Repel the Invaders

Iskar watched the wall of fire, then turned to the squire commanding the Eventide auxiliaries.

Good Sir, with the Veccavi charging north we do not require your protection here anymore, but there is another thing that needs to be taken care of. The wall of fire has created a bottle neck that is easier to hold for us than the whole width of the valley. To ensure this comfortable state, the fire must not go out. Rush to the main camp and collect all sorts of oil and other flammable liquids and refuel the fires as soon as they start to diminish.

Alright, responded the squire, but please take this signal horn. Blow it in case you need us. I will not have it said I disobeyed the order to protect your rangers.

With these words the squire handed the horn to Iskar, saluted and moved away shouting orders.

Disassemble the protective screen, regather your weapons, forward, march!

The men took up their spears and board shields again and the auxiliaries moved away.

Constable, do you think we can actually win this battle? one of the rangers asked as Iskar rejoined their ranks at the cliff top.

Iskar hesitated for a moment, then he said with a slight but noticable trace of doubt and fear:

That is beyond my knowledge and most likely beyond my power, Silnord.

Then he added with a firmer voice:

But it is not beyond my hope!

Yet it was not hope but rather grim determination to be seen in eyes while speaking this.

Now aim for the horses and elite troops on the left. If they flee, their krom and kral slaves will do so, too! he commanded while the rangers continued their never ending rain of arrows.

Carefully observing the Veccavian charge, Caranthir turned to the Ranger to his right and said,

"Have the men prepare to fire at the horses. Try to kill them all near the same spot, to fill the bottleneck with a mountain of corpses to keep them trapped. We must not fail, or there will be much bloodshed and our Order could be destroyed. Go now and assemble the men."


The ranger ran off to organize the rest of them while Caranthir kneeled near the edge of the cliff, bow at the ready.

The Eventide and mounted Legion forces charges, intending to meet the Veccavian forces in a glorious charge. The two groups of horse moved towards each other at astonighing speeds, however, when they noticed the knights heading towards them the Veccavian forces turned.

Or rather, angled themselves, instending to slip over the incoming Pendor cavalry. And as the two forces charged parralel to one another, with the Pendor Knights no doubt trying to turn into ther position, nearly fifty Veccavian horse broke away from their charge to stall the Pendor troops.

And so the two groups of horse met, and chaos erupted. The knights, being much more well armed and trained, blunted the charge of the 50 cavalry with ease, and the two forces erupted into Melee, with the 350 Veccavian horsewomen moved past them. However, as they neared the many gapos in the northern fire falls, they found themselves under attack by the Silvermists in the northern cliffs. Or ratherm their horses were under attack.

A few went down, with the loud crack of breaking bones as their necks crashed into the ground, and yet more of the same sound as their bodies flipped over their riders. While the fast horses of the Veccavian riders were mostly able to avoid the fallen mounts, a few tripped and went down themselves. By the end of the first few volleys, over two dozen riders were dehorsed or dead.

Meanwhile, the fifty that crashed into the Eventide and Legion forces were beginning to see losses. Three died for every one knight they wounded badly enough to force a withdrawal. Soon, nearly a dozen were dead. They would need aid if any had a hope of survival.

Aid that they received.

The one hundred horse that broke away from the main position soon after the main body of cavalry charged slammed into the knights. Horses died as their charge was brought to a sudden halt, and the confusion at the scene was absolute. With the bodies of dead women, men and horses crowding the m=position on the battlefield one thing became clear though, the knights of Pendor were fighting on all sides.

They were surrounded.

And still, the main bodies of both armies were trying to scramble into position, trying to make it to that gap in the flames before the other. As it was obvious gaining control of that battle position was the key to both armies success.

The Knights of Eventide fought desperately, but the numbers were simply too great, and without the momentum of their charge they were slowly cut down. One of the few Knights watched aghast as the last of the auxiliaries went down, and the Veccavian women began to pour around the flank of their lines. The thin line of knights tried their best to pin the breach but the press against them was simply too great.

There seemed to be a short respite as the Shadow Centurions under Marcus thundered in to support, but even the lighting blitz of javelins couldn't suppress the sweeping tide, and in time the Centurions and the Eventide fought back to back, their heavy armour taking more hits than could be believed possible. By now most of the Eventides and Veccavians were struggling on foot, their mounts having been killed from under them but the Centurians were rather better off thanks to the natural toughness of their special mounts.

Unseen, a single rider entered the southern section of the battlefield and quickly surveyed the field before him, he then turned his horse and galloped away down the road.

