Battle of the Johor River

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cerdigon
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Posts: 528

Battle of the Johor River Apr 15, 2016 3:16:49 GMT

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Post by cerdigon on Apr 15, 2016 3:16:49 GMT

Battle of the Johor River

When the Firetooth Army had crossed the Johor River in the dead of winter, they had found it frozen. It had allowed them to quickly funnel men, horses, and supplies through. However, the spring thaw had brought its own problems. The Ironskull controlled the best natural crossings points along the river. Firetooth engineers had to carve a makeshift supply route across the river that involved the use of boats and crude bridges just to keep the men fed. When the Firetooth army marched south again, this problem was magnified a thousandfold, the pace of the army slowed to a crawl. Cannons had to be disassembled and carried, mules, wagons and horses made ready to cross, soldiers had to strip their heavy armor off lest they fall into the river and drown. Makeshift bridges creaked and groaned under the weight of thousands of Orc boots as a great tide of greenskins marched to war.

The first sign of the enemy came not from behind on the Northern bank of the river but to the front. Ten thousand Wastelanders were forming up on the Southern bank, soon the pop of muskets and screams could be heard, along with more Ironskull horns. These were not battle horns but signal horns. Soon, on the Northern bank of the river great moving mastodons pushed forward followed by loping ranks of infantry. With the bulk of the Firetooth's cavalry sent raiding, the Firetooth Coalition had limited knowledge of the Ironskull's movements. It was here on the banks of the Johor River, when the Firetooth were at their most vulnerable that the fate of the Ironskull would be decided.

NOTES:
-- The Ironskull have engaged the Firetooth Coalition as they cross the Johor River. The Firetooth army is currently split between the Northern and Southern banks.

-- Certain Firetooth units will not be available until later phases of the battle as they need to unlimber and prepare their equipment (these units will be noted in PM)

-- Ironskull reinforcements will not be available until later phases of the battle (these units will be noted in PM).

Last Edit: Apr 15, 2016 3:17:16 GMT by cerdigon

cerdigon
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Posts: 528

Battle of the Johor River Apr 19, 2016 14:19:22 GMT

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Post by cerdigon on Apr 19, 2016 14:19:22 GMT

SOUTHERN BANK:

A single Ironskull rider rode towards the Jaggedfist lines.

Karguk One Eye could not hear what was said but the Jaggedfist answer was blunt and to the point -- literally. The Ironskull messenger was impaled on a pike, his corpse hoisted into the air, his dying screams joining in with roars of exultation of the Jaggedfist horde.

'' THIS IS WHAT COWARDICE GETS YOU! '' Tahvo Warg Reared screamed into the sky, letting the blood of the dead Ironskull trickle down onto his face.

The cheers of victory would soon turn to screams. The Ironskull had their own reply to the roaring tribesman and it came in the form of a steel rain of death. Longbows were notched sending volley after volley into the Jaggedfist ranks. Horse archers dashed forward to pepper the enemy line before retreating back if the foot slogging infantry came too close. Meanwhile, the Ironskull infantry braced for the Jaggedfist charge. The heavy shower of arrow had taken much of the momentum out of the Jaggedfist advance, the brutal pit fighters for all their skill were only lightly armored and vulnerable.

However, the warriors that did strike the Ironskull ranks nearly snapped the Ironskull line of pikemen. The fighting was vicious as the warriors lead by Tahvo carved a red ruin through the enemy ranks. It was only the presence of General Bonesnorter that stopped the assault from turning into a red route. The Ironskull General rallied the Orc's but only just -- for now the line was holding but barely.

Karguk's Wastelander's were not idle however. Horse archers moved up in the center to strike the Jaggedfist with enfilade fire. Orc's crumpled and died, screaming as arrows punched through their flesh. The supporting fire from the horse archers was short lived however as soon the mounted riders found themselves on the receiving end of vicious sniper fire from Stonefoot sharpshooters. The horse calvary turned from hammering the Jaggedfist infantry to fighting for their lives in a see saw skirmish battle.

Karguk One Eye, on the right flank ordered a charge of his own. A flanking movement to catch the Jaggedfist that were assailing the left flank of his army. With their last remaining reserves, two new model square regiments coming up from the Jaggedfist center and right flank struck the charging Wastelanders with a volley of eight hundred muskets.

