This was the second big pitched battle of our Averland war of succession, the first having been the
Battle of Pfungzig. The war, over the succession to Marius Leitdorf, with the Averland nobility supporting his nephew Kastor Leitdorf, while Hardenburg was intervening on behalf of the previously deposed Ludmilla Van Alptraums, had begun with the Hardenburg army crossing Blue Reach. It had then divided into two with the famed Hardenburg marines marching on Pfungzig, while the Grand Army, with much of the knights of the Black Bear, headed south for Grenzsdadt, the key to Black fire pass, the old dwarf road and the Black Bears' chapter house.
Pfungzig was taken and Kastor forced back down the road by the Marines led by Pietr. Since then the prince had arrived to lead the marines and Pietr had ridden south to take command of the Grand Army. The Grand Army had also recently been joined by Carranado, Warden of the Lagoon (a successful Estalian admiral in the Hardenbrug navy, who had recently been elected the first Warden of Kasos, a satelitte republic of Hardenburg, which had been established by the Prince during the Obsidian war against the Vampire Raspartine) at the head of a force of Tilean Kasotian mercenaries and knights. Kastor's cousin Ferdinand had been sent to lead the Averland force to counter their march. Outside Grenzsdadt the two forces met.
The Grand Army of Hardenburg - 2750pts
Lords
- Pietr - Grand Master with sword of bloodshed, luckstone, shield
- Carranado, Warden of the Lagoon - General with sword of battle, barded warhorse, full plate armour, shield.
Heroes
- Black Bears' Chaplain - wizard - lvl 2, chaneling staff - lore of beasts
Core
- Black Bear knights - 8 inner circle knights, commander, banner, wailing banner
- Black Bear knights - 8 knights, commander, banner
- Kasotian knights - 10 knights, commander, banner
- Kasotian pikemen - 30 halbediers with detachment of 15 free companies and 15 free companies
Special
- Prince's guard - 35 greatswords, commander, banner, war banner, detachment of 15 free companies and 15 free companies
- Kasotian cannon - great cannon
- Prince's guard - 5 outriders
- Prince's guard - 5 outriders
Rare
- Hellblaster
- Hellblaster
Ferdinand's army of Averland - 2750pts
Lords
- Ferdinand Leitdorf - General with sword of bloodshed, armour of fortune, enchanted shield and barded warhorse
- Wizard lord - Lvl 4, ruby ring of ruin - lore of life
Heroes
- wizard - lvl 2, chaneling staff - lore of fire
- captain - mace of hellstrum, full plate, shield
- captain - sword of strife, full plate, shield
Core
- Knights of the Blazing Sun -14 inner circle knights, commander, banner, wailing banner
- Leopolds' Own - 50 halbediers with shields, commander banner and detachments of 20 swordsmen and 23 (Tilean mercenary) handgunners
- Tilean Spearmen - 20 spearmen with shields, commander, banner
Special
- Count's guard - 17 greatswords, count's champion, banner
- 3 great cannons
Rare
- Hellblaster
Pietr at the head of his knights eyes up the Averland line of battle, the Hardenburg force outnumbered the Averlanders by about 4 to 3
The battle commenced with the Outriders riding forwards to form forward pickets. They opened fire, taking out a few Tilean handgunners and a hellblaster crewman.
All along the line the army advanced, with the artillery limbered forwards.
But then the Averlanders opened fire - their bright wizard hurling a fireball into the advancing Hardenburg greatswords, taking out the whole back rank of five.
Then the massed Averland artillery opened fire. A great cannon fired, smashing a Hardenburg hellblaster to pieces and killing a free company.
Then their Hellblaster fired on and killed the whole outrider picket ahead of them.
Their second cannon ploughed through the colourful Kasotian knights, taking out a whole file. However their third cannon misfired, leaving the crew to clean out the damp barrel.
When the smoke cleared, Carranado and his knights attempted a charge, however with their flashy but untested horses reeling from the blast (and a triple one rolled) they stumbled forwards.
The Kasotian cannon opened fire across the town hitting the captain in the head leading the greatswords.
The Black Bears closed in upon the woods, on the otherside of which waited the Blazing Suns. The Outriders and remaining hellblaster shoot down the last of the rear rank of Tilean handgunners, however there were still enough left to shoot down three of the nearest knights.
The Kasotian left flank advanced on the Averland artillery positions and count's greatswords
Risking a dangerous charge through the uneven ground of the woods, Ferdinand led the Blazing Suns in a charge against Pietr and the Black Bears. Two riders were unhorsed as they negotiated the roots, but the charge struck home. Pietr, upon his bear, and Ferdinand met in a duel clashing their magical swords of bloodshed as the lances of the Blazing Suns crashed home. Two Black Bears were killed, but, thanks to a speel from the Averland wizard lord, making the flesh of the knighst rock hard, the Blazing Suns didn't take a casualty. The Black Bears fled, their magic standard falling into the hands of the Blazing Suns, and Pietr was forced to break from the duel as he raced after his knights, shouting for them to rally.
