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Post by aspenivan on Jan 26, 2016 23:39:14 GMT
The first true battle of Tanglemane's War would take place by the Siercian gold mines, in an area known as the Eastern Gold Hills (the Western Gold Hills being under the banner of the Thrum). A well-drilled Ikegami army of over sixteen thousand, complete with cavalry and artillery, opposed some ten thousand defenders on foot, a mix of mercenaries and peasant levies. A lopsided contest without question, but the Siercians had the high ground, and the only path to the village was uphill with jagged slopes on either side.
As both sides prepared their battle-lines, the light Spring drizzles that had characterized the entire region for months intensified over the Eastern Gold Hills. Within the span of a few minutes, the light grey sky had turned dark and the rain was falling so hard the ground was turning to mush. The combatants would fight in water and mud.
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-- Deployment Phase begins! See War Forms in personal messages.
-- Armies are in easy skirmishing range of one another, should either side send skirmishers forward.
-- Battlefield is under HEAVY RAIN, imposing penalties on movement speed, cohesion, ranged combat, and gunpowder reliability.
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Post by aspenivan on Jan 28, 2016 22:30:48 GMT
The Battle of the Eastern Gold Hills began with the roar of cannons, which created far more noise and smoke than actual damage as their charges flew over the field and drove into muddy ground. The cries of pain and fear would have to wait for when the skirmish lines of the opposing armies finally made contact, the Ikegami to screen their advancing main infantry formation and the Siercians to harass them on the approach. At this point in the battle, in spite of the heavy rainfall, most guns fired off without problems, and bows were still finding their marks. From both vantage points, through the mounting gun-smoke and rainy haze, the defenders seemed to be getting the worst of the exchange despite their high ground. But, except for a few gradual movements back and forth, both lines held their ground. A second volley from the cannon battery was directed towards the Siercians in the hopes of tipping the scales far enough to break their skirmish screen, but a fiasco ensued as several cannon-balls missed their marks and hit friendly troops, one barely missing a famous Ikegami warrior (killing one of his retainers instead). To make matters worse, one cannon failed to fire at all despite repeated attempts, and another exploded on site, ravaging its crew and sending its charge and plenty of shrapnel careening murderously through the rear ranks. Thankfully for the attackers, neither the explosion nor the friendly fire seriously disrupted their assembling formations: it was a stroke of good fortune that the ground was so soft, or the munitions might have bounced and caused true devastation. Thus, the battle remained stagnant as the two sides formed up behind their skirmish lines. Meanwhile, the relentless rain was turning the ground from mud to practically liquid, and fighting would become increasingly difficult as it continued to pour. __________ Notes (known to both participants)-- Both sides have sent skirmishers forward, and the Ikegami Clan is winning the exchange, but not enough to break the opposing line yet. -- Ikegami Cannon Battery reduced to 8 functional guns. -- HEAVY RAIN continues, and prolonged exposure will increase the effects as the ground gets mushier, troops get soaked, and bowstrings and powder get wet -- Battle enters Engagement Phase (expect Battle Forms soon!) |
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Post by aspenivan on Feb 3, 2016 1:46:33 GMT
Engagement Phase
Both sides knew that the time for true battle had begun. As skirmishers continued to exchange fire, each side brought its full strength to bear. The Ikegami were the first to move: To the sound of horns, the flanks held in reserve began a steady march forward. In the center, an array of battle-cries rose from behind the skirmish line as elite Ikegami warriors, mercenary infantry, and thousands of zealous Souzen charged up the hill and through the mud to meet the Siercian shooters. Volleys of shot and arrows were sent to disrupt them, but to no avail...yet, they did not hit the dwarven skirmishers. Instead, they met the Siercians' own charge, a wave of heavily-armored dwarves wielding broad axes, supported on their flanks by sylphan sword-and-shield levies from the village. The clash would go down in history as a brutal affair, not least because both sides struggled in the mud and rain. Chargers slipped and fell, feet got stuck, ankles were twisted and broken - all before the first blows had even struck. Some of the fallen even drowned in the virtual sea of mud, unconscious or unable to lift themselves out in heavy armor and aided too late (or not at all) by their comrades. The melee itself was a pell-mell, but between the two sides the Ikegami had at least some semblance of organization. Although the dwarves were arguably better-equipped than the elves, the latter had an abundance of strong leaders and superbly skilled elite fighters. Along the flanks, sylphan roundshiers sent to pincer their enemies found themselves face to face with unarmored but fanatically-chanting elves pouring out from behind the main block of armored elves. The levies and sellswords were simply outmatched along the entire line. They bled the enemy and held their ground admirably, but it was only a matter of time before the defense devolved into a mass rout. The defending skirmishers covered the retreat at first, but as the Ikegami grew closer their lines dissolved too. The gold in the ground and in their pockets was worth defending only up to a point. The victory on the hill might have been even swifter if the pikes had made it to the front. Unfortunately, something else entirely was in store for them. Just to the South of the Ikegami battery and reserves, the hills exploded with thousands of sylphs, led by none other than Tanglemane himself. Scores upon scores of riders galloped forth, some going around to hit the rear while others harried the Ikegami with hundreds of arrows. They were supported by thousands of footmen, some loosing even more arrows while others charged at the surprised attackers - now defenders. Musketeers embedded