The entire Wastelander front rank disappeared into red mist as musket balls punched through them, leaving nothing but a red ruin of corpses. Out of the smoke can hundreds of Wasteland shocktroops. Armed with massive broadswords and axes they quickly began hacking their way through the pikemen, opening up a hole for mobs of light infantry to follow. Each side was now engaged in a brutal melee, with the Wastlander left flank holding (barely) and the Jaggedfist center and right flank about to break as they came under increasing pressure.

NOTES:
-- ALL UNITS ENGAGED.
-- WASTELANDER LEFT FLANK HOLDING BUT BARELY.
-- JAGGEDFIST CENTER AND RIGHT TAKING HEAVY CASUALTIES.

NORTHERN BANK:

Thanks to their scouts, the Firetooth had spotted the massing Ironskull before they had achieved complete and utter surprise, allowing them to begin some preparations to defend themselves. But the line was still in shambles and troops were still struggling to get into formation as Hortek Ironbelly drew his army into a horse shoe formation around the bridgehead. It was here in the muddy riverbank that the Firetooth would at last find the decisive battle they were craving, whether or not it would end in their favor was another matter entirely for across from him massed nearly four hundred war beasts and thousands of charging Wastelander's.

Like the Sacrye and Baemiran's before them, the Firetooth were about to experience the full brunt of a mastodon charge. Hundreds of thousands of pounds were about to come bearing down on the disciplined Firetooth line. Anticipating this, Hortek deployed rank upon rank of skirmishers to attempt to bring down the beasts before they could strike his line. The first buzz of musket balls whisked past Chief Yurik Bladesplitter, like annoying gnats. The Ironskull Horde had faced concentrated musket volleys before, this would be no different. However, both the Baemiran and Sacryan armies had accurate sharpshooters that could target the vulnerable points of a Mastodon's eye. The ears and eyes became particular targets for these Orc's. More than one mastodon dropped back in the formation, going mad in agony. Shocktroops and pikemen that were behind them were trampled until their crews rammed massive spikes into the base of their necks, effectively ending the rampage.

Only the presence of Firg Hooktongue kept his beasts from routing further, the mastodons driven back into formation, and the advance continued. Next came the volleys from the Firetooth regular infantry, hammering home into the well armored shocktroops and pikemen behind them. The cannons which had for so long been silent to conserve ammunition belched fire and smoke into the massed ranks, sending several mastodon crushing to the earth with direct hits. But trying to stop the Firetooth advance was like trying to stop a boulder rolling down a mountain, the boulder would roll to its natural conclusion, and that conclusion would mean many Firetooth were about to die.

The Ironskull strike the Firetooth center!

The skirmishers withdrew behind the ranks of pikemen just before impact and the result was a bloodbath. Firetooth were crushed under foot of the war beasts, while shocktroops hacked down dozens of militiamen as they attempted to reform. Panic and fear were running like wildfire through the ranks as troops began dropping their weapons, looking for any escape from the cauldron of death that they found themselves trapped in. Out of the inferno of violence, Chief Priest Dollan picked up the fallen standard of Chief Hortek, its former bearer hacked down. It was only the presence of the Chief Priest, one of the greatest religious figures in the North that stopped many of the militia from fleeing.

War horns sounded, a desperate call for help. It was answered by another horn blast as two thousand roundshier that were held in reserve now emerged to stabilize the flagging line. Alongside the veteran Firetooth militia, the ranks were gradually being reformed as the Ironskull charge lost its momentum and the battle in the center degenerated into a war of attrition. It didn't change the fact that the center line was still the danger point of the entire front. If Ironbelly did nothing, he would lose the center, the bridge, and the battle!

Elsewhere along the line, a great cavalry skirmish had developed. The feared Warg cavalry were met by hundreds of Firetooth cavalry pistoleers. Bladesplitter's plan to have the Warg's support the centers advance with accurate barrages of arrows was thwarted by the effective screen that Hortek had managed to deploy. With neither side willing to commit to a melee, both sides were a swirling mass of cavalry exchanging shot and arrow respectively.

Meanwhile, the Ironskull longbowman had not been quiet during the exchange. Arrows were doused in oil and set on fire and soon they began turning their attention on the Firetooth artillery train. The Firetooth cannon batteries were a mess. Ammunition was scattered everywhere as their crews desperately tried to get them ready for battle and firing. The bulk of the fire arrows were inaccurate as the longbowman were shooting from a great distance (and fire arrows are inaccurate by nature) but for the arrows that did land, they found a powder keg (literally). Ammunition began to cook off, sending shrapnel and explosions rippling throughout the train. Dozens of crew members were killed and the sporadic fire of the cannons that had been supporting the center went silent. While the volley had hardly wiped out the Firetooth artillery train, it had severely disrupted their preparations to get in order, destroying several cannons and crew in the explosions.

