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Spring, 1256 A.D.
Britannia, a realm of emerald isles, since the the age of the Roman Empire up to the present day, no king or emperor has called these lands his own.
Five Kings now stand ready to do battle for this elusive realm.
They will make Britannia theirs, or die in the attempt.
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ENGLAND...
The decisive leadership of past Kings and nobles has won England control over much of the British Isles. The price of their successful expansion however, is the resistance which now grows amongst the people they have subjugated, and of more concern from within their own ranks.
Many Welsh people living under English rule are becoming increasingly insubordinate. Self declared King of Wales, Llywelyn, who is also leader of the organized Welsh resistance, is a man the English would surely like to deliver a quick death to, in the hopes of quashing his rebellion before it gains further momentum. Should the situation erupt into all out war, the Welsh mastery of the Longbow will be something of a concern for the English as they will need to counter its range and power with plenty of heavy infantry.
Across the Irish Sea, Brian O’Connor, the man recently elected King of Ireland by his fellow chieftains, has emerged as a serious threat to English interests in Ireland. England’s armoured spearmen are able to negate the powerful Irish cavalry; never the less the English should not underestimate the armies of Ireland.
To the north, Scotland remains a considerable power, one which is currently able to cause England the most damage should they choose to attack, however this is not likely an immediate threat as King Alexander is married to Henry’s daughter Margaret. The Scottish people also have their hands full dealing with Norwegian Vikings. These same Vikings are of little immediate concern to England, that is however unless they attempt to recreate the journey their ancestors once took and look to recapture York. Should they decide to invade, they will find the English people are much more organised and powerful than they used to be.
Perhaps the greatest concern for the English King at present is the growing unrest amongst the powerful English barons, who have recently been spurred on by the traitorous actions of Simon de Montfort, a fire brand amongst the nobles with no love for Henry or his son Edward.The English King must ensure public order remains high in his settlements whilst looking to put down the untimely rebellions of the Welsh and Irish peoples.
Total control of Britannia is within grasp of the English people, it would be a shame to see them falter as they are so near to achieving their goal.
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WALES...
Determined to prevent the ongoing English encroachment into Welsh territory, Llewelyn ap Gruffydd has now declared himself King of Wales, and with the help of his brother Daydd, recently succeeded in liberating the people of Gwynedd Is Conwy from their English overlords. With these defiant acts, Llewelyns intentions are now apparent to all, and open warfare on the Welsh English border is nigh.
Llewelyns greatest strength is his ability to unify the Welsh people, something which the English nobles are most aware of, and they will surely seek to end his life as quickly as possible in an effort to break the spirit of the Welsh people who follow him. As Welsh armies are primarily comprised of light infantry and archers, their generals will need to employ clever tactics to ensure their forces can overcome the armoured juggernaught that is England.
If Llewelyn is successful in ending the English threat to Wales, many believe he will not simply be content with this victory, and will instead look to ensure the Welsh people are never again threatened by another faction of the British Isles.
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SCOTLAND...
With seemingly more Norwegian forces arriving on his northern doorstep every day and a precarious relationship with the power hungry English to the south, the Scottish King currently finds himself in a tenuous situation. While the Kings wife may be an English princess, it would seem England’s desire to conquer Ireland and control Wales has spread their armies thinly about the Isle, therefore if the chance to re-capture former Scottish territories to the south should arise, the King must be alive to the opportunity.
Scotland will also need to consider their diplomatic options when dealing with the Norwegian and English peoples, as it would be unfortunate and potentially fatal for Scotland to become involved in wars on two fronts. As an alternative, an early, pre-emptive invasion of Ireland or Wales may give Scotland the upper hand they need to press on and deal the powerful English a severe blow.
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NORWAY...
Norway has used its considerable naval power to control the Isle of Man and Orkney Islands for many decades now and has only recently shown interest in establishing a greater presence on the Scottish mainland. While King Haakon remains in Norway, dealing with issues at home, he has placed his son Magnus Haakonsson in charge of the war effort in Britannia.
As the Norwegian people look to establish a foothold on the British mainland, they may choose to adopt their traditional naval raiding approach of surprising and sacking poorly defended settlements, before returning to the ocean as quickly as they appeared.
Scotland is Norways first obvious target for expansion, however it may be in their best interest to assault the east coast of England or Northern Ireland, as the factions in these regions will surely be distracted with their own war efforts.
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IRELAND...
England’s invasion of Ireland which began some one hundred years ago is still well under way. English lords have now divided up sections of their Irish conquest amongst themselves, each ruling his section mostly independently, as their King now focuses his attention on issues closer to home.
The Irish chieftains have determined their best chance of driving the English from their lands is to throw their support behind one man, fellow chieftain Brian O’Connor, who they have recently appointed King of Ireland. As their English overlords are no longer unified, the Irish people ready themselves for conflict under the banner of their new King, confident that once they reclaim their own lands, they are more than capable of taking the fight to England and beyond.
