A large duchy to the west of Havelland by the name of Saxe-Hoya was the prize the von Ribbecks had been keeping their eyes on for some time, for it held large regions of rich salt and strategically important iron deposits. Not only that, but the region of Havelland was very population-dense and yet extremely bad for most economic development outside of simple timber and farming. This caused a quite warlike culture as warfare and taking from their neighbors was a favorite past time of these Northern Saxons.

The current von Ribbeck, Erich von Ribbeck, son of Herr von Ribbeck auf Ribbeck, had been quietly promising the larger ritter of Havelland swathes of land in the West as they built up political alliances with some of the more discontent lords. When Erich marched his large and plunder-motivated army into the land, some of the local lords switched sides to save their manors and some did so for the sake of familial ties. Whatever the reason, Erich did little to stop his men from doing what many of them truly came to do: plunder and pillage. The people of Havelland were poor, and when they saw the rich regions of Saxe-Hoya, they were overcome with greed. Many manors were sacked and peasants slaughtered, and in a great field battle the head of the House of Hadeln, the Lord of Saxe-Hoya, was killed in combat. Soon after the region was under the control of Erich von Ribbeck, although the region was devastated economically. News would soon spread south of the aggressive and barbaric nature of these swamp Saxons, and their equally bloodthirsty leaders.

However, unknown to Erich and his family, some of the more powerful nobility in Havelland had come to not just respect the von Ribbecks, but fear them. If Erich had allowed his armies to march into the Duchy of Saxe-Hoya and loot and plunder indiscriminately, what is stopping him from doing the same to them?

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