NOTES:
-- FIRETOOTH CENTER UNDER MOUNTING PRESSURE!
-- REINFORCEMENTS NOTED IN PM'S (along with casualties)!

Last Edit: Apr 19, 2016 14:22:44 GMT by cerdigon

cerdigon
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Posts: 528

Battle of the Johor River Apr 23, 2016 17:02:50 GMT

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Post by cerdigon on Apr 23, 2016 17:02:50 GMT

NORTHERN BANK:
The Johor ran red with blood, not from the wrath of Aed or any God, but because many an Orc had been thrown back into the river. Some had been killed on the bridge by Ironskull arrow fire, others had broken and ran when the battle in the center became too hot and drowned. The battle was reaching a fever pitch and showed no sign of relenting, if anything, the intensity of the combat and the viciousness that was on display had not been seen since the Siege of Thundercrown twenty years ago.

In the center, the Ironskull continued their push against the Firetooth and Stonefoot wall of spears, pikes, and swords. The mammoths were like islands, crushing those underfoot. Meanwhile, sharpshooters behind the lines focused on the mammoths, their accurate sniper fire killing many a beastmaster and driving many a mammoth insane. More than one creature tore through the lines, stampeding Ironskull and Firetooth alike to bloody pulp.

But perhaps the biggest shift came on the flanks, with both Chief Yurik and Chief Ironbelly having the same conclusion! Attack! On the right flank, close to fifteen hundred Ironskull Warg Cavalry lead a charge towards the Firetooth cavalry. They were greeted by a wall of pistol and carbine fire from the mounted militiamen whom attempted to keep the enemy at arms length. However, those attempts proved fruitless. The cavalry had their backs to the river and little room to maneuver, these were not the great grassy plains but the muddy riverbank where they became stuck. The more nimble warg's tore out the throats of horses and hacked Firetooth riders from the saddle. The right flank seemed ready to crumble until the Firetooth veterans let loose a volley into the melee, killing dozens from both sides.

'' CHARGE! '' Came the cry as the infantry swarmed into the fray, riders were dragged from the saddle and killed, sending many of the Ironskull cavalry fleeing. But where were the enemy infantry that should've been with them? Hortek and Yurik both had dispatched reinforcements to the center. Thousands of Ironskull infantry were streaming into the battle to give their push added weight and were in turn joined by Firetooth infantry that were also being directed into the maelstrom of the front.

On the left flank, Hortek and Yurik's decision to order their forces to attack would have dire consequences. Both infantry forces abandoned their ranged support, marching towards the center where they ran smack into the middle of each other. A huge melee between four thousand Ironskull infantry and three thousand Firetooth infantry, backed by six hundred cavalry erupted. The Firetooth unleashed volleys of muskets to cut into their ranks while Firetooth cavalry smashed into their flanks.

The battle in the center was reaching a crescendo, the one thing that had saved the Firetooth from total collapse was a sudden injection of fresh troops into the line that had turned into an absolute meatgrinder. Yet the Firetooth were not the only ones to receive reinforcements. The banners of the Wild Hunt flapped in the wind, over a thousand fierce Sylphan cavalry came charging towards the Firetooth center, trampling aside Ironskull and Firetooth alike in Cadfael's Tanglemane's mission to kill Chief Priest Dollan.

The Firetooth organ guns had been silent up to this point, while they had at last unlimbered the guns, the battle had been too chaotic to open fire without hitting their own troops. The cavalry charge turned the tables however, Ironbelly had no choice.

'' FIRE! '' Organ guns crashed, each barrel a death knell for the Wild Hunt as the riders were ripped from the saddle. The Wild Hunt were not the only one's to suffer, the organ guns positions behind the main battle line meant many of their own troops came under fire and were killed. Yet the Wild Hunt kept charging, the Great Sylph War Chief smashing his way through a regiment of pikes that had been holding the line, creating an opening for Tanglemane's band to exploit. While the gap was quickly filled by a regiment of Stonefoot troops, Tanglemane's bloodied cavalry were behind the lines and wreaking havoc. Lancers peeled off to strike the cannon battery, forcing the crew to fight for their lives while Tanglemane and his smattering of house cavalry lead a direct charge on Chief Hortek and Chief Priest Dollan, the General like his troops would have to fight for his life! His bodyguards fired their pistols and drew their swords, while the sharpshooters now turned their focus to the more imminent threat as Tanglemane's troops smashed into Hortek. Only time would tell if the Firetooth Chieftain would survive. Meanwhile, the rest of the Firetooth line was hanging on by a thread. Only the fresh arrival of troops from the bridge was keeping the center from collapse...and the presence of Chief Priest Dollan...if the Chief Priest died... who knows what would happen to the fragile morale of the army?

