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Post by Loegaire mac Niell on Aug 7, 2016 17:05:46 GMT
By now, word that Fragarach had been stolen from Eogan, potentially by an otherworldly thief, had reached the court of Loegaire. Malgarb was a prime suspect, though Loegaire knew that Malgarb had been by his side since they left Briton. The druids were divided on what this theft meant. Some asserted that it was an ill-omen, that the Gods had reclaimed the sword in a symbolic abandonment of the Gaels. Though the majority believed the Tuatha de Denann were punishing Eogan, rather than the Gaels, for converting to the religion of the slaves. Loegaire believed that the treachery of men was simply to blame, but he kept this opinion to himself.
There were more pressing matters afoot. The old enemies in the South had began converting to Christianity, and Loegaire sensed an opportunity. Following the death of Loegaire's grandfather, Eochaid Mugmedon, the mac Mugmedon children became embroiled in a crippling civil war. Only Niall and Fiachre survived the conflict, Niall being named High King following the fighting. The south still posed a threat, they persisted in the belief that by virtue of Eochaid's first wife, Mongfind, they should hold the High Kingship. This was obvious to them, as Niall was the son of Mugmedon's second wife, Cairenn, a Briton princess no less! To have his bloodline occupy all the power in Eire was a terrible thing.
Loegaire did not disband his levies upon returning to Eire. The King, and his men, were upbeat. They suffered a great loss of life, but they had returned with mountains of treasure. They killed the King of Venta, occupied the northern lands of Pagenses and caused a High King of the Britons to release himself from the captivity of Christianity. Instead, Loegaire headed South, with his large force and arrived at the borders of his territory. The land of the Mumuann was a treacherous as their people. Fortunately the Royal fort, so crassly referred to as Tara of the Rushes, was fairly close to their Northern borders. Loegaire would take his force there, advancing slowly and carefully scouting the mountains, bogs and valleys to find safe places to march and to avoid any potential ambushes.
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Post by Admin on Aug 9, 2016 17:02:17 GMT
"Uncivilised, you say?" Crimthann groaned. "How am I meant to be civilised if I don't kill my enemies? You said that Rome has stood for a thousand years. Did it stand so long by inviting wolves to tend its flock?"
"Rome fought, and Rome won. It did this from a position of strength. When in a position of weakness or equity it bode its time, it threw words in place of javelins, and it still won. Please, majesty, be wise. Loegaire is popular and victorious, his people may be tired, but they are legends. Even your own men cannot be relied upon, when they have spent the summer in envy of the stories of plunder coming from Loegaire's men. While you know that true wealth comes from the stability of peace and the bounty of shared prosperity through trade, your men do not. They see gold, they don't have gold, and they want gold. They see the enemy dressed in mail, they hear of wives and cattle, they don't think of the future. They don't think of their immortal souls, they only think of their base desires. The best possible outcome from today is to avoid battle. We missed a chance this summer, but there will be others. Loegaire's virtue is his strength, therefore we cannot hope to defeat him with strength. We must use wisdom. Do not leave the walls. Do not engage. Do not seek glory. Seek only peace, and wait for opportunity."
Dionysios finished his sermonising. The Greekling was always very sure of himself, but was unnervingly squeamish whenever it came to the prospect of bloodshed. Even the Christian priests were more open to the prospect of spilling pagan god than this strange follower. He says he comes from Aphroditum, apparently at the opposite corner of the earth to Eire. All the literate men refer to him as a Greekling, but Crimthann could have sworn he was a Roman.
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Crimthann's scouts report back that there is little opportunity for an ambush. The Ulaid are so vigilant that scouts are unable to even get very close without losing their lives. Crimthann decides to station his army in the royal fort, and hurries to bring in as much grain and cattle as he can, hoping to hold out and force Loegaire to attack a defensive position. He also makes preparations for a feast, in the hope that there can be a diplomatic solution.
