In early sping, as soon as the passes opened, General Gilgidi MacAuslin led the Dwarven army of Toctland out of their mountain fastness at Ghillebrae. They made the long march over the Ghiliienar pass and into Toctglenn. From there they made for the Toctnar Pass and once over that they were in Orc country. They made for the festering heap of hides and dung known as Dolj. As they approached the Dolj pass they found the army of Transil-Valishog-Atania there awaiting them….
The Battle of Dolj Pass
Recently arrived from Gorj, Vlad the Kinslayer was informed by his scouts that the Dwarves had already made the Toctnar pass and were nearly upon them. He quickly marshaled his army in battle order just short of the pass and waited…
(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)
The Orc battle line (1x Blade General, 3x Blade, 1x Hero, 1x Magician, 2x Spear, 1x Beast, 1x Shooters)
The Dwarf battle line (1x Blade General, 5x Blade, 2x Shooter, 1x Beast, 1x Artillery, 1x Cleric)
The lines approach....
Getting closer...
The North end of the line clashes and a unit of Dwarf warriors and gunners are lost – an inauspicious start for the army of Toctland!
The rest of the line clashes.
There is much shoving back and forth.
Slowly the Orcs continued to wittle away at the dwarves line, they lost the Giant Armoured Badgers… more warriors… the rest of the gunners…
When the fourth unit of Dwarven Warriors was overrun the army broke and ran!
The routing Dwarves tumbled down out of the pas with great speed and made their way back to Toctglenn. The quicker Orcs rounded up many of the stragglers and hauled them back to the slave markets at Dolj. They were merciless with the wounded. For years the blood of the butchered Dwarves would stain the stony plain of the pass.
Further to south the armies of Tria Nomina finished their parades and marched out of Praenomen down the Praenomen-Cognomen Way to the sea. There they boarded boats and sailed for Ronarok! The fleet found the seas rough and a few ships were lost – amounting to nearly all of their cavalry! Cavalry was not needed when they landed, however, as the people of Marham were ready and not about to simply give up their city. The Tria Nominans lay siege to the town but the people of Ronarok are hardy and subborn and the siege ground on into the summer…
What of the army of Ronarok? Disaster befell the Kingdom in early spring. The king fell ill with a rather nasty case of swimmer’s ear and passed away. Due to the youth and inexperience of the Crown Prince Amlodhi, and the gender inappropriateness of the still extremely comely Queen Gertrude, it fell to Claudius Hrosskellsen, brother of the late and lamented King, to provide the steady hand needed to guide the Kingdom of Ronarock through these troubled times. Funeral rights were observed and a bit of reorganization of the administration of the state required and this little hiccup took most of the spring to sort out. So while the people of Marham so valiantly defended their city, the army of Ronarok sat at Ludharn.
Across the sea to the west the The Ilferien continued their excercises on the Island of Dyladele. Their seers keeping an ever watchfull eye on the events unfolding on the mainland.
East and south from the fair islands of the Elves, the army of the Sapphic League was on the move. They jumped the gun and caught the Orcs of Grummsh napping. They had nearly overrun Otisburg before the Orcs were scarcely aware they were there. Quickly General Gurk Murkbog rallied his forces and arrayed them against the Sapphists!
The Battle of Ottisburg
The Army of Grummsh arrayed for battle! (1x Hero General, 2x Riders, 2x Behemoths, 3x Beasts, 1x Warband)
The Army of the Sapphic League opposing them (1x Hero General, 1x Magician, 1x Rider, 3x Blade, 2x Shooter, 2x Warband)
The Orc Battle line surges toward the invading enemy
The Wolves make for the broken ground to avoid the centaurs and hopefully to fall upon the archers in the center of the line. The General and his wolf riders make for the Dwarven Shield maidens at the left of the League’s line. The Giants and Trolls began heading that way as well…
The Warrior women of the league steadily hold their line as the enemy bears down on them. The Giants and Trolls decide the Witch Elf warbands would be much more tasty than the hard little Dwarves (and further away from the spark shooting sorceress!)
