and dedicate a full charge from his cavalry on the other flank, down this hill. Combining that with his Paladins, and Abd al-Rahman's flank will collapse. The only reason why he hasn't done it sooner is that he hoped to conserve his strength." Strength he knows he needs for the battles to come. Not to mention, he had to thin out the Umayyads light cavalry."
The message was sent to the Frankish camp, and some hours later, discreetly, wagons were brought to my camp. Each wagon contained several chests stacked on top of one another, each one filled with wealth. The payment was handed over with Astolfo at its head.
She seemed tired, I noticed, giving me an unimpressed look as the wealth was marched into my camp. "Are you happy now?"
"Depends. How angry is Charlemagne?" I asked her and, to that, Astolfo grimaced.
"Umm… well… he also said to pass along a message… 'Siegfried. Every night, I pray to the Almighty, asking him to grant me the chance to go back to our first meeting. Where I would then get off of my horse and take great pleasure in murdering you with my own hands.'" Astolfo finished, seeming a bit pensive about my reaction.
She wasn't at all relieved when I laughed. "Yes. In that case, I am happy now," I decided, making Astolfo sigh.
"It'd be nicer if we could all just get along," she remarked mournfully. I understood her plight. She was a loyal vassal and warrior of Charlemagne, but she didn't possess the same visceral hatred of pagans and heathens that her king did. The fact that we could call each other friend despite it all was tragically an exception rather than the norm.
"I've tried as much in Norland," I admitted. "I stuffed Muslims, Christians, and a temple to my people in one district."
She perked up, "And?"
"I expect that part of the city is going to burn down," I replied, making her deflate. Though, she was unsurprised. Which made it somewhat puzzling when she sent me a sly smirk.
"It's possible, though," she said, reaching into a satchel and passing me a leather bound book and a letter. "They're from Bishop Otto - he still feels pretty bad about dropping that Iconoclast debate on you, so he wrote this to help make up for it." She said and I opened the book to find familiar handwriting. On the pages were tales - words of wisdom that Otto had collected on his pilgrimage to Rome from farmers, vagabonds, prostitutes, beggars, and thieves.
That did get a smile out of me. "I never held it against him, but I shall welcome the gift." Opening the letter conveyed more or less what Astolfo said - that Otto regretted that he had put me in a difficult position without consulting me, so over the past year and a half, he had put the wisdom he had accrued over the last few years to paper, for me to add to my ever growing library. "Give him my thanks, would you?"
"I will. He didn't come on the campaign, but I see plenty of him back in Aachen." At that, I cocked an eyebrow and she elaborated. "Otto has been… vocal about his dissatisfaction with the Church. He donated the wealth of his church to the locals, cast off his raiments, and most of his sermons happen during public works because his church has become a sickhouse." That sounded like Otto. "He's stepped on some toes, though. People have been trying to kill him, so Charlemagne has a Paladin guarding him at all times. Bradamante stayed behind to protect him."
It sounded like Otto was taking action rather than limply following the Church's doctrine then. "I wish him success in his endeavors, but what spurred this on?"
"The debate, as far as I know," Astolfo answered. "The politics of it left a bad taste in his mouth, so he chose to spit it out rather than swallow it down." I had known of his dissatisfaction, but I didn't think it extended so far. "I wouldn't be too worried about him. He has King Charlemagne's full support, and I think the message that he preaches is resonating with a lot of people."
I felt that the situation was more complicated than that. Christian nobility were fond of sending their third and fourth sons to the Faith because most could not afford an inheritance for them. Likewise, it was another way to increase their families standing, particularly if their scion climbed up the Church hierarchy. Which they would, because their noble families would bribe, blackmail, and extort to ensure they rose through the ranks regardless of their piety or worthiness.
From the sounds of it, Otto wasn't suggesting a mere change in direction with the Church. It sounded a great deal like he was advocating for the state of things to be torn down to the foundations of the Faith itself.
Naturally, those that benefited from the way things were would seek to stop him. Silence him.
