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Post by Svetovida Sviatislav on May 23, 2016 15:34:36 GMT
Ivaylo weighs his options carefully, on one hand he could bow to the wishes of the Huns and do as they wish, surrendering women, money and a hard earned fortress. Or he could fight and face total annihilation....
But perhaps there is a third way!
Ivaylo sets about his preparations immediately. His allies are summoned to Sclava with their troops and completion of the fortifications is rushed. Inside of Sclava stockpiles of arrows, spears, javelins, food and wine are made, safe at the city's centre. The water filled ditch is also laced with oil, meaning that when lit the water itself will burn for a great length of time.
Perun's Thunderers are sent to retrieve Radislav and his host. They are instructed to aggressively harass the Hunnic rear after battle has started, burning and slaughtering camp followers and supplies, as well as poisoning wells and burning any food left in the area.
Meanwhile a messenger is sent to the approaching army:
"I, Ivaylo Sviatislav, King of the Sclavenes, graciously accept you offer and aquiest to all your stated demands. I offer my own sister in marriage to the Chief of the Kurtigurs, I shall provide the most lavish feast you have ever attended, my longhouse shall be yours and we will there pay our tribute in full, with many other gifts to be given."
The messenger also provides the following information 'My King is very fearful, but also overly proud of his walls. He will wish them to be seen by your Lordships before he completes their destruction, I pray you forgive him his vanity.'
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Post by Admin on May 23, 2016 15:57:25 GMT
A man name Mundzuc, eldest of the ruling clan of the Kutrigurs, is agreed upon as the husband for Ivaylo's daughter, due to his seniority. A great number of Huns are present for the wedding, and most come bearing some form of weapon. Despite this, they are confident that Ivaylo is no fool and expect complete cooperation. They are here for a feast, and they expect to get very drunk, and to enjoy the local women. Mundzuc has intentionally brought with him many young men from the Dulo clan and others, who expect to collect wives from among the Sclavenes. It has been many years since a good raid, and Mundzuc jokes to his host that he does not "wish my young cousins the misfortune of a Hunnic bride!" before making lewd jokes about the various kinds of women. Mundzuc takes a perverse pleasure in instructing his men to relieve themselves on 'the little king's precious walls' whenever they are filled with ales.
Radoslav and the Thunderers position themselves in what shelter they can find, light no fires and prepare no meals. They stay as silent as they can and avoid unnecessary movement, in order to avoid Hunnic patrols. It seems that most Huns have encamped in Yurts, with their wagons arrayed to form some form of fortification. There are patrols and watchmen, but also a lot of wine and ale. The longer the party is allowed to continue, the less able the Hunnic defenders will be.
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Post by Svetovida Sviatislav on May 23, 2016 16:46:34 GMT
The feast was a good one, the wine was flowing, the whores were free and the Slavs were meek and quiet, allowing the Huns to drink themselves into the most stupendous state. After many hours of this revelling Ivaylo stands at the table where he has been seated, he motions for silence, and after several minutes of jeering and sneering silences came.
"My lords, I am most happy to see you all so pleased and merry in my hall, for is it not the pride of a good subject to see the Huns pleased? To see the destroyers of nations, the plague of civilisation cheered, this must truly be the definition of happiness. But now, for the pleasure of the gods and every man here we must move on to the greatest entertainment I can provide." As the final syllable is uttered Ivaylo shrugs the fur robes from his shoulders and reveals his scaled armour gleaming beneath. With a quick motion he tears his sword from where it was hidden under the table and drives the shimmering blade deep into Mundzucs throat.
What happened next happened with alarming speed. Firstly the sound of the doors being barred was missed by most of the guests, the first thing they did notice was the hail of javelins descending into their midst. The Slavic women who had been holding candles in the gantry above were not women at all, but patient and accurate killers.
The quicker Huns dived for the rooms sides and exit, but found their way blocked, by big men with short swords and stout shields. In their drunken state they are hemmed in and cut to ribbons. No one survives.
Meanwhile, Ivaylo, coated in blood and gore, clutching Mundzucs severed head is seen screaming maniacal laughter and hacking at the dead body.
Once the slaughter is complete the Nobles and Ivaylo surge from the city, the cavalry gallop ahead, carrying burnings torches which they toss into the Hunnic wagons. The mass of infantry and nobles surge behind them silently padding across the short distance to the enemy camp, using their makeshift wooden bridges dropped over the ditch. They steel into the camp and begin their slaughter.
Perun and his contingent begin to hear screams, and very quickly the sounds of revelling are replaced with those of terror. At this he leads his small force alongside Rurik into the rear of the enemy camp, looking to murder retreating men and to sow confusion and fear amongst the rest.
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Post by Admin on May 24, 2016 13:53:08 GMT
The drunken and furious Huns rush to saddle their horses. They put up stern resistance and manage to kill many Slavs. Even the women at the camp put up a fierce fight, firing arrows with deadly skill, fighting with whatever implements are to hand, or even wrestling spear-armed Slavs and fighting with tooth and nail, withstanding terrible injury before succumbing. With their camp ravaged and their leaders killed, the Huns are forced to elect for themselves a leader to guide them home. Luckily for the Slavs, this man does not seek revenge straight away and does indeed lead the Huns out of the country. He does, however, manage to organise the Slavs overnight and turns on his outflankers, pursuing them in turn. Out-paced by the Huns, King Radoslav of the Antae is brought down by a hail of arrows, and his men massacred. Perun manages to escape with a handful of men, but the Huns are free to retreat unopposed from this point. The German allies of the Huns surrender easily, with many captured. A share of these is given to Ivaylo for his personal retinue - a thousand able-bodied Slaves. The slaves are mostly traded with the Romans, as the Sclavenians cannot afford to feed many more mouths than they already have, earning some revenue. 200 of this reaches the King.
The Huns lose 2,000 of their numbers, to the betrayal and to the subsequent ambush. A severe loss to the manpower of the Kutrigur tribe, which may cause conflict with other tribes sensing the weakness of the Kutrigurs.
The Sclavenians lose the entire retinue of King Radoslav, massacred, and 50 Slavic cavalry. The cavalry is replenished with ease, with captured Hunnic horses. 1,000 Aurei worth of horses are given to Ivaylo as a prize.
The Heruli and Scirians accompanying the Huns have formed their own encampment, with at least 20,000 survivors, and remain in Sclavenian territory. They seek an alliance with the Sclavenes and will serve Ivaylo if he can lead them to lands to conquer, or otherwise will seek to follow in the wake of the Lombards, and find a new home for themselves. They are adamant not to return to the Hunnic confederacy.
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Post by Svetovida Sviatislav on May 27, 2016 20:00:12 GMT
Ivaylo offers an olive branch and includes the remaining Heruli and Scirians in his great host.
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Post by Admin on May 31, 2016 19:19:20 GMT
King Eninga joins the Sclavenians and offers to follow his 'brother' Ivaylo wherever he goes.
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