Seeing an opening the Silvermists renewed their efforts from the cliff top, raining a hail of arrows into the thickly packed ranks of Veccavians, many striking their enemies from behind and causing a large number of them to turn to face their shields up the foreboding cliff-side. As a result of this the press on the belaboured Eventides and Centurions let up a little, but more and more Veccavian women poured through the breach, most of them being dismounted knights that had finally caught up with their mounted brethren. The single benefit to come from this harried oppression was that the Royal archers which came behind, had not enough space to draw their bows and fire due to the press behind them from the ranks of Kral and Krom guards which protected their backs from the southern Silvermists taking long-range pot shots, and as such made excellent targets for the Silvermists sniping down from above them.

Suddenly the many of the Kral seemed to grow javelins from their foreheads and their lines seemed to buckle from the mass of Shadow Legionnaires who had finally manoeuvred around the firewall, and had slammed into the southern flank of the Kral lines, trying to unite with the small clusters of Eventide and Centurions. The press had become even more intense, the shorter weapons of the Shadow Legionnaires being able to prove their worth, however the breach in the northern tip continued to leak Veccavi troops, though the women who made it through did not seem to be attempting to encircle the Pendorian troops, but were rather taking off at a run, streaming out to the north away from the battlefield. Meanwhile the final auxiliaries arrived from the south and added their charge to the Shadow Legionnaires efforts to unite with their brethren.

In the distance a horn sounded, even audible above the din of battle, it came out low and comforting the sound a wave of hope for the embattled army of Pendor, and lines of riders thundered on to the battlefield. The men of the Clarion Call and Windriders massed behind the lines of Shadow Legionnaires, and began to pour arrows over the heads of their comrades, the height offered by their horses giving them an easy shot. Caught between the clusters of Eventide and Centurions, the swords of the Legionaries and the arrows from the reinforcements made the Kral / Krom at the front panic, but they had no-where to run, the press from their comrades behind literally pushing them into the swords of the Legionaries.

Unfortunately the Legionaries had not quite met up with the Eventide and Centurions and like a dam bursting the Kral / Krom crashed through the gap offered, and hared off after their female mistresses. In answer to this the Clarion Call returned their bows to the cases, and lowered their spears. Following another throaty siren call from the horn the Clarion Call riders charged into the Kral lines, scattering many before them and stopping the tide escaping. Their action was the catalyst that was needed to unite Legionnaire with Knight and Centurion, and the foot soldiers lost no time in hauling the wounded back from the fray.

The Clarion Call paid dearly for their move however, their lightly armoured steeds and comparatively light armour held up badly against the human wall pressing in on them once again, and many of their best men went down despite the ruinous barrage of arrows from the Silvermists and Windriders. A signal from the southern Silvermists indicated more troops had arrived on the field, and lines of immacutely armoured Immortals arrived on the field and moved straight for the wall of fire on the southern edge of the battlefield, followed closely behind by several lines of Knights of the Raven Spear. The Immortal ranks halted smartly before the raging inferno and as one unbuckled their huge shields, and using them as improvised spades began to put out the fire there, clearing a path through the field of fire. Once a large enough gap had been created the formation divided and the Raven Spear charged through immediately wheeling into the rear of the Kral / Krom guard who saw their attackers only when they were upon them. Fire on one side, the blood soaked but unwavering faces of those before them and the new knights behind was simply too much for the men, who broke, and ran back towards their burning ships, some hurling themselves bodily into the wreckage, while some tried to find escape along the shore.

The women however did not break, but continued to stream through the broken northern line, small groups of archers as they got through began to put their bows back to good use firing up at the Silvermists high above them, and into the rear of the Pendor army.

Aldric smiles as reinforcements arrive and turn the tide of the battle. He lets out victorious roar.

SILVERMISTS, focus your fire on the women. Forget about the Krom and Kral. Let our allies finish off what is left of those pathetic men. We must break the morale of the back bone of the army. Then let us see how proud they are when their blood is soaked in the lands of Pendor.

Aldric fires a few arrows, hitting a few Veccavian Royal Archers that was firing at them, killing them.

As Iskar saw the reinforcements crush into the Veccavi lines he smiled even more grimly. Yet the Veccavi women were fleeing north, away from his position, and his men would be likely to hit friendly troops if they fired into the thick of battle at such a distance.

Gather your quivers and bows, we abandon this position! he shouted. The Rangers quickly lined up.

Forward, quick march!

When they approached the northern cliffs, Iskar saw the remaining Veccavi archers form up behind the main bulk of the Pendor army.
Iskar took out the signal horn he had been given by the Eventide squire and blew it. The squire came galloping their way

When he arrived Iskar did not tarry with formal greetings but said only: Have you watched the Legion form their testudo?

