As time progressed and the Argosians maintained their position, building up their defenses and seige weapons around the edge of the forest, the Germanic tribes led by the equestrian in the iron mask continued to withdraw further and further into the forest, heading east towards the Groenbogs, taking great care to remain invisible in the forest, out of sight and out of mind from anyone or anything that might perceive them as a threat. Nobody on Gaia was even aware that the Germanic tribes existed, and since they were semi-nomadic without any bases or settlements of their own, it was easy for them to maneuver around in the Great Ellarian Forest without being seen. After all, the forest was massive and took up much of the continent, while the Germanic tribes themselves were fewer in number than most of the other unified nations and peoples who had settled on Ellaria, and had maintained their lightweight mobility.
But the Germanic tribes were also very different from their distant northern cousins in many other ways. Unlike the Iskjerne Vikings who spoke Old Norse and had many similar Scandinavian dialects, the Germanic tribes spoke an older Proto-Germanic language and weren't considered a single unified nation of people at all, but rather a loosely organized confederation of different neighboring tribes who shared similar customs and traditions. Nor did they represent all of the many Germanic tribes that existed in their homeland. Of the hundreds of tribes that existed on mainland Germania, only a handful of tribes had joined Arminius and his wife Thusnelda on their campaign against the Romans and Vikings, and they were by no means similar to the other Germanic tribes east, west and north of the Black Forest, who had either joined the Vikings or the Romans, or had mingled together with Celtic and Slavic people over time.
Thus Arminius' confederation had remained fairly isolated and were still distinguishable from other tribes. Among the tribes who had joined his rebellion were the Chatti, the Marsi, the Bructeri, the Harii, the Suebi and the Cherusci, so that there were six tribes in total who had banded together under a single cause. They had come from Earth during the first century AD, and were therefore much more primitive than the Viking Age cultures further north. But they were no less savage or dangerous, for among all the Germanic tribes near the Elbe, Weser and Rhine rivers, these six had been labeled the most feared and warlike, and most capable of fighting the Roman Empire to a standstill at the very height of its power. Arminius had seized not one or two, but three individual Roman eagle standards, golden banners which were worshipped in battle by the Roman legions and held with such high regard by the Roman Empire that falling into enemy hands had meant a shameful disgrace for the emperor.
It was difficult to imagine that such a feat was even possible when looking at the Germanic tribes up close. They weren't a very powerful looking people by any means. They weren't nearly as tall or as muscular as the Vikings, but were of average size and stock, if not even a little bit on the thinner side, being quite limber and flexible, perhaps due to the fact that they traveled a lot on foot and were semi-nomadic. They lived in the trees and wore simple foilage and animal furs, blending in perfectly with the natural landscape around them. The Germanic tribes derived their origins from no other country, appearing to value their cattle and horses more than anything else, with no concept of gold or currency. They believed in a god or hero whom they called Mannus, and it is from this Mannus and his 3 sons that they all claim descent. They also did not appear to worship the same way that the Vikings worshipped, instead placing their faith in Hermann, the man they called Arminius, who was like a father-figure and founder to them in his own right. Whether mythical or human, they ascribed to Arminius certain powers and attributes that seemed vaguely reminiscent of the Norse god Odin or Woden, and perhaps this was his own intentional doing as he sought to bathe himself in mysticism, becoming a sort of wizard or spiritual leader to his followers over time.
The Germanic tribes had horses, and lots of them. But they only rode them straight into battle, or turned them about and rode back, with very little maneuverability, unlike the Romans who had horses adorned in armor which rode in formations. The Germanic tribes fought with simple javelins and rounded shields, rather than with Viking axes and spears. The javelin was to become their most favorite weapon, and they developed a reputation for being the best at using the javelin for everyday use. They could twirl and spin their javelins, and perform all sorts of acrobatics, swinging from trees and doing flips. They could use the javelin by itself, but were more likely to use it in pairing with their wooden shields, which were also lightweight and easy to maneuver. They trained with these weapons regularly so that even their cavalry had javelins and shields, and they were just as proficient in close-quarters with the javelin as they were at hurling it at a distance. In fact, the very name of the Germanic people themselves, and the whole land of Germania was said to derive from a word for these javelins.
The tribes continued to push east through the Great Ellarian Forest as they neared the mossy swamps. There were 600 of them altogether divided between the 6 tribes. This didn't include Arminius himself, his wife Thusnelda, the other petty-kings, princes or chieftains of the 6 tribes, or the horses and cattle they had brought with them. They weren't looking for an open war with the Argosians they had left behind them, nor with the Iskjerne Vikings over the mountains to the northwest of their location. The Germanic tribes were content to stay isolated and pick their battles carefully, preferring to target smaller more vulnerable groups which would make for much easier raids, using cleverly orchestrated hit-and-run tactics before disappearing again into the forest. Arminius' scouts went ahead of their caravan into the Groenbogs and reported back to him what they had found. They had spotted Bjorn Ironside and his handful of Viking berserkers heading towards them in the swamps. It was a perfect opportunity to ambush the Vikings as they neared closer to the Germanic tribes, so Arminius commanded the tribes to hide in the forest near the edge of the Groenbogs and wait for Bjorn Ironside's party to enter the groves, where the equestrian in the iron mask had setup a hidden trap and waited patiently.
