Laurentian Crusade Fortresses

The lands between Mossovoy and the Land of Windmills are home to the fortresses of the **Laurentian Crusade**, great constructions built in the past century to stave off the growing influence of the Mossovian necromancers and their terrible armies.

When Cnyaz "Redhair" Artyom gathered dozens of mercenary companies with the noble intent of ridding the north of the Mossovian menace, many mugs of ale were raised all throughout the North with praises to his name. The news of the terrible defeat of the at the Battle of the Red Snow, where half the infantry broke ranks and fled at the first sight of the great undead giants, covered in rusted armour and carrying weapons drenched in human innards, quickly soured the mood and brought a wave of despair even greater than the previous joy.

That was it for **Lorentz** (or Laurentius, as he's known in the West), voivod of the platinum realm, who harboured a deep hatred for the dark arts after his father and elder brothers died fighting against the Elyrian jihadists. Lorentz struggled for the next year to gather a host of Zemylandic warriors, then he surprised the many nobles of his nation by abdicating his titles and sailing West before his friends and distant family could talk him out of it.

Great was the surprise of the dark Vzdoruye lords, proud of their victory, when the shores of the land of windmills swelled with warriors once again in such a short time. Sure that they were invincible, they ignored them and idled in the halls of the secret city, enjoying themselves torturing their many prisoners, waiting for the Zemylandic host to attack. But Lorentz didn't advance into Mossovoy, instead he occupied the lands next to it and ordered his men to start building many forts, not flimsy structures of wood to last a single winter, but rather great strongholds of stone to last for centuries if necessary.

With much motivation, and a fair amount of funds from Zapolovahn contributions and Lorentz's own personal fortune, the work was done quickly. By the time the Mossovians realized what was going on, more than enough fortifications were already in place to deter the agression of the necromancer lords.

The first fort fully finished was dubbed "**Krasnogorye**", and became Lorentz base of operations. From there, Lorentz commenced his strategy in full force, which consisted in maintaining a permanent force in the area to check the advances of Mossovoy and using mobile cavalry units to attack the parties of necromancers sent to the South to reanimate swamp ogres and the dreaded giants.

Those first few years of the Laurentian crusade certainly were the best, and the Zemylandic crusaders banished many necromancers from our world. For a few years, good men could finally travel safely in the North. Sadly, since the death of Lorentz, after three decades of fighting, the crusaders have lost their direction. Now the forts remain, but their halls feel empty without the great leaders of the original host. The crusaders lost in the fighting have been replaced with men from the lands of the windmills, Zapolovah, the orange marquisates and a few from Zemyland, plus some animalkin and hobbits, but these new recruits haven't been able to match the numbers of the original force.

In this new circumstance, the crusader leadership is divided between those who want to continue the war against Mossovoy, with fewer resources, and those who think that attacking the necromancers is a lost cause, and they should instead change their target. In the past decade some armoured bands of crusaders have entered the Fairy Woods to cut and burn the forest in order to destroy the habitat of the sadistic fairies.

## History

The lands that are now under the protection of the Laurentian Crusade did not share a common past. Even when they were under the umbrella of the Western Elven Empire, they were ruled by different faerie lords, and held populations of both fey and human in different proportions. The fey populations of the region had begun moving west after the defeats of the Elven Empire at the hands of Azan, but the land would not become fully human until after the human rebellions in 1.826 ABE. Even then, the land was quite divided between the new powers, with the north under the influence of Zapalovah, the east as part of the culture of the Land of the Windmills and the west and central areas as part of the Kingdom of Waldemaria. The only real thing these groups shared was a common language, brought forth by the mix of fey dialects and the human vernacular. The presence of a common language did little to avoid the fights between all parties, as all the recently born human nations wanted to occupy the lands, as its position between the sea and the edge of the Glass Mountains would guarantee a very good strategic position for trade and defense. It was during this period (and in particular during the Second Zapalovah-Waldemarian War) that a lot of the defensive castles and fortifications that populate the area were built. The frequency of the clashes in the area made the need of militarization essential, and the land became rife with lower nobles in charge of castles protecting their small feuds from other lower nobles.