NOTES:
-- The Firetooth Center is fighting to the death (CHIEF PRIEST BONUS). Cadfael Tanglemane and his bloodied cavalry have broken through the main battle line and into the Firetooth rear.

-- Chief Hortek Ironbelly and Chief Priest Dollan are locked in PERSONAL combat with Tanglemane and his retainers.

-- Both Ironskull and Firetooth reinforcements on the left flank that were destined for the center have engaged one another.

-- Ironskull Warg Cavalry that attacked on the right flank have fallen back, both sets of reinforcements dispatched by Firetooth and Ironskull are reaching the center.

-- Firetooth reinforcements are arriving from the bridge to reinforce the center under Ironskull arrow fire.

THE SOUTHERN BANK:
In the south, the grueling melee continued. Even as fresh Jaggedfist reinforcements came pouring off the bridge, Tahvo Warg Reared was smashing through the Wastelander left flank. The training of the Wastelander conscript pikemen was laid bare, even with the supporting fire of the archers they stood little chance against the highly trained and vicious Pit Fighters of the Jaggedfist tribe.

Goral Bonesnorter attempted to rally his fleeing troops, where he was met Tahvo Warg Reared himself. The clash between the Chief's was vicious, Bonesnorter was a veteran fighter and General while Tahvo had been raised in the pits. He knew every dirty trick in the books and used it to his advantage against the old but strong Orc. A slice across the tendons of his leg robbed Bonesnorter of movement, a kick of dirt to the face blinded him, followed by a thrust of a sword through his throat to finish the job. With one swift hack, Tahvo raised the head of the Orc above his head and roared. The Wastelander's on the left fled soon after.

The Battle on the Southern Bank was hardly over however. Karguk One Eye was still alive and was getting the better of the enemy in the center and right until reinforcements from the bridge meant that the Wastelander's were beginning to feel the bite of numerical superiority. The Battle of the Johor River was far from over and many more would die before the bloodied swords could be put to rest.

NOTES:
-- Goral Bonesnorter is killed in hand to hand combat.
-- Wastelander left flank shatters.
-- Cavalry charge by the Wastelanders stops Jaggedfist pincer attack.

Last Edit: Apr 23, 2016 18:27:52 GMT by cerdigon

cerdigon
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Posts: 528

Battle of the Johor River May 1, 2016 14:33:13 GMT

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Post by cerdigon on May 1, 2016 14:33:13 GMT

SOUTHERN BANK
The Southern Bank was lost! Karguk didn't need two eyes to see that! The Ironskull infantry were continually being bloodied and surrounded by an ever growing horde of enemy infantry. The light horse cavalry that had briefly thrown Tahvo's Warg Reared formations into disarray were now being slowly surrounded and cut down. Thing's weren't much better for his shock troops which despite making enormous progress were now feeling the weight of numbers beginning to turn the tide. Begrudgingly, the Wastelander Chieftain sounded the retreat, leaving a small force to act as a rearguard while the rest of his battered force fled the field.. Karguk at least could hope that the Jaggedfist would pursue.

He was sorely disappointed, there was no headlong pursuit by the bloodied formations. Were they too disorganized to mount a proper attack? No...that couldn't be it. The Jaggedfist banners were turning...not heading south...but North back across the bridge.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NORTHERN BANK

'' STEADY! ''

It was a thin line of Firetooth veterans and sharpshooters that stood between Tanglemane and his prized quarry. Like a pack of hungry wolves, the Fallen King and his mercenaries were pounding down towards Chief Hortek Ironbelly and his Guardsman.

'' READY! '' Hundreds of firelocks were lowered, the first rank dropping onto one knee, giving the second rank a clear line of fire.