in the formations returned fire as they could, but for all the smoke they generated nearly half the guns behind it did not fire, and those that did mostly flew high in the rush to return fire. Fearing for themselves and their general, most of the Ikegami fell back to the rear in spite of orders to hold their ground against the charge, a decision that proved fatal when the encircling Siercian lancers decided to make their charge. Within minutes, the entire Ikegami right flank was in chaos, the majority routing in all directions while a single regiment bravely held its ground against the sudden onslaught. In the center and left of the Ikegami rear, matters were more organized - for the time being. Those lancers who had made their circle especially wide were met by elven riders before they could hit the cannons or the general. The Ikegami cavalry were outnumbered and outclassed, but the Siercian cavalry were disorganized from spreading their attack so wide across the Ikegami rear. It was still not an even contest, but the elves would buy General Ikegami Masateru crucial time. Reinforcements from the left flank were hurrying to assist as best they could through the slimy ground, and the skirmish line was turning face to fire on the enemy ambush forces. Furthermore, the General himself had the time to take proper action with the Tanglemane's army in full view. Recognizing that he might have to abandon his position, one of his first orders was to spike the cannons. They would be useless to the Siercians if captured, but equally so for the Ikegami. __________ Notes (Known to both participants)
-- Village defenders routed after a costly clash for both sides. -- Ikegami right flank and rear AMBUSHED by an army under Cadfael Tanglemane. Right flank is mostly routing, and those holding their ground suffer penalties to morale and cohesion from surprise. The Ikegami left flank is moving to assist, and the skirmish line is turning around to fire on the ambushers. -- Ikegami cannons SPIKED, rendering the entire battery unusable. -- HEAVY RAIN continues -- Battle enters Ending Phase (expect Battle Forms soon!) |
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Post by aspenivan on Feb 5, 2016 21:08:48 GMT
Ending Phase
Neither Cadfael Tanglemane nor the Ikegamis, each with their extensive military experience, had experienced a clash quite like the Battle of Eastern Gold Hills. Such bloodshed and confusion neither a self-respecting mercenary nor a peace-loving lord was inclined to get into if they could avoid it. But today, they could not.
The fate of the Ikegami right flank had already been decided when the mass rout began. The last infantry regiment held on bravely against the sylphan sword-fighters, but their formation quickly lost its shape and cohesion. When the enemy longbows drew their swords and flew into the battle en masse like a swarm of wasps, the holdout finally broke and joined in the shattered retreat. This left Tanglemane's infantry free to join other engagements, while some of the lancers mopped up the huge numbers of routing elves.
In the Ikegami center-rear, the militia cavalry finally buckled under the pressure of the superior enemy force. Hundreds of lancers swooped in, led by the famed warrior Beora Brightheart, quickly cutting through the cannon crews and surrounding General Ikegami Masateru. They found it far more difficult to cut through his personal guard than the militia before, but by force of sheer numbers they won the fight. Masateru fell, only lightly wounded but knocked unconscious. It was only moments later that Ikegami Naozumi and his two-thousand pikes charged the enemy cavalry. Beora's lancers were in no mood for such an engagement, and after taking some losses from the initial contact they were all retreating. But to the Daimyo's dismay, his brother was not among the wounded left over; some of Beora's retainers had managed to whisk him away during their retreat.
Meanwhile, Tanglemane himself led his horse archers in a charge, hoping to break the Ikegami skirmish line. Unfortunately for him, volleys from his enemies' longbows and skirmish musketeers cut the wind from under his soldiers. To his chagrin, the cavalry at his back turned tail, forcing him to turn and follow them. After wasting precious time rallying them, they made another charge. This time, the skirmish line's bows had mostly taken too much strain and too much water. The charge connected, horses tumbling into the formation while riders hacked away.
However, the Siercians could not break the line, and instead found themselves in a contest of attrition. By now the Ikegami warriors and zealots, fatigued and disorganized but ever valiant, were streaming into the fight little by little along with their mercenary comrades. To match them, the Siercian infantry rushed in to join, and with them a few hundred lancers along with Brightheart, but neither succeeded in anything but adding more fuel to the fire. The numerically lesser and more disorganized sylphan forces, their momentum entirely lost, took the brunt of the losses and were soon on the verge of breaking.
Tanglemane himself seemed untouchable, avoiding death like a master acrobat and redirecting it to his foes, but he knew the battle could not be won by his skill as a warrior alone. Seeing Naozumi's pikes on the horizon to his West, the Great Hunter ordered a full retreat. The battered Ikegami army was too exhausted to pursue.
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-- IKEGAMI VICTORY!
-- Ikegami Clan captures the mines and village of the Eastern Gold Hills. The village is deserted and will require a 6 Gold investment to take in necessary people and supplies to run, OR it can be looted and destroyed immediately for 14 Gold.
-- Free Sylph Kingdom of Siercia takes Ikegami Masateru (General) prisoner.
-- Final casualties (total dead, missing, or too wounded to stay in the campaign after rest/healing) and prisoner count will be PMed to participants.
-- Cadfael Tanglemane gains trait Untouchable: Significant bonus to defense in personal combat
-- Ikegami Yukimura (Warrior) and Ikegami Sayoko (Warrior) each upgrade their Frontline Leader trait to Veteran Frontline Leader: bonus to melee combat, significant bonus to morale of troops under command
-- Hirata Nodoka (Warrior-Monk) gains trait Zealot Leader: Grants bonuses to Zealots and Zealot Knights under command as if General.
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