The Battle of the Great Bay (Commonwealth Victory)

Admiral Iago raised his spy glass, the blurry image of the Jotun fleet coming into focus. Like a shark sniffing blood in the water, Gevalian instantly felt his blood begin pumping in his veins. The Commonwealth had drawn first blood in this game of chess and now the Admiral was keen to sink his teeth down into the jugular of the Jotun Fleet and leave it broken before him.


‘’ Signal Captain’s Brynn, Adel, and Dylis. Order their squadrons to begin opening fire. The Galiots are to hold fire until the Jotun come into proper range. ‘’ The cannons on the Carracks had the longest range and the Admiral was keen to conserve ammunition. There was only one way out of this and that was for the Jotun to attack. If they fled, then Iago’s superior sailing ships would eventually overtake and destroy them.


Lieutenant Isador arched an eyebrow. ‘’ And what of us, my lord? ‘’


‘’ The Leviathan will hold fire. I want the Jotun to get close. Very close. Load grapeshot and call general quarters. I want the Marines prepared to board. Focus the initial barrage on those dragonships. ‘’ There was no fear in the Admirals tone, just a healthy amount of respect. He was aware what a Jotun Marine could do up close. The more he could kill of them before they reached his ships, the better.


The first boom of cannon fire was like the start of the symphony. Now he couldn’t wait until the rest of the orchestra joined in his magnificent piece. The Commonwealth fleet was arranged with the Galeass at the center of the fleet. The Carrack’s were lined up on her starboard and aft sides (in broadside position), while the Galiots were settled upon the flanks of the fleet. With their forward firing guns, It would be their job to rip the Jotun to shreds once they came into range with a final concentrated bombardment.


SUMMARY:

- The Commonwealth fleet chooses to engage at the edge of cannon range, allowing the Jotun to come to them while harassing them with cannon fire. The Carracks begin bombarding the Jotun fleet, attempting to find proper ranges, and focusing their fire on the Dragonships.

- The Galiots will hold fire until the Jotun enter musket range, opening fire with both cannons and muskets from the marines. The Galeass will save her volley until the Jotun have nearly closed upon the fleet and then unload with a massive blast of grapeshot.

- The Galiots will give chase and open fire if the Jotun fleet attempts to flee en masse. 

True to their reputation, the Jotun fleet confronted with a prepared Commonwealth formation charged straight in.  It was a tried and true strategy that had served them well against the Fae Folk for ages past.  The giant sailors and marines rowed their way forward, enduring the first volley from the caravels with few casualties and no ships sunk.  Morale was high as soldiers prepared their arquebuses and axes for combat.  The enemy ships grew larger on the horizon, little sylph sailors became distinguishable on their little sylph decks, and the Jotun marines and vikings began firing off their arquebuses.  Hostile sailors crumpled and blew apart in clouds of red mixed in with some wooden shrapnel, much to the shooters' delight.

Then came the second cannon volley, and the giants began to realize just how much sheer firepower they were dealing with.  With the enemy galiots in the mix, they were facing over one-hundred fifty guns.  The fact that only about a third of the shots landed was probably lost on the crews of the fifteen barques that made the front and sides of the Jotun formation, who lost nearly half their ships and much more of their men in the onslaught of bronze cannonballs that blew giants and decks apart like leaves before a rake.

Yet, the Jotun endured and pressed forward.  Some of the barques, with their crews severely reduced, began to fall behind.  Gradually, the Dragonships were brought to the fore of the advance.  Musket fire continued on both sides, and despite their heavy losses the well-drilled Jotun were dealing far more damage than they took in the exchange.  It helped that their weapons were twice the size of their enemies', and their iron shot often bounced and ricocheted around the Commonwealth decks in clouds of sawdust and blood.  Admiral Iago's galleass in particular suffered under the giants' fire, as the primary target of the Jotun attack.  One shot missed blowing his head off by a mere few inches, instead cleaving off the gun-wielding arm of a nearby marine.

Then came the third volley.  With the Jotun formation so close to the center, the galiots had trouble orienting their guns properly, and only about half of their fire made impact.  But even this, combined with the firepower of the caravels, was enough to practically blow away most of the remaining giant ships.  What had formerly made the "front" ring of barques was utterly annihilated, and what remained of the rear did not hesitate to turn tail rather than throw itself carelessly into the arms of Death.  Those giants that neither died from the cannonfire nor fled were around one hundred Jotun Vikings, firm in their resolve to teach the upstart Commonwealth admiral a lesson. 