'' FIRE! '' In a cloud of smoke, hundreds of muskets roared. Balls punched through Sylph's and horses, a second volley coming from the Firetooth militiamen a second later. It was the last one the militiamen would get to fire before they were swept away in a tidal wave of horseflesh and bronze. Orc's were trampled underfoot into bloody pulp as Tanglemane and his elite house cavalry pressed towards the old General. Hortek didn't wait for the enemy to crash into him however. Drawing their pistols and sabers and with Chief Priest Dollan at his side to rally the troops, the old Orc launched a charge of his own that would be one for the ages.

Both sides unleashed a barrage of pistol fire into one another before they struck, spent pistols were tossed into the mud or emptied at close range into the faces and chests of their opponents. The slaughter was immense but Tanglemane was like a force of nature, he could not be stopped as the wild eye Sylph hacked his way through Hortek's elite bodyguards, leaving a trail of battered corpses in his wake.

Chief Priest Dollan did not flinch when he met his end at the hands of Tanglemane but with reserved dignity. If this was the Will of Aed that he be Martyred, then who was he to argue with the Creator? With one fluid stroke and a scream of laughter, the Sylph hoisted the head of Dollan into the air for all to see. The Wild Hunt's moment of triumph was brief however as a regiment of knights, lances lowered smashed into the Sylph Free Company. Rather than shattering the morale of those nearby, the killing of Dollan had whipped Hortek and his men into a wild frenzy. The Master of the Hunt was forced to withdraw, his bloody work completed but with many of his mercenaries dead.

------------------------------------------------------------------
The banner of Hortek Ironbelly fell!

Panic set throughout the ranks as messengers reported that the General and his men were besieged! Rumors were floating that both the Chief Priest and Hortek had met their end at the hands of the heinous Tanglemane! It started as a trickle and then a flood as the Stonefoot began to look for any path of escape! They were soon joined by Firetooth conscripts, boys plucked fresh from the field that had not experienced the horrors of war.

The Firetooth veterans were the glue of the formation and while troops around them fled, it was the veterans who now marched into the maelstrom of the center line. They were soon joined by the roaring support of the organ guns and a thousand fresh pike & shot. The center line was rapidly beginning to distengrate until the sudden arrival of Firetooth infantry and cavalry that had been diverted from the right flank of the Ironskull took much needed pressure off the center line, which was dangerously close to collapse.

Meanwhile, on both the left and right flanks, the Firetooth and Ironskull continued to fight it out. On the left, the Ironskull poured arrows into the tight formation of the Firetooth but were continually harassed by Firetooth sharpshooters. Soon, the weight of numbers meant that the Ironskull were forced back as the cavalry ripped into their flanks. On the right, Tanglemane's horse archers inflicted heavy casualties on the pike & shot formations that had been left behind but it was hardly decisive.

The reappearance of Hortek Ironbelly, long thought dead at the head of a renewed push was enough to rally the fleeing units and stem the advance of the Ironskull. With their backs to the river and thousands of Jaggedfist infantry and Firetooth reinforcements pouring off the bridge, the Ironskull could not counteract this sudden injection of relatively fresh troops.

Soon, the horns of retreat sounded. It would take until dusk till the last of the fighting at last ceased. The riverbank was coated with the bloodied and torn corpses of thousands. The Ironskull had suffered heavily in terms of men and prized war mammoths lost. The South of its territories was now almost certainly lost and Gusko's Rest would no doubt soon be under siege. It remained to be seen if the victory at the Johor River would drive the Firetooth Coalition apart, many a Stonefoot and Jaggedfist had died at the battle, and the Coalition now lacked the unifying presence of Chief Priest Dollan.

The Battle of the Johor River would prove decisive, but for who?

NOTES:
-- COSTLY FIRETOOTH VICTORY
-- EXPECT CASUALTY REPORTS IN NEW CAMPAIGN MARKS

Last Edit: May 1, 2016 14:52:25 GMT by cerdigon

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cerdigon: It’s a long march for an army that’s already been campaigning for over a year Dec 20, 2017 7:57:00 GMT

zurajai: I believe he's referring to the other westerners, Kho. Dec 20, 2017 7:57:09 GMT

lloydturquoise: Hey, cut me some slack. I genuinely don't see the Usakh as much of a problem, considering they're beyond two PC nations. Plus, I didn't see the Kalmar condemn the Mogui conquest, nor would I expect it. Dec 20, 2017 8:49:20 GMT

cerdigon: Work is running me ragged. Turn will be delayed for a week so we can get caught up on these wars. Dec 24, 2017 2:39:05 GMT

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