"... Otto is my friend," I told Astolfo, my voice turning serious. "Our different faiths aside, I have found few men as worthy of respect as Otto. I dislike Charlemagne for a number of reasons, but I can understand his motivations. However, if he lets Otto die for his own convenience… that will be the last mistake he ever makes." Because, in the end, Charlemagne was also someone who benefited from the Church being how it was.
Both Charlemagne and Otto were true believers - they put God above their own lives. However, Charlemagne was a king, and I wasn't sure he would put God above his kingdom.
There was a pregnant pause, Astolfo meeting my hard stare, knowing that I just threatened her king. She didn't argue. Instead, she inclined her head to me. "I'll pass the message along, Siegfried."
And, with that, Astolfo left.
The payment was brought into the camp, and as I had promised, after a week of being idle, we took action once more. Our departure had long been anticipated as the wealth we had extracted from both sides would be a very compelling target for the warring armies - both to reclaim what they had paid us, as well as to claim the payments of their enemy. As such, as a crescent moon shone overhead, we departed the camp in the dead of night.
We moved without torches, using furs to muffle the sounds of our arms, armor, and baggage train. Our scouts moved well beyond us, ensuring that any watchful eyes of the Umayyads that were on us were silenced. Likewise, we ensured that the Umayyads thought we were still in our camp by leaving the campfires lit.
The idleness of the camp was swiftly rectified by Charlemagne, who did exactly as I thought he would do - he sent the majority of his horsemen along with some infantry to the hill. An action that hadn't been missed by the Umayyads. Even in the dead of night, they started to respond to the Franks taking the hill but they were far too late to stop the action.
Once the Franks had the clear advantage, stacking their forces upon that flank… the Umayyads understood they had been outmaneuvered, limiting their options severely. Abd al-Rahman couldn't afford to retreat as his army would shatter like glass due to the factions within it. They could only fight to the best of their ability, and seize the one advantage that they had left.
The initiative.
As my army stole away in the night, the Umayyads' began a call to arms, waking men from their slumber. They formed up, not in a line, but more of a mob, forcing the Franks out of their own camp only a few short hours after the fighting had stopped. I fully intended to be gone by the time the battle began, but the baggage train slowed us tremendously. Enough so that I decided to establish a rear guard to make sure we weren't attacked from behind. Likewise, I sent an advance guard to bring our ships to us because marching to them would take far too long.
The silver lining to all this was that I got to witness the final charge of the battle after all.
The Umayyads split their forces, attacking both the center and western flank while a smaller contingent assaulted the hill, determine to tie up the Frank cavalry and blunt any flanking maneuver. As far as bad options went, it was the best that Abd al-Rahman could have gone with. The Franks, for their part, received the Umayyad charge.
Unlike every battle before, both sides committed everything. There were no reserves held back. Neither side could afford to. Sheer weight of numbers played as much of a part in the battle as did skill at arms and tactics. And what the Umayyads had was men. They threw themselves into the center, forcing the Frankish line to bend further and further with every step taken.
Yet, they never pushed it to the point that it broke. Perhaps, with more time, and under the light of day, the Umayyads could have managed it. But, when the forces attacking the hill broke, allowing the Frankish cavalry to mobilize? Letting them stream down the hill, hitting the Umayyads in the back and side under the cover of darkness, making it impossible to tell the number of enemies that had flanked them? After a week of brutal fighting?
The Umayyad army broke. It started fast, with the first of the army turning to run creating a cascading effect. Parts of the army tried to create a controlled retreat, but the vast majority of the army simply broke and ran, heading back for their camp.
It was a disappointing sight, to be honest. But, with True Vision, I could see through the darkness that Abd al-Rahman was doing what he could to salvage his forces and make a fighting retreat. The battle was his loss, but he was fighting for the chance to fight again.
Perhaps he would salvage enough of his army to fight again. And, perhaps, if Charlemagne was the only one he had to contend with, the Umayyads would have had a real chance of survival. But, with the Abbasids rising from their southern border, they had no hope of returning from this defeat.
Abd al-Rahman knew that, yet he fought on. For that alone, he had my respect. Just not my sword arm as, in the end, I had accomplished exactly what I desired.
