Schnai Civil War
Prelude 611-614 CY:
In 611 CY the allied barbarian kingdoms, collectively
known as Rhizia, had liberated allied realm of Ratik from Bone
March’s evil grip. Surging through Kalmar Pass, the barbarian horde eventually
sacked Spinecastle, thus conquering and occupying Bone March. Newly
crowned Overking Grenell was not troubled by this development for he had
been busy securing the Malachite Throne with the help of Holy Censor
Spidasa. It was Spidasa in fact that had conspired with King Orvung of
Schnai to rescind his support for adopted Rhizian, Juma Dain (Naelax)
to the throne, in return setting the stage for the Schnai led occupation of the
Sea Barons; an act that crippled Lord Mayor Drax’s (House Rax)
main support in his doomed bid to be overking.1
By 613 CY, Herzog Cromwell of the North
Province was at odds with Rhizia, which had gradually extended their occupation
to include the Aerdian coastal towns of Johnsport and Bellport.2
This was a violation of Spidasa and Orvung’s secret truce, but the much-celebrated
king made no effort to slow his peoples advances. In time, the Rhizian alliance
managed to negotiate a steady peace with Herzog Cromwell whose loyalty was
conflicted due to his own Cruskii heritage. In 614 CY, the strain of keeping
peace with Rhizia and increasing pressure from Aerdy spurred Cromwell to abdicate
rule of the North Province.3 The affable mercenary-turned noble,
departed his palace in the dead of night and ventured into the west. With the Great
Kingdom’s rule crumbling in the north, Spidasa vowed to Overking Grenell
that he had a plan to end Rhizia without shedding a drop of Aerdian blood.
January 615
An opportunity presented itself, when news quickly spread
from Rhizia that Vatun had chosen the failed-usurper prince Juma
Dain to be the next Night Shadow, a holy order of barbarian heroes whose
influence in large part held the Barbarian Alliance together. This time however,
the selection of a foreigner caused cracks to form in the alliance. Most nobles
in Cruskii and Fruz celebrated the choice and saw it as a sign to renew
their crusade to throw down the Great Kingdom. But many others, mainly from
Schnai were incensed, claiming it as further proof that the selection of new
Night Shadows every five years was in fact rigged by Vatun’s priesthood.4
A): In a secret meeting near Bellport, Censor Spidasa of Medegia
forged a pact with Schnai nobles Gorm, ruler of Johnsport and his visiting
cousin Jarl Balgrim, a famed warchief from the Great North War. The
scheming cleric played on the northmens’ greed, predicting that their clans stood
to gain control of all Schnai if King Orvung were to perish. To this end,
Spidasa instructed the pair to use the simmering Schnai schism over Juma Dain as
leverage to provoke a civil war in the kingdom of the Snow Barbarians. A
vicious rumor was soon spread that Jarl Vorlag König of Königsheim,
a supporter of Juma Dain, was plotting to usurp King Orvung and lead the north
into another costly war against the Great Kingdom.
B): To aid the evil plot, Spidasa arranged wagonloads of
new armaments to be smuggled into Bellport for Gorm and Balgrim’s warriors. Before
tensions had even flared in the north, Gorm was loading his men on longships and
set sail back to Schnai to bolster his cousin’s forces.
February 615
King Orvung was predictably enraged to learn Jarl Vorlag was
building up his army (and navy) with the intention to overthrow him come spring.
The king had grown older and paranoid since the last couple wars; his dubious
dealings with Aerdi still weighed heavily on his conscience. Additionally,
Orvung railed at the Rhizian alliance and the Night Shadows as their influence
had diminished what was once the mightiest Rhizian kingdom.5 The
Jarldom of Königsheim tried, but could not
assuage the fears of the king or his hersirs, and soon many real clashes began
to break out on the borderlands.
March 615
C): Tempers finally
increased to a fever pitch as Balgrim fanned the king’s paranoia with more
false reports. Orvung called on his loyal jarls to rally to his banner to put
down the traitorous Königs and their conspirators. Orvung’s
son, the Night Shadow Leif the Noisy did not remain neutral in the
growing conflict as he came to his father’s aid with 300 veteran thanes from
their eastern clan holding. Jarl Boren was also eager to join their fighters to
the cause, sending 800 men to Soull. In the northern fringes of the Corusk
highlands, the town of Knudje responded with 700 hardy warriors and met
with Jarl Odred’s 800 hillmen to march towards Königsheim.
Even Jarl Elgar was lured into the conflict, bringing 800 thanes south,
assured that rival Jarl Lär was in on the König plot.
D): Lär had not
mobilized its 800 warriors until consequently their rivals Elgar had moved
first, thus inflaming the civil war more when they joined the König defense. To the south, Jarl
Holdann could no longer sit by and watch. His clan had been fast compatriots
of Vorlag during the wars and so 900 seasoned fighters sailed by longship to Königsheim.