The Orc General and Wolf Riders fall upon the left of the League’s line. The General’s squadron remains locked in combat, but the flanking Wolf Riders are thrown back…
Then the Elven Sorceress summoned a cyclone of dust and lifted the Orc General off the field of battle and landed him far behind the Leagues lines. Panic quickly spread among the Orcs and the routed from the field. Otisburg was abandoned and the army retired back to Marrow…
Luckily the Orc General escaped from the Sorceresses enchantment and made his way back to the field army as it approached Marrow….
In stark contrast to the fate of the Dwarves the army of Grummsh not only survived the battle more or less in tact they suffered no appreciable losses at all!? Despite the loss of Otisburg, things did not look so bad...
The Map
Country: Tria Nomina
Race: Humans
Head(s) of State: Aculeo Bibaculus Mediocrito, Imperator of Tria Nomina
Commander of the Field Army:
Capitol: Praenomen
Other Cities: Nomen, Cognomen, Agnomen
Location of Field Army: Marham – siege!
Prestige Points: 0
Army Size: 18AP
Country: The Sapphic League of Unity and Togetherness
Race: Mixed – WOMEN!!
Head(s) of State: Myrah the Mighty, Chairperson of the Council of Empowerment of the Sapphic League of Unity and Togetherness.
Commander of the Field Army:
Capitol: Thatcherton
Other Cities: Bhutto, Beauvoir, Otisburg
Location of Field Army: Otisburg
Prestige Points: 4
Army Size: 24AP
Country: The Ilferien
Race: Ilferien (Elves)
Head(s) of State: Consul Rhalasa
Commander of the Field Army: Consul Sundiasen
Capitol: Melitele
Other Cities: Anasterele, Wynstrele, Dyladele
Location of Field Army: Dyladele
Prestige Points:
Army Size: 24AP
Country: Toctland
Race: Dwarves
Head(s) of State: King Malaius MacDoogleg
Commander of the Field Army: General Gilgidi MacAuslin
Capitol: Ghillebrae
Other Cities: Weinglenn, Toctglenn
Location of Field Army: Retiring to Toctglenn
Prestige Points:
Army Size: 12AP
Country: Ronarok
Race: Humans
Head(s) of State: King Claudius Hrosskellsen
Commander of the Field Army: Jarl Thorvald Skardsen
Capitol: Ludharn
Other Cities: Marham, Skohln
Location of Field Army: Ludharn
Prestige Points:
Army Size: 24AP
Country: Transil-Valishog-Atania
Race: Orcs
Head(s) of State: Vladimeag Votostogish (Vlad the Kinslayer)
Commander of the Field Army:
Capitol: Brasog
Other Cities: Gorj, Dolj
Location of Field Army: Dolj
Prestige Points: 12
Army Size: 24AP
Country: Grummsh
Race: Orcs
Head(s) of State: Bolg Skullcrusher
Commander of the Field Army:
Capitol: Marrow
Other Cities: Crudd
Location of Field Army: Retiring to Marrow
Prestige Points:
Army Size: 24AP
Good showing Tim! Two interesting battles, a good gaming report and the stage set for Summer diplomacy. Thanks for running this!
ReplyDeleteKudos to the Sapphic League. They maintained their principles and found a peaceful way to resolve their differences!
ReplyDeleteYes, the non-violent invasion! Let's just magic the general away and send the army into panic with no bloodshed! It makes sense - it's so hard to get bloodstains out of their fineries!
ReplyDeleteWonder if that will continue to work out for them in the Summer...?
A quick technical question. I notice that your bases seem a little deeper than the rules suggest (e.g. blades seem to be deeper than just 20mm) What are your basing conventions?
ReplyDeleteGenerally, all my foot are on 60x40 bases and mounted on 60x50 or 60x60 as required. Some foot are on 60x60 as well - some Warbands or Hordes...
ReplyDeleteI do it so I can put more figures on each base so they look more like "units". It was done purely as a personal aesthetic thing... it does change the game somewhat...
Thanks, I had seen your bases and thought they looked largish. On the other hand, I appreciate the aesthetic; I've seem "heroic 28mm" HOTT bases that just had two or three figures standing next to each other and it didn't look right.
ReplyDelete