Fall 953: Again a fire can be seen illuminating the night sky.
This time the huge flames can be seen from Smyrna to Thessaly: it's Athinai !
It was the Slaves that could not stand loosing the riches of the city to the Romans.
Centuries of history will be lost by such a foolish act of pride.

The Norse seem to have some difficulties this Fall as most of their orders fail and their fleet has to retreat from the Sea of England under pressure from the Danes. However the Norse did manage to conquer the independent city of London. The Danes have moved the borders of their empire slightly north and northwest.
The Romans see their fleet in Vladimir destroyed by the hordes of the Slaves; stuck to the flow of the river they have nowhere to flee and die a horrible death at the hands of their enemy. The Roman victory over the Slaves in Athinai comes at a price: this once so mighty city of the ancient Greeks now seems to be lost forever by huge fires consuming everything that will burn. Cornered by the angry Romans, the Slaves have nowhere to go and perish in the flames. Perhaps this charmed Mars who favored them with a victory over independent city of Jorsal and the destruction of the Slavic army in Graz of in return.
France and Burgundy continue their fighting over Auvergne and Avignon; a stand-off so it seems, except that Burgunday has now occupied the former French province of Champagne. The French could however not avoid being overwhelmed by the Arabs in Burgos and have to retreat.
And our reporter is completely confused by the strategy of the Swedes: the army in Goteborg marched to Kalmar and back again when it found that its fleet in Kalmar did not want to move. At the same time the Swedish units in Reval, Memel and Baltic Sea seem to be going in circles.

Fall 953 orders:

ArabCaliphates:
A Asturias Supports A Segovia - Burgos
F Berber Coast - Cordoba
A Cordoba - Sevilla
F Lisboa - Gulf of Cadiz (*Bounce*)
A Segovia - Burgos

Burgundy:
A Avignon Supports A Savoie - Auvergne
A Catalonia - Toulouse (*Fails*)
F Dogger Bank Supports F Dorestad - Sea of England
A Frankfurt - Bavaria
F Gulf of Lyons Supports A Avignon
A Koln Supports A Zurich - Verdun
A Lombardy - St. Gallen
F Palma - Berber Coast
A Paris Supports A Verdun - Champagne
A Pisa - Lombardy
A Savoie - Auvergne (*Bounce*)
F Strait of Sicily Supports F Palma - Berber Coast
A Verdun - Champagne
A Zurich - Verdun

Danmark:
F Bornholmer Sea - Oerne
F Bruges Supports F Dorestad - Sea of England
F Dorestad - Sea of England
F English Channel - Hastings (*Bounce*)
A Hamburg - Hedeby
F Mecklenburg Supports A Hamburg - Hedeby
A Rouen Supports A Paris

EasternRomanEmpire:
A Ankara - Trebizond
A Burta - Khazar Empire
F Cypriot Sea Supports A Palmyra - Jorsal
F Eastern Mediterranean Sea - Alexandria (*Fails*)
F Ionian Sea - Athinai
A Macedonia Supports F Ionian Sea - Athinai
F Palermo Hold
A Palmyra - Jorsal
A Paristria - Thessaly
F South Black Sea - North Black Sea
A Tirol - Graz
A Venezia Supports A Tirol - Graz
F Vladimir - Rostov (*Disbanded*)

France:
A Auvergne - Avignon (*Fails*)
F Burgos Supports A Toulouse (*Dislodged*)
A Nantes - Auvergne (*Bounce*)
A Toulouse Supports A Auvergne - Avignon (*Cut*)
A Tours Supports A Nantes - Auvergne

SlavicNations:
A Aldeigjuborg - Karelia (*Bounce*)
A Athinai DES Athinai (*Disbanded*)
A Bavaria - Tirol
A Brandenburg Supports A Praha (*Ordered to Move*)
A Graz Supports A Bavaria - Tirol (*Disbanded*)
A Kaffa Supports A Kjonugard - Burta
A Karelia - Holmgard
F Khazar Empire - Vladimir
A Kjonugard - Burta
A Praha - Buda (*Fails*)
A Przemysl - Ruthenia
A Rostov Supports F Khazar Empire - Vladimir
A Smolensk - Przemysl

Norge:
A Bjarmaland - Karelia (*Bounce*)
F Gulf of Cadiz - Berber Coast (*Fails*)
F Irish Sea - Mid Atlantic Ocean (*Fails*)
A Jorvik - Skegness
A Jylland - Hedeby (*Fails*)
A Maine - Noirmoutier
F Mid Atlantic Ocean - Gulf of Cadiz (*Bounce*)
F North Sea - Sea of England (*Fails*)
F Sea of England - Hastings (*Dislodged*)
F Skagerrak - North Sea (*Fails*)
A Wales Supports A Westmorland - London
A Westmorland - London

Sverige:
F Baltic Sea - Gulf of Finland
A Goteborg - Kalmar (*Fails*)
A Holmgard - Vitebsk
A Ingermannland Hold
F Kalmar, no move received
F Memel - Baltic Sea
A Reval - Memel
A Ruthenia - Breslau

Independent:
A Alexandria Supports A Jorsal (*Cut*)
A Buda Supports A Pest (*Cut*)
A Jorsal Supports A Alexandria (*Dislodged*)
A London Hold (*Dislodged*)
A Pest Supports A Buda



Autumn 953 retreats, due by Sep 11 at 23:00 GMT.

- France: F Burgos, can retreat to Bay of Biscay, or OTB
- Norge: F Sea of England, can retreat to Essex, Jorvik, or Lindisfarne, or OTB

Lookahead at Winter 953 deadline: will be set to Saturday Sep 13 at 23:00 GMT.

Frank