The squire shook his head. Iskar quickly explained what he had seen.

Line your soldiers up in a rectangle, the front line holding their shields forward while the rest hold their shields above their heads. This renders your men almost immune to arrow fire. Charge their archers while we keep them under fire until you reach them.

Alright, answered the squire and galloped away. No longer needed to hold the line against the krom and kral slaves after the Clarion Call charge the auxiliaries quickly regrouped and soon a testudo marched towards the Veccavi archers.

Meanwhile Iskar commanded his rangers: Form up! Aim at the archers and the fleeing knights! Fire at will!

The rangers started raining arrows at the Veccavi archers, taking them out one by one.

Captain Theo and his five rangers heard Iskar's orders and offered themselves to support the charging line. The thought of being finally able to use his swords in this battle lit a frightening fire in his eyes.

Very well men! He said Let's show those Veccavians what a real archer is made of. Shields up! Draw swords! Stay calm and do the movements I taught you!

Caranthir surveyed the battlefield while raining down arrows upon the Veccavian army


"Men, Focus your fire on the krom and kral guards to keep them from encircling the Legion! Also take any Veccavian targets of opportunity. If you see a high-ranking Veccavian with her guard down for a second, take the shot!"


The Northern Silvermist continued their rain of arrows upon the Veccavian army.

Sir Jugas was totally lost in the heat of battle. His mind was completely blank. His body reacted purely out of instinct, shaped through years of extensive training. He pressed his left arm tightly to his side, as the cursed limb had chosen to abandon during the same attack that had finally shattered the tattered remains of his shield. His sword was gone as well, now lying buried in the guts of some crazy women who had simply refused to let go of his weapon as if it had been her newborn child. His armoured fist now clutched a bloodied warhammer that he swung in deadly circles, cracking and smashing and piercing in one glorious orgy of blood. He would have laughed if he had had the breath to do so, but exhaustion was talking its toll and the weapon of a Veccavi knight had dented his breastplate before bouncing off, making it harder for him to breathe. Still, he struggled on, simply ignoring the promises of pain that his body was showering him with. There would be enough time to rest once this was over...

...one way or another. He fought on.

The Kral and Krom continued to peel away from the main formation and attempting to flee the field, however a number of the women saw their cowardice and began to strike out around them at the men who remained close, instilling a fear of women in them once again, enough so that the rearguard stopped running and instead began to form up again. This block of troops faced down the combined might of the Silvermists, Shadow Legion, Raven Spear and Eventide, while the Clarion Call withdrew in order to begin harassing the fleeing troops alongside their Windrider allies. Meanwhile the rest continued to flee to the north, sped on their way by arrows from the northern Silvermists, getting further and further away from the battlefield. Oddly none tried to flank the Pendor troops seeming far more intent on escape than to continue the battle.

The rearguard fought hard, the women grim faced, using their blades on the army of Pendor as much as on their own men, in a dramatic effort to keep them in line. Despite this however, many still tried to join their comrades in fleeing towards the sea obviously having little idea on how to escape but entirely focused on the small chance that they could. The guard did their job though, the Veccavi women who had cleared the Pendor lines managed to scatter into the countryside of Pendor.

Finally the Immortals arrived, and the Raven Spear wheeled their mounts away to let the solid formation of heavy infantry enter the fray. Stuck between the Immortals and the Shadow Legion lines, the Veccavi began to fight desperately but they knew it was over. The Kral / Krom were mostly dead and only a handful of women remained, fighting on with a furious vigour giving no quarter and getting none in return. The last woman still on her feet gave a shrill cry at the skies before hurling herself bodily into the line of Immortals where she was stabbed and trampled beneath a multitude of boots.

The Clarion Call and Windriders meanwhile went off in pursuit of the fleeing women, hoping to ride as many down as they could before their sweat-covered horses gave out from exhaustion.

All that remained now was the clump of Kral / Crom stuck between the two cliffs, the sea and the Pendor army. The question now was, what to do with them? Cut them down for their insulting invasion of Pendor or attempt to capture them?

Caranthir motioned to one of the younger rangers near him.

"You there. Send a message to the leader of the Shadow Legion, tell him I advise that we capture this pitiful bunch of slaves. They are all nothing but armed slaves, none of them came of their own free will. We may be able to convert them to side with Boadice. Remember these are slaves, not hired soldiers."

The ranger hurried off to tell the other Commanders while Caranthir breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally, it's over. Now to check on the casualties."