E): King Orvung was deceived again by Balgrim, who was in
turn fooled by the influence of Spidasa. Wanting to utterly crush the growing Königsheim faction, the king called back all his loyal hersirs
from the occupied Sea Barons, effectively deserting the isles they had so long sought
to conquer, and allowed exiled Admiral Sencho Foy to return to rule of Asperdi
Isle by summer. These forces, led by Bardir (500) and Hrölfson (500) were eager to defend their king and would
arrive on the Königsheim coast by May.
April 615
The stern Night Shadows could see that the alliance was
in danger of collapsing due to the Schnai Civil War. Their appeal for Leif Orvungson
to calm his father was met with silence in the longhouse of King Orvung. Even
the Night Shadow bard, Harald Husavik could not temper the arguments
that ensued that day.
F): While the kings of Fruz and Cruskii were counseled to
remain neutral, the Night Shadow order granted any of their Schnai members consent
to individually respond to the war.6 As a result, the
figurative head of the Night Shadows, venerable Tyrvald Brötby who was also a Schnai jarl, sided with the Jarl of Königsheim riding out with 120 retainers to join 800 of his kin.
Vorlag was soon joined by his older cousin Thorarin König and Haenir the Bold, each bringing 100 followers
down from the mountaintop of Night Shadow Keep. Meanwhile, Harald
Husavik remained alongside Leif the Noisy and King Orvung, though only to
chronicle the events that transpired.
The arriving Night Shadow contingents were joined by the
freesword Cromwell and his new mercenary band (200) who had journeyed far to
throw their support behind the allies of Juma Dain.7
May 615
G): The now assembled army of King Orvung with Jarl
Balgrim and Warchief Gorm at his side, marched unhindered through Königsheim territory to confront the Schnai rebels. They would
soon be met by the forces of Elgar, Odred and Knudje as they converged on their
target.
Meanwhile, Jarl König
received more aid in the days leading up to battle. The heroes Bjorn and
Geirrod, former adventuring comrades of Vorlag, came with no followers,
but they bore two of the five Blades of Corusk.8 Bjorn
the Rogue wielded Harmonizer, a two-handed sword so light it
could be swung with one hand, and his cousin Geirrod held Stalker,
a blue-steel longsword which allowed him to effortlessly move with stealth.
Vorlag was also one of the five Corusk heroes; in addition to his magic warhammer,
the jarl wielded the Edge, a bastard sword of phenomenal sharpness.
The last to join the side of Königsheim
was none other than Vorlag’s estranged brother, Legen König, who for personal reasons, had not returned to Schnai
in nearly two decades.9 Legen brought 40 elite freebooters in
an effort to redeem himself and defend the honor of his clan.
H): Battle of Königsheim
As Orvung’s forces encircled the jarldom, the ships of
Bardir and Hrölfson had arrived to completely
trap their foes. Vorlag had chosen this battlefield however, arraying his supporter’s
forces just outside his home of Königsby
where an additional layer of earthen-works and palisades had been easily constructed.
Likewise, the longships of König and Holdann
guarded the town’s harbor day and night and so were in position on the day of
battle.
The armies loyal to Orvung totaled 8200, while Vorlag’s
allies were 4200 strong. Though greatly outnumbered, the jarl’s forces had
superior defenses and the ability of several veteran heroes. Encouraged by the
arrival of longships loyal to them, Jarl Balgrim advised the king to immediately
assault the palisades while units led by Gorm and Leif Orvungson would envelope
the town, ensuring none could escape. The fury and chaos of the Battle of
Königsheim was such that only a few pivotal events are remembered:
The warriors of
Knudje changed their stance when they saw the dark banners of the Night Shadows
were mostly in favor of Vorlag. They remained in line, unwilling to blindly
attack without first talking to the jarl.
The larger ships
of Holdann were supported by flaming arrows and catapults fired from watch towers
facing the harbor. Bardir and Hrölfson were
slain and their forces routed, with many
drowned or dying by fire as their ships sank.
On the west
flank, Night Shadows Leif the Noisy and Harald Husavik confronted Thorarin König, Haenir the Bold and their wizened leader Tyrvald Brötby.
As they attempted diplomacy, an archer on the palisade accidentally loosed
an arrow, killing the non-combatant bard Husavik. Fighting instantly erupted, but
only briefly before Thorarin held a sword at Leif’s throat and called for a
truce; to their dismay, their mentor Tyrvald had fallen to a spear.
On the east flank, the forces of Gorm launched hails of
arrows at the defenders. Unwilling to be cut down behind a wall, the mercenaries
of Legen and Cromwell went on the offense, emboldening their allies to follow
their spearhead. Warchief Gorm was pulled down from his horse and captured by Legen.
That is when Cromwell discovered their opponents wore new Aerdian chainmail.
The arrows that littered their walls were also distinctively Aerdian. Smelling
a double-cross, the sellsword mounted and rode for the central battle.
