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The day it all changed

626 AD



You're on your daily trip to the Slavic god Prabog's shrine, to pray for a better harvest and a general increase in the quality of life for all of your tribesmen. More importantly, you also intend to pray for protection from the incoming army of the Byzantine Empire. A large force has been spotted heading towards the lands you live in, slowly but surely.

Your tribe arrived in these lands 20 years ago, back when you were still a baby, to escape from the terrible rule of the Avar people. You fought over and over against the Empire's forces using guerilla tactics. The Empire has been greatly overextended for many years, with not enough soldiers to control all of its territories; as such, the area has been contested by other Slavic tribes, barbarians, evil creatures, and all other kinds of enemies. Byzantium eventually decided to fall back and just give the land to whoever is willing to remain in it. Your tribe gladly settled, as did the other Slavic tribes, spreading across the area you decided on calling Rashka.

Unfortunately, it seems that the Empire has somewhat recovered from whatever tragedies have beset it, and is coming to take their land back by force. Your scouts report an initial invasion force of about twenty thousand men, divided further into ten groups of about two thousand. You assume that their plan is to split up and assault all the tribes across Rashka at once.

One of those groups appears to be coming directly towards your village. Realizing how much better equipped they are, compared to your tribe, you are getting increasingly nervous the more they approach. And you feel like you're been smoking crazy grass because almost nobody else in the village seems worried. They all listen to the words of your chief Rom, who in his infinite wisdom held a tribal meeting to reassure all of you yesterday:

"The fools plan to split up and attack all of the tribes at once. That's great, this way we don't even have to unite with the other villages, everyone can fend for themselves!" he shouted, to the approval of everybody around him. "We've beaten them before when they were in greater numbers, and by Prabog we'll do it again! The Byzantine lapdogs suck at fighting!"
"Yeah, but we were using guerilla tactics back then, and they were beset on all sides by our countrymen, the Avar barbarians, thieves, and evil spirits!" you shouted back at him, arguing your point. "The situation is much different now!"
"How is it any different? We'll just beat them like we did the last time!" yelled one of Rom's yesmen.
"For starters, we can't use guerilla tactics, as we have settled and have villages and families. Furthermore, they also seem to be planning to attack around the first snowfall, when our footsteps in snow will give us away. They are superior both numerically and equipment-wise!"

You always present similar arguments whenever Rom the fucktard starts spouting his bravado. He never listens and just tells you off before gulping down more beer and doing whatever the fuck he usually does. And, just as always, he blew you off again yesterday:

"You're still a mere child, what would you know of battle tactics?"

Enough to know we're all about to fucking die... you think to yourself back in the present. Unfortunately, angered and lost in thought, you failed to notice movement in front of you. You spot it too late, just as a creature pounces on you.