This situation lasted for centuries, with many of these fortresses falling, being rebuilt and fallen again, or replaced by more modern battlements. It was very frequent to find mere farmers occupying a stone building that used to be a garrison just to guard their cattle at night. All of these infrastructure would come in handy once the followers of Zanzarah were exiled from Zapalovah. The Vzdoruye, an order of necromancers that grew within the underground of the Zapalovah Republic, had been causing unrest within the republic for decades, and was finally chased down and nearly slain completely, with the survivors of the cult exiling themselves in 2.961 ABE. Hiding in a borderland seemingly abandoned by both Waldemaria and Zapalova, they eventually managed to create a thriving underground necropolis, where the necromancers could develop their dark arts unopposed. Eventually, the newly built city of Mossovoy was able to expand their influence against all the human nations bordering it, turning the land into a dangerous realm where zombies, skeletons and rogue necromancers would lash out against the population, causing a major migrations to the human realms. By the time Mossovoy managed to organize full armies of the undead, the nobility in the lands that would become the Laurentian Crusade knew full well that they needed to let their rivalries aside to fight the Mossovians. However, at this point, it was easier said than done, as most simply could not trust the other to not stab them in the back.

This began the first war between Mossovoy and the human realms, in particular against the lords of the Land of Windmills, since they were in the way to the Cursed Battlefield, a place the Vzdoruye adored as some sort of promised land. While this was a considerably long conflict, lasting between 2.989 and 3.013 ABE, the stalemate that resulted benefited a lot more the mossovoians than the windmillese. The nobles and knights from the Land of Windmills fought mostly alone, with little help from the outside, and thus their forces were bloodied hard. The mossovoians, however, not only gained great amount of experience in war, helping them organize great armies of undead, but also took little damage, as the people of the Windmills did not have the knowhow to damage enough the undead to avoid the necromancers from resurrecting them. Many experts believe this was a massive wasted opportunity on the part of the human nations to destroy Mossovoy, as when the next great war happened, the Mossovoian-Waldemarian War between 3.100 and 3.130 ABE, the mossovian necromancers not only brought much superior numbers, but had also perfected massive necromantic constructs of war. The fall of Waldemaria, left the growth of Mossovoy unchecked, causing once again a massive deluge of refugees, with both civilians and nobles running away from the necromancers.

It was at that point that Lorentz Sugovotinn took over a band of mercenaries and other sworn swords, after the death of his predecessor and menton, Cnyaz "Redhair" Artyom. Lorentz had been a noble from the Sugovotinn house in the Platinum Princedom, and had served as a voyvod of the princedom, proving his skill at arms and leadership fighting against the elyrians south of the platinum lands in Littlestep. The reasons for his arrival to the fight against the mossovoians are unclear, but the most probable thing was motivated by a deep hatred of necromancy, since part of his family had been slain by a user of the dark arts during the war against the elyrians. He arrived to the region after the disastrous Battle of the Red Snow, a defeat that threatened to leave an opening for the necromancers to arrive at the Cursed Battlefield. While the necromancers went back to Mossovoy to recoup and enjoy their victory, Lorentz Sugovotinn managed to lead his host of knights and mercenaries, rally the human populations fleeing the lands, and form a massive army that manage to win the strip of land between the Demkerin Sea and the Glass Mountains. This action was quickly done, as the only thing the necromancers had left in the area had been hordes of skeletons and zombies, formidable in numbers, but without any leadership, they were just a slow mob to be trampled under the knight’s warhorses. By the time the mossovoians realized what had happened, Lorentz and his host was reorganizing the land and rebuilding the hundreds of castles and fortifications, uniting them with roads for safe travel and training thousands of volunteers, starving for revenge. The building of the great fortress of Krasnogorye in 3.134 ABE meant the founding of what would become the Laurentian Crusade, the order of knights that swore to protect all the land from the threat of Mossovoy and the necromancers, obtaining great victories against the undead.

However, time goes on, and age and the ravages of war caught up with Lorentz Sugovotinn, who died in 3.160 ABE, after nearly three decades of leading the fight against the necromancers. The stalemate between the Laurentian Crusade against Mossovoy has also drained the humans’ resolve immensely. Even after many successes and a lot of knowledge on how to combat the undead, the mossovoians are nowhere as weakened as one might think. Following their philosophy, the mossovoians can simply afford a war of attrition and outlast their enemies, while most of the great leaders of the crusade have been taken by time and age. This has caused a lot of tensions and gloom within the lands of the crusade, with many of the current leaders either too old to continue the fight or less interested in a war that is seemingly lost.