Even with the high ground, Vorlag and his kin eventually had
to fall back from the press of Orvung and Balgrim’s overwhelming assault. Regrouping,
the jarl and his kinsmen held their ground to prevent the destruction of their
town. In the chaotic final clash between Schnai clans, Balgrim had grown
frustrated that Orvung was too well-guarded, so at an opportune moment he stabbed
the king with a dagger. The old king was tough as a giant however and yelled
aloud at the treachery. Before the devious jarl could finish the assassination,
Cromwell galloped into the fray and tackled Balgrim to the ground. Though
wounded, Orvung personally finished off Balgrim as hundreds of stunned Schnai
looked on. The Battle of Königsheim came to
an abrupt halt as horns sounded and banners waved to signal a cease to fighting.
Aftermath:
Orvung and Vorlag interrogated Gorm, learning the entire
plot of Spidasa. Afterwards, Gorm was publicly executed by Vorlag. Orvung
praised Cromwell for saving his life and forgave his past service to Overking
Grenell, also gifting him one of his own longships. King Orvung apologized to all
his nobles and thanes for being misled and so decreed the lands of the dead
traitor Balgrim now belonged to Jarl König. Orvung’s side had suffered 4100 casualties while Vorlag’s allies
lost 1300 men, including two legendary Night Shadows. The Schnai Civil War was
over and Rhizia remained united.
Footnotes:
1.
Juma Dain is the adopted son of Night Shadow, Valkaun
Dain. None disputed his Aerdian heritage, only that he was a direct
descendant of Ivid V, who had notoriously eliminated all his offspring.
2.
The rulers of the Barbarian Alliance (Rhizia)
consisted of King Lolgoff Bearhair of Cruskii, King Orvung of Schnai and
King Ralff of Fruztii, mediated in a council overseen by the Night
Shadows. Vassals of the three Rhizian kings ruled parts of captured territories
in Stonehold, Bone March and the Sea Barons.
3.
Some say Cruskii-born Cromwell had been selected
by Grenell because he would be able to ease relations with the barbarians. A
secret visitation by the Grand Druid shook Cromwell. He leaned firsthand
that infant Juma had been brought to Valkaun Dain by the Grand Druid himself
after the child’s mother died fleeing from Overking Ivid V.
4.
It did not help that Juma’s adopted father was
also a Night Shadow. Never in their history had a father and son been chosen,
much less a foreign-born person.
5.
Jarl Vorlag, a renowned hero in his own right,
was generally more liked than King Orvung. In times of war especially, fellow Cruskii
and Fruz warriors acted more favorable to the jarl.
6.
During the Schnai Civil War, Juma Dain, still
only 18, stayed at the Night Shadow Keep.
7.
Cromwell had traveled to the Bandit Kingdoms but
was driven out of Stoink. From there he went to Tenh and
Stonehold, gathering proven fighting men along way. The Night Shadows recognized
the formidable warrior and enlisted his aid for Vorlag, escorting his band
through mountain passes to Schnai.
8.
Vorlag’s other Corusk-blade kin, Orec the Druid
(Greenswathe) and Thormod the Bard (Dreamsinger) did not make
the journey to Schnai. It is not known why.
9.
Legen originally adventured with a young Valkaun
Dain, as well as elven Archmage Mortellan before either became legendary
figures. It is surmised Legen took an evil bent early in his career since he
went his own way and never achieved their greatness. His self-imposed exile
from Königsheim was also likely due to jealousy of his brother.
Commentary:
First of all, the Schnai Civil War was a tiny part of what me and my friend Jayson played in the Thillonrian north. With few friends available to game with back then, Jayson tended to play multiple characters. While his favorite barbarian, Valkaun sat this one out, all five Blades of Corusk were carried by his PCs, including Vorlag. Together we had created quite an elaborate setting for our Rhizia. One that easily rivals my present day Sea Princes campaign or Ull.
I'm fortunate to have kept good notes when we played this corner of the map, but still the details of the battle were lost, besides principle players and troop counts. I know we used Companion Set: Warmachine rules for this war because the notes included these stats. The fact that Orvung has double the troops of Vorlag while the Jarl has named heroes and defensive works were all factors in these stats.
Cromwell continued to roam the Flanaess as an NPC while our friend Eric was in the Army. The war was a good opportunity to redeem his character after the Great North War. My NPC foil Legen also tied up his subplot in this battle.
Who is the Grand Druid of the Flanaess? I'm not sure without looking it up. Back then I made his name up and it was Venger! Yes, not very imaginative of me, I know.
The main NPC villains of this story, Gorm and Balgrim were my creation and there is very little info on them. I know Gorm is a F10 and that they conspired with Censor Spidasa. A lot of the narrative around them had to be created for this column to keep the overall campaign consistent.
Lastly, I'd have to check Jayson's character sheet if he still has it, but I want to say Vorlag had a dwarven-thrower hammer (but then how did it return to him being human?), or maybe he had a Hammer of Thunderbolts? Either way, this campaign was so over-the-top by then, Vorlag also has the sword Edge so take your pick.
More next time!