I had down the seeds of an inevitable conflict between the Franks and the Abbasids.
[center]… /center]
The sounds of Charlemagne attacking the routing army echoed through our departure, our ships arriving with us swiftly loading our bounty onto them before setting sail. There had been an attack on our rear guard, but I couldn't tell if it was merely a case of mistaken identity, or a probing attack from the Frankish king. In any case, the disorganized force was easily repelled and within a handful of hours, we set sail for the Balearic Islands once more.
Our return was celebrated by our people, but less so by the thralls, especially when they heard that their Caliph had been defeated. But given that most of their families were out of harm's way, they cared less than they otherwise might have, feeling protected on these islands.
As for myself? After the conflict was done, I felt… satisfied. The sheer magnitude of my accomplishment would be felt for generations. My actions were already becoming legendary as I had heard a tale that claimed that Charlemagne and Abd al-Rahman both had paid me hundreds of thousands of talents, as well as the hands of their daughters, out of fear.
I could only imagine how the story would twist as time went on, so I had the Great Raid etched into a Runestone and added to the one in Norland. And in the aftermath, I had even more reasons to be satisfied.
[center]Quest: Lord of the Tides /center]
Objective: Establish a military presence on (4/4) major islands in the Mediterranean.
- Reward: 1,000 Prestige. Title: Lord of Tides. 1 Boon.
Bonus Objective: Establish (23,000/20,000) army within the Mediterranean.
- Bonus reward #1: 1 Martial Perk.
Bonus Objective: Maintain (1,180/1,000) standing fleet.
- Bonus reward #2: Learning Perk: Early Age of Exploration Ship: Caravel.
Bonus Objective: Maintain an alliance with (1/1) major power within the Mediterranean.
- Bonus reward #3: Third hint to legendary item (3/3)
Lord of Tides: The ocean will ever be in the favor of the bearer of this title.
At long last, I had accomplished the Lord of Tides Quest. The stolen ships had granted me a fleet a thousand strong. Through hiring mercenaries and settling the population of the lesser Balearic island, the might of the island nation had eclipsed twenty thousand. With my unofficial betrothal to Jasmine, I had secured an alliance with the Abbasids. And, at last, I possessed a military presence on four of the major islands in the Mediterranean.
A thousand Prestige was much appreciated, as was the Boon. The title, however, was what I truly desired from the main quest - Lord of the Tides. To have the ocean be a trusted ally of an island kingdom was an advantage that couldn't be described. Yet, the bonus rewards were every bit as worthy of the challenge it had been to earn them.
A Martial Perk, my first in a long while. More important, however, was the Learning Perk. What the gods called the Early Age of Exploration Ship: Caravel. A new type of ship. A shiver raced down my spine when I was able to picture what such a vessel would look like in my mind. It was almost alien in nature, yet familiar still. Fundamentally different from my peoples longships or the Roman triremes. A beast of rope, tar, and canvas that sat far higher out of the water, with a deeper hull, and several masts with triangular sails.
The caravel had its own weaknesses, but it was a marked improvement on our longships by nearly every metric. The shallow keel would let it sail most of the deeper rivers, though not all of them. It had significantly more space for cargo. The multiple sails, especially with their shape, would allow the ships to sail at an angle in the face of the wind. The ships were even similar in length, some fifty feet to seventy at the largest.
The issue with them was that they were costly to make. Wood, rope, and canvas in particular. I could build two longships for what it would take to build a single caravel ship. It was no small investment, especially when the time spent on constructing the ship could be spent on other projects.
They were still worth creating, of course. Their merits far outstripped their demerits, but I didn't see the caravels outright replacing our longships. Not any time soon, at least. What I expected to happen first was to implement some of the benefits of the caravels to our longships, such as the sails that would allow a longship to sail against the wind.
In any case, much like the longships, I had no intention of building any while I was in the Mediterranean. I was already having to fend off those that tried to get the shipbuilding secrets of the longships for themselves, and I had no desire to inadvertently teach the Romans how to make such an improvement as the caravel.
As for the Boon, I had a few interesting choices, but it came down to two in particular.
