A New Alliance

The recent invasions by the Midlish armies, have led to a new coalition of the weaker, less aggressive peoples.   On the eastern border of the Midlands, the Herders accepted what plunder they had been able grab, and agreed to a promise of an annual payment to guard the Midland border in the East and see that no further raids were made.

In the West, many of the Wildfolk, shattered by their losses in warriors and beasts when they got bold and attacked the Valdurians, and even more by the loss of their Queen, slipped back into the depths of their woods and mountains. The remaining wildfolk, those who live on the edges of the broad forests,  approached the Valdurian King and pleaded for him to become their king as well. 

Farther away, many of the Sea People set forth to see if they could find a new land that was more fertile and less warlike.  However, the Hill folk, which have some blood ties with the Valdurians, approached the King of Valdurian and proposed an alliance for mutual defence if the Midlish knights invade again.  

The Midlish Kingdom was no longer surrounded on 3 sides by multiple dangerous enemies, but instead was now faced by a stronger, united, enemy on two sides. In this situation, it is unlikely that peace will last on the Northern and Western boundaries of the Midlands.  

_________________

Surprise Attack

Having heard that the Wild Folk had raided the Valdur portion of the Federation, the Midlish border barons decided to hit them while they were recovering in hopes they would revenge their previous defeats.

"Milord? The scouts have reported an enemy battle line atop the next ridge."

"Well, this should save us a march or two. Deploy the column into a battle line!"

 

Odds are on a Boxing Day battle!

If You Go Down To The Woods Today.......

It was already afternoon when the column came into view of the border tower.  The eerie quiet put the old soldiers on their guard.

Suddenly the Queen's curse broken the silence, followed by a screaming charge of painted warriors and beasts from all sides.

Before the spearmen could react, a horde of men and beasts was upon them upon both sides. Around the edges, arrows flew in both directions, when an open target presented itself.

Fierce fighting broke out as the column of squares struggled to reform from from marching order to squares but discipline and armour helped to hold the squares together despite the ferocious attack. Soon the lack of armour and discipline had their enemy at a disadvantage. Even the great apes were reluctant to plunge in. (ie lousy dice!) 

Losses were heavy on both sides and the woods folk fell back then regrouped, ready to throw themselves onto the pikes again when the call came. But with dusk drawing in, the Queen saw no reason to sacrifice more of her subjects when the enemy had been scarred and was obviously just wanting to go home. She ordered the horns to call the warriors back. Even the body of crossbowmen cowering in the edge of the great wood where the road runs through it, would be allowed to go. They had not chosen to come and fight. 

Night falls. Many were dead or wounded but the army was nowhere near broken, just eager to get home alive. 

The Great Revenge Raid was over and the survivors would soon be home while the spirits of the rest would wander the woods and hills for all time.

The Long And Hazardous Road Home

After the bloody battle against the Farmers, the Duke decided that he could report to the King that he had punished the enemy, even if he had intended to burn their crops and stores and hadn't come closer than a few outlying farms. What he had done is lose a bloody awful number of horses and more than a few noble knights had been wounded or killed, at least the Hillmen didn't take prisoners so there was no question of ransoms to be paid.  

"There we are lads! That's the border post, you'll have hot food tonight."

Oh, and of course he had lost a shocking number of men and a lot of their armour but both of these could be replaced, but no, none of that was going to keep him awake at night. It had been trying to think of a way to get safely past the woods and swamps folk on the way home that had been on his mind, but here they were at the border. 

"Wait, who is that on the high rock across the river? What is she calling out?"
"The evil ones have come! I curse them and their children!"

 Supper may be late......

To be continued......

Go Home Iron Men, Go Home or Die!

With the dawn, the Earl's army arrayed themselves for battle, and advanced.

The spears formed into two blocks while archers advanced on either flack to flush out any ambushes and the cavalry followed behind until their time arrived.

As expected, there were light troops lurking in woods and marshes or on the rocky hills but these did not stop the spears in the center from scaling the ridge and throwing themselves against the defending spearmen. The ensuing melee was fierce and prolonged.

On the flanks, the fighting was fierce for a short while but both sides were both more focused on protecting the flanks of their own center than on trying to expose the enemy's flanks.

The Midlish pikemen struggled to climb the hill and push back the defenders and as the day grew shorter, the Midlish line started to shrink despite the commitment of a reserve body of spearmen. The only hope was that the battered defenders had been weakened enough for the knights to break them.