But the Germanic tribes were also very different from their distant northern cousins in many other ways. Unlike the Iskjerne Vikings who spoke Old Norse and had many similar Scandinavian dialects, the Germanic tribes spoke an older Proto-Germanic language and weren't considered a single unified nation of people at all, but rather a loosely organized confederation of different neighboring tribes who shared similar customs and traditions. Nor did they represent all of the many Germanic tribes that existed in their homeland. Of the hundreds of tribes that existed on mainland Germania, only a handful of tribes had joined Arminius and his wife Thusnelda on their campaign against the Romans and Vikings, and they were by no means similar to the other Germanic tribes east, west and north of the Black Forest, who had either joined the Vikings or the Romans, or had mingled together with Celtic and Slavic people over time.
Thus Arminius' confederation had remained fairly isolated and were still distinguishable from other tribes. Among the tribes who had joined his rebellion were the Chatti, the Marsi, the Bructeri, the Harii, the Suebi and the Cherusci, so that there were six tribes in total who had banded together under a single cause. They had come from Earth during the first century AD, and were therefore much more primitive than the Viking Age cultures further north. But they were no less savage or dangerous, for among all the Germanic tribes near the Elbe, Weser and Rhine rivers, these six had been labeled the most feared and warlike, and most capable of fighting the Roman Empire to a standstill at the very height of its power. Arminius had seized not one or two, but three individual Roman eagle standards, golden banners which were worshipped in battle by the Roman legions and held with such high regard by the Roman Empire that falling into enemy hands had meant a shameful disgrace for the emperor.
It was difficult to imagine that such a feat was even possible when looking at the Germanic tribes up close. They weren't a very powerful looking people by any means. They weren't nearly as tall or as muscular as the Vikings, but were of average size and stock, if not even a little bit on the thinner side, being quite limber and flexible, perhaps due to the fact that they traveled a lot on foot and were semi-nomadic. They lived in the trees and wore simple foilage and animal furs, blending in perfectly with the natural landscape around them. The Germanic tribes derived their origins from no other country, appearing to value their cattle and horses more than anything else, with no concept of gold or currency. They believed in a god or hero whom they called Mannus, and it is from this Mannus and his 3 sons that they all claim descent. They also did not appear to worship the same way that the Vikings worshipped, instead placing their faith in Hermann, the man they called Arminius, who was like a father-figure and founder to them in his own right. Whether mythical or human, they ascribed to Arminius certain powers and attributes that seemed vaguely reminiscent of the Norse god Odin or Woden, and perhaps this was his own intentional doing as he sought to bathe himself in mysticism, becoming a sort of wizard or spiritual leader to his followers over time.
The Germanic tribes had horses, and lots of them. But they only rode them straight into battle, or turned them about and rode back, with very little maneuverability, unlike the Romans who had horses adorned in armor which rode in formations. The Germanic tribes fought with simple javelins and rounded shields, rather than with Viking axes and spears. The javelin was to become their most favorite weapon, and they developed a reputation for being the best at using the javelin for everyday use. They could twirl and spin their javelins, and perform all sorts of acrobatics, swinging from trees and doing flips. They could use the javelin by itself, but were more likely to use it in pairing with their wooden shields, which were also lightweight and easy to maneuver. They trained with these weapons regularly so that even their cavalry had javelins and shields, and they were just as proficient in close-quarters with the javelin as they were at hurling it at a distance. In fact, the very name of the Germanic people themselves, and the whole land of Germania was said to derive from a word for these javelins.
The tribes continued to push east through the Great Ellarian Forest as they neared the mossy swamps. There were 600 of them altogether divided between the 6 tribes. This didn't include Arminius himself, his wife Thusnelda, the other petty-kings, princes or chieftains of the 6 tribes, or the horses and cattle they had brought with them. They weren't looking for an open war with the Argosians they had left behind them, nor with the Iskjerne Vikings over the mountains to the northwest of their location. The Germanic tribes were content to stay isolated and pick their battles carefully, preferring to target smaller more vulnerable groups which would make for much easier raids, using cleverly orchestrated hit-and-run tactics before disappearing again into the forest. Arminius' scouts went ahead of their caravan into the Groenbogs and reported back to him what they had found. They had spotted Bjorn Ironside and his handful of Viking berserkers heading towards them in the swamps. It was a perfect opportunity to ambush the Vikings as they neared closer to the Germanic tribes, so Arminius commanded the tribes to hide in the forest near the edge of the Groenbogs and wait for Bjorn Ironside's party to enter the groves, where the equestrian in the iron mask had setup a hidden trap and waited patiently.