## Society and Culture

The portion of land occupied now by the Laurentian Crusade used to be occupied by a multitude of powers: the north was under the influence of the Zapalovah Republic, the east was part of the Land of Windmills, and the west and most of the central lands were composed of marquisates and duchies vassals to the king of Waldemaria. Each of these areas was left to its own devices, serving as a buffer for the different human nations, and as such, the area was highly militarized from the get go. Most of the fortifications, castles, walled towns and other defensive structures dated from the 23rd Century, during the Second Zapalovah-Waldemarian War. While the mainteneance of these structures had fallen into disrepair, since trade between the two nations had guaranteed good and profitable relations without the need of war, the population was well aware that they inhabited frontier land. As such, the peasantry was well prepared in case of war, hiding weapons such as forks, axes, guisarmes, clubs, and plenty of bows and arrows. They were well aware owning weapons was illegal, but the absolute need of defending themselves in case of war simply meant this was a very public secret. With well-armed peasantry, the local nobility need to be sharp, and stay active and skilled at arms. The nobles had great arsenals for war, some of them surprisingly modern, just in case the peasantry rebelled. After the birth of Mossovoy and the catastrophic war with the necromancers, the entire region ended up in massive turmoil. The previous rivalries, personal vendettas and dynastic clashes were put aside to fight the necromancers, since the followers of Zanzarah are a threat to both nobles and peasants alike.

The need to fight the necromancers has turned the people living in the Laurentian Crusade into fierce combatants, always prepared for war. Over the decades, many nobles and mercenaries alike have come from overseas to serve in the crusade against the necromancers. The reasons for this have varied considerably. Some believe the necromancers’ expansion to be a genuine threat to the region, and need to be stopped at all costs, at least until the great powers take a more active stance against Mossovoy. Some others believe that they will gain the favor of their gods or their lords, and fight to obtain honor and glory against the dark sorcerers. Some others are mercenaries in search for a paycheck, and fighting zombies and skeletons at the borders beats other activities. And some, especially the younger and more inexperienced, answer the call to arms in search of adventure, not realizing the grave risks they assume when fighting the undead. As such, since the land is ruled in a feudal style, where the nobility is bared from working the land, it has created a considerable problem of supply. The peasantry has to work increasingly harder each year, to pay for the war expenses, the maintenance of their lords and to protect themselves from the occasional necromantic raid. The help from the neighbors and from far away nations is simply not enough to guarantee the resources needed to keep up the war. As such, the laurentian crusaders are known to practice a very ascetic existence. Riches is not something one will get at the service of the crusade. Even the highest lord must be content with just four meals a day and enough resources to arm himself. The knights are given just enough to stay at peak efficiency, and everything else is disregarded. This has caused a lot of frustration between the newcomer knights, hearing the tales of glory and triumph of the original campaign. However, this frugal lifestyle is absolutely necessary, with the knights dedicating all their efforts to hone their skills or plan against the undead. In the eyes of the peasantry, this is seen as a good thing, since the nobility suffers most of the same hardships as they do, and it helps avoid revolts caused by the growing taxes.

Long gone are the rich and regal knights of old, nowadays the knights wear more modest armor, more suited to fight the hordes of zombies and skeletons rather than fellow armored knights. Their shinning and heavy armor is useless when fighting hordes of undead, since the extra weight will cause the enemy to trample them and literally drown them under a sea of bodies. Instead, the knights prefer speed, using bows as their first weapon, and forming phalanxes of lancers to defend the archers behind. They are great riders, mounting and moving to more favorable terrain once they realize they could be overrun. If all of this fails, they can always go to one of the hundreds and hundreds of castles and fortresses throughout the region. These castles are manned by the oldest knights, those whose age impedes them from fighting in the open, but whose wisdom and experience are invaluable in case of a siege. The crusaders have built many castles, both of new design and those centuries old rebuilt expanded over the years. These fortresses are designed to last for months at a time, with sieges made by zombies being able to outnumber the defenders 10 to 1, but in these cases, they are used as mindless drones, only effective as a horde, giving a massive advantage to the defenders. The use of necromantic constructs and other undead abomination is also frequent, and the crusaders have hoarded a lot of magical knowledge to counter them.

Some of the wizards who volunteer for the fight against Mossovoy have begun studying necromancy to counter the followers of Zanzarah. These individuals, known by the crusaders as the “**Peace Givers**”, are a controversial addition to the crusade. Some knights are in favor of them, thinking that the regular ways are not enough to push back the necromancers, and they need to find a way to counter their magic beyond just picking up a sword and hacking up hordes of undead. Other knights see them with mistrust and disdain, in their eyes no better than the heathens they are fighting to begin with. They are watched over by the rest of the crusaders, and have very strict rules of engagement. They are not allowed to raise the dead, instead, they are there to sever the link between the dead and the necromancer, or to detect the wizard in charge of the horde so the knights can destroy him. Needless to say, the mossovoian necromancers absolutely hate the Peace Givers, and will try at all costs to capture them, punishing them with extremely painful and tortuous methods, where dead is not an escape, but just a stage before the real pain begins.