Charge followed charge and the casualties were heavy on both sides but as the defenders right flank appeared to be open, stout body of armoured soldiers shaking their axes and two handled swords in defiance moved up from their hidden reserve position to fill the gap, while the defenders skirmishers finally drove off the last of the Midlish mounted crossbowmen on their right flank and started working around the open Midlish right flank. 

As the sun began to sink, there was time for one last desperate cavalry charge but it also was repelled and the battered Midlish spearmen began to fallback without orders. Fortunately for them, the enemy was too badly cut up and weary to pursue and were glad to rest on their spears and jeer their retreating enemy.

Note: The figures are 25mm from Garrison, Revenge (via Old Glory), a few Minifigs and various individuals from all sorts of places. Some of these were painted and started fighting for me in the 70's, others were painted here and then over the years with a few more still in waiting. Many of the figures have been converted or modified in some fashion

Rules: Gathering of Hosts (2024 version). 

Now the Hurley Burly's Done

 Now the Battle's Lost and Won.....

Report tomorrow!

Enemy In Sight Milord!

The Duke's outriders had reported frequent sightings of enemy scouts along their line of march but there had been no sight of any force of note, until that Saturday evening.

As usual, the "Farmers", men from the fertile valleys on the southern coast of the western peninsula, formed their shieldwall in the open with difficult terrain to guard their flanks. (eg see  Battle of Argentium Bridge ) This time, on a ridge for good measure.

The Duke surveyed the terrain and his old enemy, then issued his orders: "The day is getting late, we'll camp here and attack in the morning. Send out scouts and a screen of cavalry and archers to make our camp safe. Scrounge whatever food you can find, and in the morning we will burn these farms. I will set up my headquarters here."

To be continued......

They Shall Not Pass!

OOPS!  I just discovered that I did not finish this battle report from last June! Well, hopefully late is better than never. Good thing I have some pictures at least.

This game was a revenge attack from the Great Raid launched in the previous year against the Midlish Kingdom's Eastern Frontier. (See Fight at the Ford and the stop motion video report on the following clash).

This game followed a year later when the Midlands launched a revenge raid against the Valdurian province of the Northern Federation. In expectations of a counter raid, border guards were posted along the frontier to watch and raise the alarm if, or when, it came, and to hold until relieved. 

ALARM! SOUND THE HORNS! TO ARMS!

LIGHT THE BEACONS!

 The Northern Federation Horse Guards and some of the local Valdurian tribesmen were first to arrive.

The Valdurian light troops relied on ambush and missile fire to slow down the invaders until help  arrived.

After a fierce and bloody fight, the Black Knight, Captain of the Pass and Commander of the expedition, fell prisoner to the Captain of the Federation Horse Guards and the battle was over.

Legend has it that the ghosts of the fallen rise and fight amongst the woods and fields each year on the night of the anniversary of the battle.

The Watchers in the Pass

After last year's raid into the East Watch of the Midlands, the Federation had been waiting and watching for a response from the Midlands. In the woods at the mouth of the Black Pass, the Old Ones watched the roads that the Steel Men might take. Long before the Midlish riders emerged, the word had been passed. 

"Hurry! They are coming!"

 to be continued........

(Note: The archers in the wood are home cast Prince August orcs. I originally painted these weird, hairless, brutes a greenish hue but they never looked right to me. Yesterday I decided to fix them so repainted their flesh and added shaggy hair and beard. Now they fit in! )

Revenge!

It has been 18 months since the Great Raid on the Eastern March of the Midlands. When his anger is fresh and hot, a warrior's anger may cloud his judgement. 

Now, tempers have cooled and the damage made good. With summer approaching, the Duke's messengers have been dispatched to his nobles.......

" The dish is cold, it is time to eat!"

Fight For The Ford

It did not take long for the Federation scouts to find fords and begin crossing the river, but it was long enough for Sir John of Raven's Wood Tower, Captain of the Pass, to arrive with a detachment of the Black Guards.

Sir John had led the detachment from the Black Tower to the Eastern Frontier as soon as word came from spies about the raid, but it was by chance that they arrived at the right place at the right time. The addition of a  company of heavily armoured knights supported by both mounted and foot crossbowmen was a major boost to the garrison and local levies but they were faced by twice their numbers of Federation Horse Guards and horse archers wading across the river.

