The Bretonnian's have long had a wish to expand the faith of the Lady north to other lands of man, and the Kislevits were prime targets. A wave of pilgrims and other devotees sailed to the land of ice and snow in the bleak north to convert the natives from the faith of Ursun and the old gods. But they did not receive a fine welcome and were put to the sword as seditious foreigners. This insult to the Lady could not stand, and a force of crusaders was quickly mustered and set sail in great galleons to teach the barbarians that such conduct was not suited to the world of men. Earl Richard of Gisoreux and his brother, a knight of the grail led the expedition.
The local kisvleite Knyaz had ridden out with his own bodyguard of winged lancers, called up some serfs and rallied the local tribes of Ungol horsemen to bulk out his army.
We were using our rules for this game, with me M, lord of Bretonnia taking the forces of the Lady into battle!
Bretonnian Crusaders
- 18 knightly crusaders
- 25 faithful bowmen
- 2 valorous knights on winged horses
- Huebald marshal of the lists (chap in black and white)
- Earl Richard (red and white in the centre)
- Lord Beren defender of the grail and grail knight
Local Knyaz's Forces
- 14 winged lancers
- 15 Ungol horsemen
- 8 hussars
- 30 (less then keen) serfs
- Boyar on foot (leading serfs)
- Knyaz Alolzy Steel Foot (chap on bear)
The bretonnian forces landed on the icy coast, then followed the fjord inland. The villages they came to were little more then fishing posts and did not welcome nor attack them, so they moved on vowing to find the lord of these lands and teach a lesson in courtesy. After some time of traveling like this they came near the end of the fjord and there they waited, not to keen on the idea of abandoning all hope of returning to the boats. The next day Huebald (marshal of the lists and defender of Earl Richard's borders) returned from a scouting with ill news. A large force of kislevites was marching their way with a great host of horse men.
Finding they were out numbered they put their backs to the icy waters of the fjord and faced the chill winds of north. Huebald took the left flank with a troop of bowmen, while the Earl took the centre with a group of his knights and bowmen and Beren held the right with the mainstay of their knights.
The flying knights took the far flanks, reporting any sighting of the northmen.
The Kayaz was no fool and though he had a great number of men at his call, few were armored from head to toe full harness and plate as the crusaders he faced were, nor were they as well drilled.
As the native force appeared out of the snow the wind fell and the snow blizzard, that had been blowing about fell with it, to show the full extent of the opponents armies. The Kislevites pressed forward, knowing the crusaders had a retinue of bowmen and did not want to get into a long range fight they would not answer. The light horse men scattered in front of the heavy lancers to cover them from the lines of bowmen, while the serfs got to a wall in the field and did't seem to want to approach the archers opposing them without it. The Bretonnians quickly sent there troops round to the right hoping to out flank the enemy.
As the horde of horse men fell down on them the archers let loose a volley of arrows that cut down a whole troop of Ungols, before the lancers charged the knights and battle commenced! As they plunged forward a group of lancers pealed off to the side to hold off the outflanking knights while there companions dealt with the others. But the charge did not go as planned the Crusaders fought back most revengefully and none were cut down.
One of the knights, mounted on his winged horse decided to sell his life dearly and hold off the serfs, and ploughed in the them, his steed tossing men aside though the massed serfs beat him back.
The knights then counter charged! Beren cutting down men on every side of him with his long sword while his men plunged into the lancers killing several of them.
On the flank of battle Richard led his knights to battle as a fierce fight sprang up in the small cops.
The battle continued with the lancers and knights fighting this way and that as they swirled in desperate melee. The rest of the Ungols had fled from the archers who had sent volley after volley into their ranks.
The knight mounted on his flying steed flew round into the side of the fight in the cops, his mount flinging horse and rider aside. Richard and his knights pushed back the lancers.
Earl Richard and Beren's efforts in the field pushed back the lancers sending them running, with the crusaders hot on there heals.
Alolzy Steel Foot though was made of sterner stuff and mounted, in the way of the kislev kayazs on a great bear, led his hussars in a counter counter charge!
Beren had led most of the knights off in pursuit of the lancers and the knights left behind had had enough fighting off the bodyguard and now being face by more horsemen fled!
But Beren, joined by the flying one, returned sending the hussars running and caught and fought Alolzy, but he broke from the fight and charged the bowmen vowing that he would die with his sword in the enemy, he never made it. The bowmen turned and loosed a volley into him, his beloved bear fell to the ground full of arrows, but the Kayaz struggled up, and pausing only to take one last look as his proud mount breathed his last, charged on to the archers who unleashed another volley, before they rushed him with knives and daggers...
The kislev forces were in flight, serfs were fleeing as the lancers were pounding back through the snow with crusaders cutting them down as they went. But alas as the knights came to the fields they found the noble knight who had held the hordes of footmen at bay, dead by his mount, their blood covering the white snow where they had been hacked down by the massed host of serfs. But he had not died in vain, it would be a long time before the next Kayaz put devotees of the Lady to the sword and pilgrims would be able to wander freely in the lands north of the empire again...
A Bretonnian Victory