[center]Minor Regeneration/center]
[center]The user gains a minor regeneration effect, swiftly healing minor injuries and granting resistance to illness, which is intended to keep the user healthy and whole. /center]
[center]Mentor/center]
[center]When in a teaching position, students gain 15% increase in experience. /center]
Of the two, Mentor called to me. It was a broader application of another one of my Martial Perks, Drill Instructor, which increased the learning and experience gained by my soldiers. I had learned a great deal in Constantinople, and I hoped to learn more still. Sharing what I had learned, in particular with my children, appealed to me.
However, the choice wasn't so clear cut when I considered the options for Martial perks.
[center]Limitless /center]
[center]The user is able to exert all of his physical strength. /center]
[center]Know Thy Enemy /center]
[center]Enemy units are marked and identified, as well as their unit type, current strength, and morale. /center]
On its own, Know Thy Enemy struck me as the most useful. Information was king on the battlefield. With that Perk, the Caliph possibly could have won that battle against Charlemagne by deliberately targeting the weakened portions of his army. Instead of a mass of fighting bodies in the moonlight, who was who would have been easily marked.
However, Minor Regeneration paired with Limitless was a powerful combination. I was confident in my physical prowess. Even if I was against a dozen men, I was certain I would win. A hundred, even. Simply because I could kill them faster than they could overwhelm me, and very few men would have the heart to charge someone that had just killed fifty men and looked to kill fifty more.
Yet, it was the Paladins of Charlemagne that worried me. I was older than when I last faced them, stronger, and I now possessed the legendary sword Gram. Roland had beaten me, badly, when I faced him as a fourteen year old boy. At seventeen, my odds were better, but… still uncertain. Being able to utilize all of my strength, something that fundamentally strained the body to do, paired with Minor Regeneration?
That was a difficult combination to pass up. Especially when it was the first Martial Perk I had seen for several years.
Perhaps, if I felt like I had a hard counter to the Paladins, warriors of my own who could match them in prowess, I could choose the Perks I truly preferred. Of all my men, Athrun was the only one who had a Blessing that enhanced him physically. Perhaps that could change one day, but as it was…
My choices were Limitless and Minor Regeneration.
As I made my selections, there was a knock at my door as I felt both Perks take effect. I gave myself a moment to recover, feeling as if small needles were jabbing themselves into my flesh for just a second. "Enter," I allowed, looking over to see that it was Hoffer.
"Lord Wolf-Kissed," Hoffer said, greeting me. Then, surprisingly, he dropped down to a knee. "I owe you an apology, my lord."
"For what offense?" I asked, wondering where this was going as I shifted in my seat, setting aside a whittling project.
"For harboring doubts," Hoffer confessed. "I went along with your plan of an island nation, but I doubted your ability to make such a thing manifest. At most, I figured I would rule over Crete, acting as an Abbasid puppet. But your aims surpassed my imagination."
I frowned at the large man - he was large enough that even on a knee, we were still on eye level as I was seated. "Your doubts seem reasonable, Hoffer. I don't begrudge you for them."
Hoffer nodded his head, grateful, before he continued. "My thanks, Lord Wolf-Kissed. You have done my family a kindness, and not for the first time. You made my father a king, my sister shall be a queen, and I shall wear a crown not given to me by my father. It is the future kingdom that you are granting to me that I wish to discuss with you."
He sounded serious. I was glad to hear it - he had, admittedly, treated my words too lightly, I recognized in hindsight. He had nodded along, but it was only recently that it started to sink in that he would be a king. And now, finally, he started showing interest in his kingdom.
I had expected this conversation eventually, and I was glad he was the one who brought it up. "You fear that your kingdom is too spread out," I ventured, gesturing for him to rise and take a seat.
"I do," he agreed, taking a seat across from me, his gaze flickering to the outline of a model caravel I had been carving. "The distance between Palmar and Norland is some thousand miles. Assuming that the conditions are ideal, it's at least a ten-day trip. More if the conditions aren't ideal."
"It's not the ideal capital, I agree," I admitted as much. I was proud of Norland, but I had settled the land because of how close it was to Constantinople.