At the main ford where the road crossed the river, 4 companies of archers, supported by the Horse Lord with two companies of lancers, began a long range duel with the two companies of local levies that defended the palisade. Two more companies of horse archers spread out to the south to look for a ford which would let them outflank the fort.

By the northern ford, the Black Company initially drove back the Federate light cavalry with heavy casualties, but they couldn't stem the flow of enemy cavalry entirely. Once the Horse Guards crossed over, their fierce charge drove the Black Company cavalry with heavy losses with the young Captain Theodora proving her ability to lead and to fight.

While the Black Company was holding back the upstream raiders, Lord Neville had arrived with his levies and driven off the Federate light cavalry who had crossed downriver. The garrison behind their palisade was slowly taking losses but appeared to be winning the exchange of arrows. 

The sun was starting to slip for the horizon and it seemed like it might be possible to hold back the invaders till more of the local forces arrived.

The Horse Lord was not one to be easily dismayed though and he commanded a picked force. The assault was renewed with effect, sweeping away most of the remaining Midlish cavalry. There was nothing left for the defenders but to retreat behind their palisade and watch the raiders march past. In the woods to the north, the veteran Black Company crossbowmen did their best to form a rallying point for the surviving cavalrymen whose units had been shattered. When night fell, they retreated back through the woods.

The prolonged defence had been overcome with heavy losses, but it had slowed the raiders long enough to give the countryside time to prepare. The raiders would have to fight for their plunder!

The East Watch Beacon Is Lit!

Rumours are constant on the frontier. Few are true but none can be ignored so the garrison at Eastford has been on alert for a week. A call for reinforcements has gone out, and mounted patrols of the river have been doubled.  Then one day.....

Alarm! Enemy in sight!

The local frontier garrisons are used to small raiding parties but this looks like an army marching towards them. The men peer over the palisade and some could be seen clenching their fists, shaking them and then opening them like men throwing bones in a tavern while muttering: "Lady Luck be with us".

The Host Gathers For The Raid

 The talking is over. A plan has been agreed upon and the the raiders have mustered

The Valdurian component, led by the now recovered Prince Wyngnuht, is on the right as the eldest of the Federation. They are represented by one company of lancers and two of light cavalry. Two companies of the Federation Horse Guards are in the middle supported by a company of Dalish archers and two companies of Others from the mercenaries forces who guard the Great Pass which leads from Dale, past the Black Tower and into the heart of the Midlands. The Herdsman, with the largest force, form the left with 4 companies of archers, 4 of light cavalry and 2 of Lancers, 1 of which contains the Horse Master who has been given command of the expedition since he has the largest force.

With the Midlish army licking its wounds behind the Black Tower, and the Free Folk still harassing the Midlish Northwestern border, it was thought best to flank the Midlish defences by moving swiftly through the East Pass into the debated lands and crossing the Great River that runs down to the Middle Sea before the East Marchers of the Midlands can muster and block the crossings.

The horns were sounded, and the march began.

The Great Raid: Prologue

At last the planning and preparations are done, the polyglot forces have gathered, and the Great Raid into the Midlands has begun.

Captain Theodora, at the head of the Third Squadron of Riders, pauses at the crest of the pass to survey the vista of farms and villages that stretch across the Midland plain below.

Captain Theodora, recently appointed to command the Third Squadron of Horse Guards, has been given the honour of commanding the allied advance guard. She may find glory at the head of this polyglot force but she is as likely to leave her bones for the ravens in these rich lands. 

As long as the Bards sing songs of her deeds it will be worth it.

The Enemy of My Enemy

 The peoples who make up the Northern Federation have little love for the Free Folk of the West but they are not the threat that that the  Midlands present, nor the rich source of plunder.

So it is was that when news reached the Eastern plains that the Westfolk had tweaked the noses of the Western Marcher Lords, and taken back their sacred Dalai, the Herdsmen sent out the Red Arrow indicating that men were wanted for a raid. 

They also sent messages to the Hills and Woods where the Others hold sway to invite them to join in on an expedition beyond the Mountains.

Is it just me or do those Spearman look a little nervous?