But they had one last trial to endure: Admiral Iago Gevalian's prepared grapeshot loads.  This would prove a challenge too much for any force of spirit or strength of skin and armor.  The vikings managed only a few scattered shots and a handful of axes thrown before a virtual wall of burning-hot musket-balls turned their front ranks into mush and broken armor-scales, their middle ranks into body parts blasted away in every direction, and their rear ranks into hole-ridden corpses that still managed to look something like intact giants.

With their view entirely shrouded by smoke, the sylphs waited in nervous anticipation until the two Dragon Ships emerged from the powder fog and gently bumped into their own hull.  Only then would they witness the carnage they had created as it slowly sunk into the ocean below.

It was a testament to Jotun perseverance and sturdy shipbuilding that two retreating barques managed to make it far enough to rally with the Seahag and its company of reinforcements.  Their sails were torn and their hulls ragged and leaking, but the survivors were ready to fight as long as they had some hope.  Help had arrived, and the Commonwealth galiots had broken formation to give chase to the retreaters.  Would this be an opportunity to turn the tide of battle?

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ORDER OF BATTLE (Mid-Battle Estimates)

Sefti-Cerdigonian Commonwealth (cerdigon)

Commander: Admiral Iago Gevalian (Admiral) (Galleass / 50 marines)
-- 3 Caravel Squadrons (9 ships, 390 marines)
-- 5 Galiot Squadrons (25 ships, 475 marines)

Jotun Clans (vaklu)

-- 1 Barque Squadron (3 ships, 30 Raider Marines) - 2 ships severely damaged
-- 1 Dragonship Squadron (3 ships, 210 Jotun Vikings) ANNIHILATED
Reinforcements:
-- 5 Barque Squadrons (15 ships, 250 Raider Marines)
-- 1 Dragonship Squadron (3 ships, 210 Jotun Vikings)

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NOTES:
-- Jotun reinforcements have arrived
-- Commonwealth galiots are advancing well ahead of the galleass and caravels, chasing the damaged barques.
-- This battle will consist of 2 more Modmarks

The two wounded Barques and the Seahag would be the only Jotun ships to stay and fight. The commander of the new detachment had given orders to retreat and regroup with the rest of the Jotun navy. The three ships would engage any ships that attempted to pursue the fleet.

The Admiral swore loudly as he saw the Jotun ships begin to flee. It seemed the Clansman weren't content to throw themselves into the teeth of his well prepared guns for a second time. The question was to pursue or let them flee? He had no doubt that his Caravels could catch them but would they be able to slow them down long enough for his galiots to regain the lost distance between them? Gevalian was a conservative tactician. His training screamed at him that he had accomplished his mission. Half the Jotun fleet lay at the bottom of the Bay after all. Voltheim could now be blockaded at his leisure. But at what cost? If he let these pirates go, then they would no doubt lay their covetous eyes upon the vulnerable Commonwealth coast, raiding and pillaging the villages of Sefti that hugged the coastline. The signal flags rose. The order for all ships? Attack.

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Captain Dylis rode the deck of his ship like a charioteer of old. His gaze remained firmly fixed on the horizon and the Jotun fleet that was rapidly beginning to close. Like a shark, the sleek hulls of the Caravels cut through the water towards their prey. Gunners were shouting as cannons were loaded with roundshot. Marines loaded muskets and readied blades alike. In the Captain's mind the Jotun had two options:

Flee under the barrel of his guns and have a chance of survival.

Or turn to face him.

If they turned, then the Galiots sweeping up from behind would catch them between a hammer and an anvil.

SUMMARY:

-- Three Caravel squadrons break off from the main force to pursue the Jotun fleet. They will attempt to hammer the Vikings with broadsides of roundshot, switching to canister if the Jotun come within boarding range, hoping to slow them in time for the Galiots to catch up and finish the job.

-- The Galiots and Admiral Gevalian begin their pursuit of the Jotun fleet. The lone surviving member of the Jotun rearguard will be hammered with cannonfire as the Galiots pass. If the Jotun engage the Caravels, the Galiots will engage and attempt to hit them in the flanks and rear with roundshot and move in closer if the Jotun have boarded the caravels to engage with canister.