A messenger arrives before the attacking army and declares:
"Crimthann, King of Mumu and High King of Eire, invites the King of Ulaid, Connachta, and Albion to a celebration in his hall. No weapons, no more than a hundred retainers. He makes this invitation in the name of peace, and hopes that Loegaire is willing to talk, to save the lives of the many hundreds that will otherwise fall in his name."
Army of Crimthann of Mumu:
300 Gaelic Raiders
1,000 Gaelic Nobles
1,000 Fianna
10,000 Gaelic Peasants
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Post by Loegaire mac Niell on Aug 10, 2016 12:23:15 GMT
Loegaire gathers his advisers. Ailill of the Airgialla, one of the most experienced military men in Eire, and the cunning druid Malgarb take centre stage. Ailill is highly suspicious of Crimthann's motivations. Have the Mumuann and the Christians not earned their reputation for treachery and cheap tricks? However, he was also concerned about the damage another major campaign would do to Loegaire's forces, and instead suggested a protracted siege as the best solution. Malgarb agreed that treachery was afoot, and that any battle would be costly, but he had a different plan in mind. Despite his reputation, Loegaire was a pragmatist at heart, and consented to Malgarb's suggestion.
Loegaire gave Crimthann's messenger a response.
"The High King will leave his army roughly a mile North of the Southern Royal Fort, and will meet with Crimthann in neutral territory - equidistant between the fort and the siege lines. He will bring with him one hundred nobles, unarmed. Crimthann is free to accept this offer, a refusal will be considered a grave insult."
The nobles would arrive with their horses and armour, but no weapons. He would pick the tallest, strongest fighting men available should a melee break out during negotiations.
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Post by Admin on Aug 10, 2016 15:04:45 GMT
"Bastard. This is your fault!" spat Crimthann. "Let's just ride out and run them down. They have no weapons!"
Crimthann stood in an empty hall, all guards ushered out so that he could have privacy with his two foreign advisers.
"They'll have weapons. And they'll see us coming," frowned Dionysios.
"What about you, monk?" Crimthann turned to a silent figure in an undyed cloak. "What can we do?"
"We can always pray."
"Oh, go fuck a goat! I pray with the best of them, but I've never actually seen your God smite anyone, or turn men to stone, or send down plagues on my enemies. He sends down nothing on my foes that he does not also send down on me. And before you go on about Job again, I've already heard it!" Crimthann kicked a pot into the hearth to relieve the stress, so that he could see the sparks fly. "Roman - anything from Caesar on this one?"
"De Gallo Bellico has much on the famous sieges of his day, and from how to operate a siege, we can learn to repel one-"
The monk, Custennin, interrupted, "Caesar. That is you, my liege."
"What!?" barked Crimthann.
"There may not be a Roman trick, but I know one from the Saxons."
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Crimthann rides out of Tara on a white stallion, accompanied by 100 sweaty lords in fine gowns. They are not attired for war, and do not carry weapons, though their heft gives away the layers of padding they wear beneath their gowns - they are not as trusting as they try to appear. They march towards Loegaire's corresponding host, and meet between the two armies.
"Peace!" greeted Crimthann. "Let us have peace. Return home, and you shall have gifts of cattle, and Roman luxuries."
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Post by Loegaire mac Niell on Aug 10, 2016 15:37:03 GMT
Loegaire spent several minutes examining the men opposite, staring them down from his heavily scarred face. One of the lords beside him carried a flag, white but emblazoned with a blood red hand, open and with an outward facing palm. The flag served a dual purpose, first as a symbol of the sun God Nuadu, and second as a reminder of Niall Noigiallach's sword-wielding hand which was severed from his body in battle against the Ui Connachta.
Loegaire warily approached Crimthann and made his request. Crimthann would convert back to the faith of his ancestors, provide Loegaire with 2,000 Aurei worth of goods, with an extra 200 Aurei per year for eternity. The Christian advisers that were kept in Crimthann's court would be handed to Loegaire to meet their 'God', and Crimthann would swear fealty to Loegaire as his Over-King. Loegaire is careful not to demand, and implies that some of these conditions could be negotiated.