Caranthir motions to another Ranger

"Go remind the Commanders that the slaves are all gelded, so tell him not to try to convince them of wives and children, as they will never have either. That may get them even madder and suicidal, and we don't want that, do we?"

the Ranger left to the Shadow Legion camp

OOC: Marcus, they are gelded... so no children at all.

Seeing the Pendorian troops cease fighting and trying to convince the remaining mass of Kral and Krom slaves to put down their weapons, Iskar stopped firing.

Cease fire!, he ordered his rangers.

He thought for a moment, then started looking around. Soon he found what he was looking for: a thin metal sheet that had served as the bracing of a now broken wooden shield. It proved thin enough to be bent by hand and he formed it into a cone with a small opening at one end and a bigger one at the other end. Then he ran to the next riderless horse and galloped to the northern cliff top.

He looked down on the battle field. It was covered by carcasses and broken weapons, some scattered fires were still burning and the red of spilled blood was the dominant colour. "By the gods", he thought, "why all that?" His mind was almost swept with thoughts of death and despair, mixing with the distant pictures of his lost beloved ones, but the huge mass of desperate Krom and Kral slaves caught his view again and brought his original intention back to his mind. He put the smaller opening of the metal cone to his mouth and shouted:

Men of Veccavia, your female masters have fled the field and are now being cut down by our cavalry, your ships are burning, your commanders dead, fighting on against our superior troops means certain death. However, there is a new queen in Veccavia and she will need the services of battle hardened soldiers. Surrender now to the forces of Pendor, put down your weapons and your lives shall be spared!

Amplified by the metal cone his voice boomed over the battle field, echoing from the cliffs on both sides.

"I hope this works", he thought, "enough blood has been spilled today..."

The Soldiers of the Eventide could not care less for the rounded up Veccavi. With the help of the southern auxiliaries, the few knights that could still stand rushed to bring aid to their injured comrades, shouting for physicians or starting to carry the dead and wounded back to the camp.

Returning to his troops Iskar beckoned Scout Commander Cairngrove over.

Take your squad, gather some of the riderless horses and hurry to inform the steward of Dagon castle, the elders of Tebandra, Ruvar and Tyra and the guild master of Windholm that they should double their patrols and be on the lookout for escaped Veccavi. The last thing we need now are frustrated women murdering the peasantry.

Tight-lipped as ever Cairngrove simply nodded and went off.

The others, go and help to take the wounded to the main camp!

The rangers quickly spread across the field, helping the auxiliaries and Legion horsemen in their task.

Some of the slaves begin to advance on Iskar having identified him as the spokesman, their intent unknown. As they drawn near, those around Iskar ready their weapons again, but the man leading the slaves holds his weapons up, showing he does not mean to use them.
"If we do surrender, what will become of us? Will you send us back to Veccavia? One bitch queen is just like the other, we're slaves under them all. Death is a better end for us, at least in death we can go with dignity as soldiers. Let us live here in Pendor as free men, and we will drop our weapons and leave this place." he said to the waiting Silvermist, a number of those around him shouted in agreement, and boosted by their calls he continued;
"Those she-witches have shown their disregard for us, one of them even killed my brother as he tried to run. They are no more our friends than you." he wiped away a tear, but not letting emotion stop this tirade he soon began talking again.
"We want an assurance from one of your lords that we will be given a good home, a piece of land to call our own. We are all hard workers, well used to toil, we ask no charity just a chance to make something of our lives."
"Yeah!" "Give us our lives back" "Freedom!" came the calls from the slaves, and they all looked to Iskar and the assembled army of Pendor expectantly.

Iskar looked into the faces of the gathered Krom and Kral slaves and he felt sympathy for their wish to lead a quiet, industrious life, a life which had been denied to him by that fatal day when the snake cult had raided his village. He quickly sent some rangers to ask Caranthir, Marcus Caldius Merula and the knights leading the Eventide forces to meet here, so that a concerted decision might be made.

He raised his voice: Listen! I am a commoner myself and hold no land I could hand to you, nor are there any feudal lords of Pendor present at the battle field that could promise you land. This may seem disadvantageous, but in fact it is your very luck. If you surrender you will not be prisoners of the royal Pendor army and thus the king, whose ties to the new queen of Veccavia are strong, but you will be prisoners of the grandmasters of the orders present. I have just called for all other commanders so that we may decide what measures are to be taken.
As for me, I have great sympathy and understanding for your request and will speak on your behalf. As a proof of my goodwill I will sheath my weapon and I expect you all to do the same.

With these words he sheathed his sword and shouldered his bow. The rangers surrounding him did so, too, yet stayed alert in case anything unusual might happen.