Autumn 990 - Battle for Novempopulania

Princeps Alerio Nequam was convinced that devine providence had selected him to found a new and glorious empire from the husk of the once great Tropilium. Treyine had already shown that the old empire was ripe for conquest. And they had picked off the low hanging fruit.

The province of Novempopulonia lay on the borders of Seniira and Nequam reasoned that if he could defeat Lord De La Warre in battle the people would rise up to greet him as liberator, sharing language and custom with the folk of Seniira.

The battle was joined along the banks of the Phaedrum river. Lord De La Warre had selected an area of  rough terrain, in an attempt hamper the Seniiran heavy cavalry, but Priceps Alerio had skillfully maneuvered to minimise the effects.

Phaedrum River, rocky terrain to the left, gully in the center.

The Seniiran line had been arrayed in a Counter Attack formation. The Veterans and infantry in the center, the bulk of the Auxiliaries on the right flank with the last unit of Auxiliaries on the left with the Skirmishers. The Eskelin Mercenary Knights made up the reserve.

Seniiran deployment

The Treyine forces had chosen a static defense. The Archers lined up in the center while the Foot Knights took the left and the Mercenary Arquebusiers took the right flank. Sir Alaric Fitzhugh and the Hykar Cavalry Skirmishers made up the reserve.

Treyine deployment

The Seniiran center, with Alerio Nequam in the lead, moved forward with the Auxiliaries advancing along both flanks. In response the Treyine Archers deployed stakes and Lord De La Warre raised the Spear of St. Lindorf and wheeled the Foot Knights to face the Seniiran Auxiliaries while Sir Alaric Fitzhugh came up to support.

Disposition after turn 1.

On the Seniiran right the Auxiliaries brought home a charge on the Foot Knights only to realize too late that their weapons were no match for the heavily armored knights. The knights easily repulsed one unit while Sir Alaric was a terrible flurry of slashing steel that unmanned the entire unit holding the extreme right flank. In the center the Veterans and Infantry seemed unperturbed by the Archers stakes and came to grips, but only dealt out a few casualties. The Treyine Archers delivered a withering point blank salvo of arrows, forcing the Infantry unit to the right of Princeps Nequam to retire. But with a second unit behind them, trying to stay out of bow fire, they were unable to make an orderly retreat and instead panicked and routed. One the Seniiran left the Magus Festus reveals himself as he unleashed a Blast spell upon the the Mercenary Arquebusiers, forcing them and the Mage Dansforth back from the battle line. The Hykar Horse ran through the lines to harass the second rank of Infantry in the Seniiran assault and caused some losses.

End of turn 2, the Seniiran scrying spell has gone UHF.

A better shot from the Treyine perspective.

The Auxiliaries on the Seniiran right attempted to hold Sir Alaric and Lord De La Warre, but were outflanked and driven from the field by the armored juggernaut. In the center the Infantry extended the flanks around the Veteran assault and managed to drive of one unit of Archers with their pila. The other  Archers were bloodied but unbowed and let loose another flurry of point blank fire into the Vetrans which saw Lord Alerio Nequams own unit turn tail and run. Festus leveled another Blast Spell at Dansforth and the Arquebusiers, making them ignominiously quit the field. The Archers on the Treyine center left wheeled to face the Seniirans while the Hykar horse drew back to cover their movement and harass the Seniiran Infantry. The Eskelin Knights rode up out of the gully and revealed themselves.

End of turn 3, not looking too good for Seniira.

The Eskelin Knights wheeled and began a thunderous charge toward the exposed flank of the Treyine Foot Knights. The horsemen drooled at the prospect of riding these effeminate tin cans down, but it was not to be. Later in song it was said that St. Lindorf himself came down and startled their mounts, no one knows for sure, but inexplicably the horses shied and the devastating charge was stopped short of being driven home. Lord De La Warre wheeled his Knights to face the enemy and Sir Alaric counter charged  chasing the Eskelinese from the field. The day was lost and mercenaries are not the champions of lost causes. While the Veterans and the flanking Infantry were able to drive off the Archer who anchored the center right of Treyine, the combined firepower of the Archers and Hykar Horse drove off the Veterans and the other remaining unit of infantry. Festus thought that discretion was the better part of valor and ordered the Auxiliaries to turn around and retreat. Thus Seniira quit the field and Tryine was the victor.

The field is conceded to Treyine.

 Alerio Nequam would regroup. Treyine was a more formidable foe than he had expected, but his destiny would not be denied.

The battle was pretty quick and bloody. It took longer than it appears to play because I was fumbling around for rules and the like, but the actual action was less than an hour. I'll be posting over on my blog more of the rules mechanics and thoughts on how well I followed the rules. Hope you enjoyed. And Heroes are really tough as can be seen from this and the Mirholme civil war.