"Position wise, Sicily is near dead set in the middle," Hoffer agreed, relaxing significantly. He thought he'd have to talk me into that conclusion. "It's a little too close to land, but if we conquer the Roman territories there, it's not as bad. If Crete wasn't a factor, then Sardinia would be best. The Balearic Islands are too close to Francia, making them a better staging ground than a capital."
"Of the choices, I would recommend Sardinia," I offered. "It has fertile lands, it's neatly situated, and it possesses silver mines. Your greatest strength will be controlling the seas - Sicily is only an island by three miles or less. Though, conquering the Roman lands nearby would be prudent as a precaution. As for the capital, I can provide funds for its-" I was cut off when Hoffer started shaking his head.
"The offer is generous, but unnecessary, my lord," Hoffer said. "You underestimate the riches you have brought to us. I alone can afford to build a city in addition to financing an army of mercenaries. I could probably build two cities and still have enough to live in luxury. So, while I thank you for your generosity, please don't burden yourself. I suspect you'll have need of the wealth when you return to Denmark."
Perhaps Jill was right - I had lost sight of what was considered wealthy. I was almost sure he would need my help.
"Very well then. What did you have in mind for Sardinia?" I began, starting a long overdue conversation that continued long into the night.
[center]…/center]
"Ohhh, they finished it? That was pretty fast," Thorkell remarked next to me as we sailed into the harbor of Norland some days later. My gaze was affixed upon the tall lighthouse that had sprung up outside of the harbor. It was hardly the Lighthouse of Alexandria, but it was notable all the same. It stood tall at the outermost point of the island, and I could see what seemed to be children at it's top, watching our approach with evident excitement.
"Looks like it," I replied. I had given the order for its construction largely for practical reasons. Norland was becoming an increasingly popular center of trade, and a lighthouse was a practical building. What I hadn't expected was for it to be considered one of the notable buildings that counted to my final Grand Quest - Founding a City. I had been a little puzzled when some weeks ago, the three notable buildings went up to four, and I hadn't been understood why.
Now, seeing the lighthouse that stood high, taller than even my library, I understood why.
All that was left was to complete the final building, I thought, thinking of the quest.
[center]Quest: Founding a city./center]
[center]Objectives/center]
[center]Population: 38,566/25,000/center]
[center]Wealth: 695,800/100,000/center]
[center]Military Power: 11,000/10,000/center]
[center]Notable Buildings: 4/5/center]
[center]Reward: 1,000 Prestige. Trait: City Builder. 3 Stewardship Perks. 1 Diplomacy Perk./center]
I hadn't intended for it, but I had gathered several times over the wealth the quest required. And that was after distributing what we had taken from the Umayyads. With military power trickling over the threshold as walls were completed and orphans were trained, ready to guard the walls of their home.
As we sailed into the habor, cleared of ships so we could arrive, my gaze drifted over the chosen site of my final notable building to complete the quest. But, as we arrived, I had more important things to focus on.
"Father! You're back! Finally!" Ragnar nearly knocked me into the sea, half tackling me with a hug as he ran down the dock. It felt like just yesterday he was so young he couldn't even talk, but now he was running all over the place.
"I am," I said, lifting him up by his tunic and carrying him against my side. "With treasures and stories to tell!" I said with a laugh, walking down the dock as I spied my wives, betrothed, and lover. Though the latter had chosen to arrive as a bird, thinking herself above such petty displays. Morrigan wasn't nearly as subtle as she thought she was.
"Husband," Astrid greeted me as I walked down the dock, cupping my cheeks and kissing me lightly. "Word has already reached us of your deeds. The greatest raid in the history of our people. Wealth beyond imagination. The humiliation of the Christian King who massacred our people and desecrated our holy sites. Welcome home," she said, and the crowd of people let out a loud cheer.
I just chuckled at the sound, "Laying it on a little thick, hm?"
"Silence, you," Astrid said, giving me a sly grin as she subtly gave me a pinch. I accepted it all the same, taking her in my arms as I was welcomed in turn by Jill, and our child.
Battle was a glorious thing, I knew, but home had it's own special appeal.
...
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