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Post by Admin on Aug 11, 2016 11:35:39 GMT
Crimthann is taken aback by Loegaire's tone. His calm speech belied the bloody red hand on his banners. Crimthann paused for a minute, glancing this way and that, his thoughts on his advisers.
"I hope you can understand, Loegaire, that while a man might abandon his gods, a king can never abandon his friends. Kinship and friendships are the beams that hold the sky above my head. I can no more abandon a friend than I can deny my blood. The advisors you speak of have been here many years, and lived at my hearth, they are my people, and my friends, I cannot abandon them. I am happy to banish the monk, if his presence offends you, but his life is his own, and I will not see it ended," Crimthann appeared to tear up as he spoke. The king was clearly taken aback by the level of his affection towards the foreigners. His foreigners.
"for the tribute, that is fine and reasonable. I can provide 1,000 Aurei of cattle, I ask you not to demand more or it will reduce my wealth to that of a lowly lord. I can provide the 2,000 if there is no room for negotiation, but be aware that it will cause great harm to my status, and therefore my control of the other lords.
"As for your claim to the High Kingship, you know that I have long opposed this. This too I am willing to concede, if you follow the correct procedures. You were chosen by the northern lords when you became High King, and this makes us believe that you were only ever High King in half the land, while we ruled the other. If you assemble as a modest man of noble birth with the lords and druids of the south, and make your case, then I will bow to their decision. I will not openly oppose your claim, and will stand by your side during the deliberations. I hope this is amenable to you, as I cannot support a High King who does not rule by the consent of the best and wisest men of the whole land."
Crimthann refuses to hand over the Roman and Briton advisors, saying that they are his friends, and asks for a reduced immediate payment. He agrees to pay the annual tribute, and abandon Christianity. He is willing to give up his claim to the High Kingship, but only if Loegaire is accepted by a gathering of southern notables.
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Post by Loegaire mac Niell on Aug 11, 2016 21:32:24 GMT
Loegaire consents provided Crimthann, as hinted, hands over the monk. He insists the Moot be held at Tara, before the Lia Fail, in the presence of the Northern and Western Lords, with the notable absence of Connall and Eogan Mac Niell.
OoC: If this is acceptable feel free to make a post in Lia Fail to continue this, or I will do the introduction if you prefer.
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Post by Admin on Aug 15, 2016 13:42:38 GMT
Crimthann pleads, "The northern lords had their assembly, indulge us this once by coming to our territory for the meeting, as you have already been accepted in the north, and you will find your kingdom united. I promise you that my lords will not look kindly on being forced to attend a meeting so far from their homes, under such humiliating circumstances. They would rather fight!"
On this note, some of Crimthann's one hundred nobles became a little too over-excited, perhaps due to the tension or perhaps due to the uncomfortable warmth of wearing noble gowns over thick padded or leather doublets. They began playing with their sleeves before edging towards the enemy party. The men of Ulaid suspected something was up as they moved their horses, but before anyone could figure out what was going on, Crimthann's nobles had already began wrestling with their counterparts, and attacking them with long concealed knives (on the suggestion of the British monk). Having lost control, Crimthann accepts the commencement of the fight and spurs his horse forward, plunging his own dagger straight towards Loegaire. Crimthann feels the dagger hit its mark, but quickly feels his arm trapped in an iron grip, and watches as his view changes from armoured men to sky and a scarred face. Crimthann falls through the grip of Loegaire and lands on his back with a thud, bumping horse on his route. The negotiations turn into a swirling ball of death as horsemen and dismounted warriors alike try to rescue their own king while dispatching the opposing one. As the rest of the northern forces rush in to aid in the struggle, the southern nobles only escape in the nick of time. They find themselves halved in number, with many nobles trapped outside the gates, forced to surrender or accept certain death.
OOC: I don't know how much armour Loegaire wears, since he has access to plundered mail, but he might very well be too macho to weigh himself down with that nonsense. Crimthann was too panicked and limited in his range to do much damage, so there's no risk of death if Loegaire wore much armour at all, but you can get another nasty scar. If he neglects to wear armour, the damage is up to you.