The Bloody Ford

 And so it was that on Samhain, under a Full Moon, the clans from the hills were gathered in secret in the Morning Forest where the road crossed the river that divided the Free Folk from the lands of the Midlish King.   A raven had come with word from the Queen, na dallag naomh was on his way home! Meet at the North Ford and be ready for battle.

The day dawned grey and cold but the  host gathered and formed for the fight. News that trouble was on hand must have  reached the Tower for the garrison was alert and the ford was strongly held. The Queen ordered her forces to step into the open and draw the enemy's attention.  At last, a Raven fluttered down by the Queen, cocked his head and  croaked "Here! Here!" before flying off again. She ordered the clans to sound their trumpets, shout loudly their Battle Cries, and to advance and attack the ford.

The clans attack through the morning mist.

The Captain of the Tower was no novice though, and he was forewarned. Having fortified and garrisoned the ford, he had also posted archers to watch the woods and formed his lancers to react. He also counted on reinforcements, the King's Borderers returning from their patrol, Sir Daniel and even the Earl himself. 

Raven's eye view of the battlefield.

At the ford, the battle was fierce and bloody, bloody for the Hill clans at least. The well armoured Midlish had planted Cheveau de Frises across the road and with their long pikes, they could spear the hillmen as they struggled to chop their way through it. The occasional arrow or javelin found a mark but there were pikemen enough to take their place. 

Far off, the Queen could see that while the hillmen died at the ford and lightly armed raiders were sacrificing them selves against the Iron Riders on the river bank, the Huntress had led her small party with the precious chest to the river.

The stories of the old ones told of a hidden way to cross if one could read the signs and who could read them if not the Huntress? But, she needed time and if blood must pay for it, that is how it must be! 

The Queen called the Hillfolk back and ordered Na gruagach mohr to open the road, and pin or crush the enemy!

 

At the sight of the great beast lumbering towards them, the Midlish soldiers braced themselves and more than a few muttered prayers. A desperate struggle began at the ford as the great beast tore at the barricade while his human companions tried to shield him from the pikes of the enemy.  

Suddenly, trumpets and joyful cries ran out from the tower: "The Earl! The Earl!". The Earl of Cowcross had come!

Though his men were encouraged, the Earl had come too late to save them. With the abatis crushed, the great beast stumbled forward, tearing great gaps in the enemy phalanx though they stood their ground manfully. At last, it became too much and the survivors fled.  

The catapult on the tower now had a clear shot to the wounded beast. A great bolt plunged deep into the beast, and then another. Slowly, it sank to its knees, lay down on its side, and heaved a huge sigh as its eyes slowly closed.

Beyond the ford, the arrival of Sir Daniel and his men had turned the tide. The lightly equipped Woodsfolk had died or fled and the armoured knights and their accompanying archers had pursued to the river bank.

Only the Queen's Hound, clothed in his magic mist, now stood between the enemy and the chest. Another epic struggle began.

Against all of the odds, the Hound held off and shattered squadron after squadron until at last, with his enemy dead or scattered, he sank to his knees and then the ground. His guardian witch gathered him up in her mist, and he disappeared from view. Arrows began to rain down on the warriors carry the chest as they sought the hidden passage. Was this the end?

 

Not yet! Woodsmen from the relief force swan across the deep part of the ford and their fierce attack drove the Midlish archers back and at last the Huntress found the secret junction in the ford. As the Earl weighed the risk of pursuit, there was a stir as clumps of spears began to appear over the crest line. The Farmers had honoured their oaths and had marched to war! 

Their arrival, mixed with the heavy Midlish casualties, was  enough to convince the Earl to declare that that chest was not worth the price in blood. The battle was over.  

And there a Greate Battle was Foughten

 and soon....... 

......the bards will sing of the Battle of the Bloody Ford!

AWAKE! AWAKE! FOES FIRE DANGER! AWAKE!

Forewarned by alarm beacons, the border post at the North Ford was on alert with barricades in place across the ford and guards and patrols doubled. As the sun rose, barbarians could be seen approaching from the West and the trumpet rang out to summon the garrison to their posts.

All eyes were rivetted to the ford and the foe beyond. Not a man spared a thought for the edge of the Wild Wood behind them.

As stealthy as cats, the Huntress and Cuan na Banrigh had scaled the tower, hidden in a magic mist, retrieved the sacred chest, and sped through the hills and forests towards the ford. Birds carried the word to the waiting Men of the Hills.

"We are coming!"