PBEM:Rjurik Winds 2007-2008

• http://www.rjurikwinds.com/rules.php
  
• http://www.rjurikwinds.com/web/map_6/index.html (Map of Turn 13)
  

(as reported by Sigrun Kjornaal to each court of the highlands)

• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn Zero
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn One The Gorgon Threatens in the Downs
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn Two Birth of the Taelshore Alliance
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn Three Blood Skull invades Rjuvik
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn Four Heroes find Nesirie's Tear
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn 5 Religious Strife in Halskapa
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn 6 Hoguns pull out of Blood Skull
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn 7 Death of the Siren
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn 8 Urga Zai invades Kvigmar
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn 9 Svinik and Holston invade Halskapa
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn 10 Gorgon makes way through Lluabraight and Urga-Zai
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn 11 Hogunmark routed by the White Witch
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn 12 Blood Skulls invade the Downs
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Turn 13 Svinik and Stjordvik conquer the Blood Skull
  

• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Hruthvar
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Storm Holtson
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Ambjeort the Golden
  

• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Silverhearts Tower
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Karesha's Fang
  
• PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Blood of Stjolvar
  

• The Arboreal Gems
  
• The Blood of Stjolvar Tighmaevril
  

List of realms and Players

Rjurik Winds like many PBEM's had its idiosyncrasies. A brief synopsis of the major realms:

In order to make diplomacy possible, the player of the White Witch named the realm Gandvick and rumors of the White Queen's awnsheghlien nature were ascribed to jealousy and Hogunmark's notorious greed for Gandvick's land (notorious after the Queen's well paid bards spread tunes across the Highlands anyway).

The White Queen then spoke of Karesha and Erik as two sides of the seasons - winter and summer, not in conflict but inevitably intertwined, first one ascendant than the other, and since Gandvick was swathed in snow clearly winter ruled... By offering much verbal support (and a degree of military aid) the Queen played off players, bought friends, and deterred aggression while strengthening her realm repeatedly, eventually conquering Hogunmark after a poorly planned invasion by the western realm and winning the favour of Hjolvar and Kvigmar by aiding them against the goblins of Urga Zai.

Halskapa was a realm escaping the chains of superstition to enter the modern age, within a world turning ever more traditional in the face of outside threats. Dherg Wir united the realm and gained control unknown to any king of Halskapa before or since, but in the end this was his undoing. When the Gorgon convinced an ambitious druid to turn against the Oaken Grove, Wir embraced the new faith despite his alliance with the Grove. Ever loyal to his own, Wir stood by the druid Ranik even after it was revealed that Ranik had been sponsored by the Gorgon. Hasty words turned to anger and at the dead of Winter Wir sent his troops against the Grove, nearly destroying the faith in the land.

This act of tyranny was however all the excuse that the cunning Storm Holtsen needed, and he convinced the fervent King of Svinik to aid him in 'liberating the realm'. Even after Wir was driven into exile he did not falter, the former King convinced the White Queen to make him the 'Shield of Mandal' and looked set to take the crown of Hogunmark - or at least a swathe of it - when the game ended.

Svinik was a realm that responded to change by retreating into tradition. The Younger members of the court were diverted from calls for change by being sent away to make trade. When the Crisp first invaded the Giantdowns and the Emerald Spiral called for aid, Svinik was at the vanguard of the Rjurik response.

For much of the game Svinik's prime interest was the defense of the Rjuvik people against the aggression of the Gorgon. In the final seasons Svinik was invaded by 'the Black Witch', identifying its own ally Rjuvik as the instigator in the last season Svinik looked poised to bring its vast armies home and crush its faithless small neighbor - Erik called for restraint for he had plans for the bandit king but would the furious boy-king Sven listen when he walked the streets of his violated capital?

What Fulgar lacked in outright military might he possessed double in guile and cunning. At the outset of the game he convinced the Oaken Grove of his desire to turn over a new leaf - and with the Grove's aid Fulgar bound his neighbors Svinik and Stjordvik in a defensive alliance under the aegis of the Oaken Grove.

Thus protected against both neighbours the bandit king was freed to pursue his ambitions, slowly slaughtering his rebellious jarls and claiming their bloodlines to feed his own. As the seasons passed however Fulgar's ambitions grew uncontrollable, and when the Taelshore sent its armies to stop the Gorgon's latest advance into the Giantdowns and into the Barony to loosen his hold on that land, Fulgar betrayed his oaths under the Taelshore alliance and allied with young nobles from Boeruine to invade Svinik.

The capital of Leivika was captured, but the following assault into Bjarnheim was stopped almost before it began by soldiers rapdily hurrying from the north. As summer came the Black Witch faced the full might of Svinik's vast army bearing down upon her in hasty return from the battle against the Gorgon - backed by Halskapa, Stjordvik, and the fuming White Witch who saw the Black Witch's boasts as a personal insult.

The Emerald Spiral, long seeped in history, struggled to deal with the winds of change blowing across the Rjurik Highlands. Suppot in the disastrous invasion by Hogunmark on Gandvick left the Spiral bereft when Gandvick crushed its neighbor. The Spiral suffered further for its support in Hogunmark, unable to aid Hjolvar or Kvigmar against the goblins the realms were instead aided by the White queen, who thus won their friendship.

The Grove was the glue that held the Taelshore together, until it was attacked by Dherg Wir of Halskapa. Retreating into tradition the Grove was dragged into the Hogunmark:Gandvick war and arguments with Stjordvik's fiery young queen both. As the game closed the Grove had however regained its favor along the entire Taelshore, and also won favour in Kvigmar and Hjolvar as a counter to the White queen.

Storm stood head and shoulders above other regents when it came to cunning. The Guilder avoided the Halskapan purges and was even granted much control over the guilds of the crushed jarls. When Wir's iron fist and desire for control began to strangle the guilder he encouraged the Oaken Grove to challenge the changes in the country and publicised the rapid social changes driven by Wir and Wir's support for the heretic druid, Ranik the Betrayer.

As Storm expected the Grove was vehement in its condemnation, Wir was defiant, the Grove raged, Wir heard a challenge to his power and responded by crushing the faith - which then drew Svinik and the much of the Taelshore alliance into a war against Halskapa - and when the dust settled to the surprise of everyone bar the cunning guilder, Storm was king of Halskapa.

What the goblin king lacked in outright strength, he made up for with inspired strategies, madman or genius none knew, but while the White Queen resisted his unending amorous advances, Hjolvar buckled under his advance. Rumors of a link to the Orogs of the Blood Skull Barony were never proved, but in the end only the fey sidhe were able to threaten the goblin king.

An early member to the growing Taelshore alliance, Jankaping avoided much of the wars and strife, and maintained good relations with almost every realm. Calm, peaceful, and increasingly wealthy the realm ended the game poised to pounce upon the shattered barony.

Until the Baron was thrown down by his latest mistress the Barony flailed around to great anger but little effect. Under the new Baroness it allied with the Gorgon avoided conquest, and expanded into the Giant downs. In the end the alliance proved its downfall as the Taelshore alliance, desperate to avoid seeing the realm become unstoppable with the Gorgon's backing attacked it in forced supported by Gandvick. Attacked from all sides the Barony was expected to be crushed - but such had long been foretold by the skalds of the Highlands without lasting effect.