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Custennin rushes down to the gates to see what remains of the negotiators. The bloodied men and their bloody daggers were huddled around an equally bloody spectacle lying on the floor. Trampled, broken, and bruised, there lay the king of the Mumuann. He struggled to speak, but managed to clasp his friend by the neck of his robe and utter, "Pffah-if-I... die- you better hop on the fucking pyre!" With that the king turned his head, spat blood, and duly lost consciousness. A few hours later Loegaire is offered a new deal of surrender:
The two foreign advisors are given 14 days to leave Eire, after which Loegaire will be made king of Mumu as he is in Ulaid, 2,000 Aurei of tribute will be provided, Crimthann will abandon Christ, and present himself before Loegaire's mercy. Crimthann will not deny the claims of his heirs, or the hand over his advisers, but Loegaire is told that all else is still on the table. The offer as it stands, a kingdom, 2,000 Aurei of tribute, and restoration of the gods, is generous, but will Loegaire deem it acceptable following the treachery of the long knives?
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Post by Loegaire mac Niell on Aug 15, 2016 17:02:39 GMT
Loegaire was disappointed. He had hoped to kill Crimthann with his bare hands, fulfilling the Gaelic tradition of one-on-one combat between Kings. The mail he had taken from the Britons worked well he thought to himself, his mind often raced after a good fight. Feeling the victors high, the betrayal did not anger him, instead he was in rather good spirits. He accepted the offer laid out to him, but allows Crimthann continued rule as King in the South, as a subject of Tara (simply as a way of avoiding any troublesome rebellions in the future).
He makes sure he leaves with the 2,000 Aurei tribute, and suggests that hostility shall be resumed if he does not receive the annual sum discussed in negotiations.
Malgarb and Ailill begin to spread rumours that Crimthann had begged for his life whilst Loegaire beat him. Such a cowardly act is unworthy of a King.
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Post by Admin on Aug 15, 2016 17:55:33 GMT
One hundred nobles are counted dead, lost to the knives of the south. A high toll, but nothing compared to the losses of the Mumuann. They had paid for their treachery. The Tribute takes some time to collect, under the watchful eye of Loegaire. It is rumoured that Crimthann is terribly ill, and only his closest friends and the wisest druids are allowed entry to his resting place. The tribute is collected in good time, and presented to Loegaire. A great tribe of cattle and other lifestock, as well as the treasures of the monasteries - quite modest in reality, despite the rumours of church wealth. A fine collection of slaves is included in the tribute.
Once the two week escape window is up, and the two foreigners have departed, strange things begin to be reported. Crimthann has not left his sickbed for the entire two weeks, and without the foreigners, there is no report of his progress. The druids do not leave his side, and all others have been forbidden entry. A few curious guards have tried the doors on this last day, three weeks since the battle, but it is locked from the inside. Nobody raises their voice in objection, so the guards begin to make more determined efforts to gain entry. The door is eventually forced open with a battering from a felled tree. When the room is opened, a lead coffin lies at the rear of the room, and not a single druid or advisor is to be seen. The coffin is opened up, and hastily resealed. The guards fears were correct. It was Crimthann. The king had died shortly after the skirmish with Loegaire, not recovering from his trampling. The monk Custennin and the Roman Diononysios had continued to govern in their dead king's name, postponing the announcement of his death so that they could make their escape. The druids were not druids at all, but native Eirean monks with druidic tonsures. The 'druids' had assisted in evacuating the foreign advisors at night, disguising them as draymen returning from the delivery of tribute.
It is unknown whether Crimthann or his advisors agreed to the treaty, though fortunately the people of his kingdom seem to have chosen to believe the former, if only to avoid continued conflict. Oengus mac Crimthann is selected by the southern lords as the new Ri Mumhan, King of Mumu, but in a novel addition, the king is inscructed by his nobles to travel to Tara in the north in order to re-affirm his fealty to Loegaire.
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