The disaster worsened as they took little heed of him, continuing their flight from the enchanted stone knights. However, seeing the Blazing Suns charging past him in their pursuit, the Black Bear's chaplain decided to act...
He called on Ursun and was instantly turned into a great ice dragon (great fire dragon), right on the knights' flank!
Meanwhile the other Black Bears made a charge into the Tilean spearmen who had advanced with the Blazing Suns.
The Kasotian cannon fired again, and again hit its mark, blasting apart the Averland Hellblaster
Carranado's knights, having taken three casualties from them in their advance, at last hit home into the cannon's crew, and succeeded in at last, driving them from the field, though with some effort. Having overrun the gun, they moved to face the greatswords
Ferdinand ignored the new and surprising appearance of a dragon and raced on after Pietr, at last driving him and his knight from the field as they fled before the Blazing Suns. It may well be the most shameful moment in the annals of Black Bear history
The Averland gunners on the hillside turned their piece on the newly appeared dragon, hitting it and causing several wounds, but not plucking it from the sky (though this did now mean the Chaplain would not be able to resume his original form for several weeks)
Anotehr Averland gun tore into the Kasotian infantry, killing several with a round shot.
Seeing his order master fleeing, the dragon swooped down into the blazing suns, killing a couple, but failing to break them and taking no wounds. Ferdinand pushed his way through to face it.
The Kasotians and Greatswords now charged home. The Greatswords hacked down a whole rank of Averland halberdiers, but so great was their resilience, and the perfect shooting of their mercenary Tilean handgunner detachment, that the Greatswords were reduced to half strength by the end of the first round of combat, though they held firm. The Kasotians had much better fortune and forced the swordsmen into flight.
Having been charged by the greatswords, Carranado and his knights succeeded in taing down just five, to four casualties themselves. They were put to flight.
Over in the centre the Averland swordsmen rallied, beside their stalwart parent regiment.
The Wizard lord now rose up, upon a throne of vines, ready to cast spells of greater power over the board.
The handgunners again fired, killing four free company men, while the remaining two artillery pieces missed their targets.
The Black Bears at last broke the Tilean Spearmen, running them down and taking their standard, though they had lost three of their own. As they ran through the forest, the banner bearer was plucked from his horse as his wings became tangled in a tree.
The dragon continued its combat with Ferdinand and his knights, killing another two, while remaining impervious to their attacks.
Now into the fields, the Kasotians re-engaged the Averland Swordsmen, while their detachments charegd in, on into the block of Halbediers, the other into the Averland bright wizard.
Meanwhile the greatsword's militia wings both charged the Tilean Handgunners, taking but three casualties from their closing fire.
The mercenary handgunners were all slain, expcept for two who fled before the almost undamaged militia companies. The Kasotians meanwhile, mande short work of the Swordsmen, and reformed to face the position of the last gun and the greatswords.
Carranado and his men re-engaged the Averland greatswords, and Carranado slays his first man in combat.
However his knights didn't make a scratch and were all hacked down. Carranado fled the field in disgrace - his knights having killed but seven greatswords and three artillerymen.
The Greatswords continued their bitter fight against the Averland halbediers' position, aided by the Kasotian militia. However with his now boosted powers, the Wizard Lord turned the Averlanders' flesh to granite.
Ferdinand continued the fight against the chaplain with his last Blazing Suns. However the Chaplain, in dragon form, slew the remaining knights, snatching up their magical banner to take back to Pietr.
Standing alone against the dragon, Ferdinand fought on!
The supernaturally tough halbediers cut down even more Hardenburg greatswords, forcing the Kasotian militia to flee, and standing up to the new flank charge from the Greatswords' militia wing. The Greatswords were at last cut down to a man and the militia fled
With that the battle ended. The now leaderless (with the only remaining character a dragon) Grand army of Hardenburg, seeing the Greatswords flee, joined them in a general rout. Only the Kasotian spearmen was still in tact, together with their cannon and the Hardenburg hell blaster. The last handfulls of militia, including a block just returned from pursuing the bright wizard (whom they considered a witch) from the field, two outriders and the last knight joined in the flight.
The Chaplain growled at Ferdinand, who he had not had the chance to smite, and turned to cover thre Hardenburg retreat from the air.
Ferdinand had won a great victory for Averland, and had successfully prevented the key town of Grenzsdadt from falling into Hardenburg hands, he had beaten Pietr, a previously unbeaten general, in the field and driven the knights of Kasos and the Black Bears from the field. Whats more his centre had held and slaughtered the Prince's greatswords.
It was a good day for Averland - their first of the campaign.
As for the Hardenburgers - the Kasotian spearmen and chaplain/dragon covered their retreat back into the rural country of eastern Averland. The home of the Black Bears was now out of their hands and a day of great shame had befallen them. The key to Pietr's strategy was now far gone and there would be words in Hardenburg's military council.
Victory to Averland!
Grenzsdadt in Ferdinand Leitdorf's hands and Pietr in flight.
By B
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