## Foreign Relations

The knights of the Laurentian Crusade have travelled the world in search for aid against the necromancers. They understand perfectly that, while having resisted the necromancers’ advance for decades now, it is clear that in a war of attrition, the necromancers have the natural advantage. Thus, they absolutely need help to have a chance to destroy the city of the undead. The crusaders have set up many offices for volunteers in many parts of the world, from Azan to Elanxa. They are also in talks with diplomats from all over the world, especially those in areas where necromancy is most feared and rejected. For the most part, Mossovoy is not seen as that much of a threat. Azan, Changrila and the nearby nations are more focused on the Witchelven Empire and the Succubus Breaches, a threat much more solid to them than a cult of necromancers to the north, where the Glass Mountains block their path anyway. The nations in Scimitarian are far from the necromancers, with the sea separating them from any potential danger. The nations of Tarot, Elanxa and the Woodcutter Cities are more focused on the expansionist Avangar Empire. And finally, the kingdoms south of the Dem Helidden Peninsula are simply too far to offer anything but individual volunteers seeking adventure in faraway lands, and even then, they have the gnoll to worry about.

This means that, other than financial help and allowing the recruiting of volunteers in their territory, the far away countries do not partake in the fight against Mossovoy in any significant degree. The bulk of the foreign volunteers come from Zemyland, the Orange Marquissates and the Lands Behind the Hedge. Zemylander volunteers are hardy mercenaries, attracted by the chance of fighting and the legends of the Voivod Lorentz. The figure of Lorentz is greatly admired in many zemylander nations, something that has lasted to this day, existing plenty of poems and stories talking about his adventures in the north and the west. Many fortune seekers travel to the crusade for the chance of gaining glory against the undead monsters. The Orange Marquissates also brings many mercenaries and knights, mostly from the healthy noble houses. It is very frequent for noble houses to send the sons who won’t inherit title or property in search of fortune, and their knightly routes means that the crusade is a great fit for them. These nobles are particularly helpful for the crusade, since they will not only bring their own high quality equipment, but they will usually arrive in big groups, with many squires and retainers that will pick up arms as well. Plus, connections with the rich and powerful noble houses of the marquisates is needed to fund the war. Also, there’s a surprising amount of help coming from the Lands Behind the Hedge. The fey in these areas abhor the dark magics of the necromancers, and many elves have marched to battle them. These groups add most of the mystical knowhow the knights have available, something they rely on immensely. There is even a great amount of hobbits between their ranks, though the reasons for this are poorly understood.

The ones who aid the crusade the most are the countries closest to it. Local help to the Laurentian Crusade is obvious, since Mossovoy has waged war against near all of its neighbors, and there is a clear interest of erasing the necromancers’ city from the map. The most important associate of the crusaders is the Zapalovah Republic. The most powerful nation in this area of the world, the fall of its older rival Waldemaria has put the republic on high alert, and they dedicate many efforts to keep the necromancers at the other side of the border. Zapalovah has lost a good chunk of its land in the continent to the necromancers, and are not willing to be expelled to the other side of the sea. Thus, they frequently fund the crusade, giving them money and weapons they can use. In a similar vein, the waldemarians have swore to help the crusade, since the nation’s woes can be traced to the defeat of the kingdom at the hands of the necromancers. Waldemarians fear the entire nation will end up under the thumb of the followers of Zanzarah. Many nobles, as well as common folk, volunteer to take up arms against the necromancers, but most of them prefer fighting the mossovoians within their own territory, in a long guerrilla war. The towns and cities of the Land of Windmills are also frequently seen aiding the knights, though unlike the other neighbors, they are very distrustful of the knights, fearing they will take over the land if ever the necromancers are slain. The knights also get plenty of manogre mercenaries, with some of the most violent of their ilk finding their way into the knights’ ranks, where their brute strength and resilience is greatly appreciated against the bigger necromantic constructs.

The crusaders absolutely hate dealing with Sniden. His hedonistic way of life and the mystical effects that he causes in most are something the austere knights simply see with disgust. However, the vzdoruye have been trying to gain the favor of the sybaritic faerie lord, seeing him as a messenger of Zanzarah. Because of this, the knights try to interfere with the relations between the two as much as possible. While many mossovoians have asked the God-Emperor Adonis to help them declare war on the knights, he sees the crusade as boorish and boring, and wants nothing to do with them.

Lately, there have been rumors that the laurentian knights have been sending emissaries to the faraway Necrocracy of Okhost, where the legendary Vandervax the Vile rules. In addition, there’s even rumors that Vandervax himself received the knights. What transpired in these conversations, and whether they were real or not, is a matter of whispered speculation.