Spring 992 - Fields of Blood

"General Pereira, there's a Captain..."
"Pereira! Are you going to sit on your duff all day?!"
General Pereira grinned when he heard the gruff voice of Alfred Badenhorst, commander of the mercenary Black Company. Extending his hand Pereira strode towards the giant of a man. "I heard you had been hired by the Prince."
"And a damn smart move on his part if I say so myself", Badenhorst replied. "What's your plan?"

Pereira explained the overall plan to the mercenary Captain and the role the Black Company was to play in the upcoming battle.

"Aglaron, eh? I owe that Elf fop some payback," Badenhorst said with a snarl. "I'll keep that fool on a pin while you finish off those gloomy pointy eared pompous..."

"Still hate Elves?" Pereira interjected.
"With a passion!"

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Terrain was rolled for three times with each result being more congested with woods and rough terrain. Good for the Elves, bad for the mounted army of Mirish. After surveying the third battlefield the choice was a tough one. Pass on the battle and lose morale or fight in close terrain.

The Elves set up in a Static Defense deep in the woods. One line of missile troops to the front with melee troops to the read. The swifter Disciples, barbaric Elves would hold the flanks, the heavier armored Brethren the center and Aglaron, the Dark Elf Hero in the center of the front rank.

Pereira set up at the edge of the woods, his infantry and elephants to the right and center with the Black Company to the left. The pikes of the Black Company would be useless in the woods as would the second line of heavy and extra heavy cavalry. Attacking through the woods would be tough going for the Mirish army, perhaps fatal.

Except Pereira had a plan.

At the outset the whole Mirish army turned to the left and marched towards the left side, towards the clear, cavalry friendly area of the battlefield. This put the Elves on the horns of a dilemma. The Elf General realized that the Mirish army was maneuvering to form on his right. The Mirish plan would be to attack the right side of the Elves, overwhelming one end while the other could not help.

The Elf General gave the order to wheel towards the right.

As the Mirish army reached the clear area they wheeled towards the Elves who now had reached close to the clearing but still in the woods. On Pereira's command the right and center of the first line moved into the woods to engage the Elves. Fired on by archers and threatened by the advance of the elephants the Elves charged forward. It was a mismatch as the heavier armored Elves broke the Mirish line. In victory they pursued out of the woods and into a hailstorm of archery and Blast spells from the Mirish magicians.

The Mirish magicians repeatedly cast Blast spells at the undisciplined Disciples. This caused them to charge towards the casters who were with the Black Company. Arquebusier fire first halted then broke the impetuous Elves.  By the time the Elf army had formed on the right edge of the clearing both sides had lost 1/3rd of their army.

After a short lull in the battle both sides had reformed across from each other. The Elves at the edge of the woods and the Mirish army in the clearing. Pereira sent his skirmishers out to harass the Elves in hopes of goading the Disciples into leaving the woods. And they did routing off a skirmisher unit. Out of control they pursued forward into a hail of archery fire from the Clibinarii who then rode the lightly armored Elves down.

This left the Elves in the center alone. I decided that they could stay where they were and wait for the Mirish forces to attempt to draw them out again or they could unleash their Hero. It wasn't a difficult choice.

Aglaron led the charge followed by the Black Brethren and Brethren. The Elf line hit the Black Company and Mirish cavalry. The Mirish casters fired more Blast spells until only Shazam remained, the rest carried off, exhausted.
The Black Company arquebusiers fired into the Hero as he charged home. Inspired by Captain  Badenhorst and his pike men to the rear in support the shooters held.
The Mirish Clibinarii fired their bows and met the charge. Although they inflicted casualties they were forced to retire, one unit routing away.

Soon the Hero and his entourage had routed off the arquebusiers and the last caster. But Badenhorst and his pike stopped his advance.
The retiring Clibinarii units returned to threaten the Elf General and his Black Brethren who had pursued away from the battle line. They charged and archery fire rained down on the Elves. Melee was again joined but the horsemen could not break the Elves and were forced to retire a second time.

The crisis in the battle had been reached. At the head of his Cataphacts, which he had held in reserve for just such a moment, Pereira wheeled and charged into the weakened Elf right flank, routing off the last Brethren unit and slamming into the Elf Hero. Taking heavy casualties, the Hero unit held off the pikes and forced Pereira to retire away with casualties.

As Pereira charged into Aglaron the second unit of Cataphacts wheeled and charged the Elf General to the rear. The constant casualties from continuous fighting combined with the charge from the rear was too much to bear. The Black Brethren broke and fled the field, the Elf General swept away in the confusion.

As the Elf army fled Aglaron prepared for the final charge. It never came.

Instead Pereira ordered his men to fire at the Hero and only melee if charged. As the sun set Aglaron retired from the field, the Black Company allowing him to do so.

 

Casualties on both sides had been high with the Mirish army having only five units left to pursue. This resulted in the loss of 1 Disciple unit and 1 Hunters.