Battle of the Hamlet, Great Battle #2
11 Coldeven (March), 590 CY Rickus, Sir Gulliam, and Höss arrive at the keep bringing Höss's mercenary band and Knights of the Watch following Sir Gulliam, as reinforcements to the Border Army that is ensconced at the Keep and preparing to fight the Giants. Gyr is revealed as Ranger Lord Olaf Snowfalcon, renowned adventurer and Marshal of the East Border Army. He has been flying all over the mountains on his pegasus scouting and recruiting allies for the coming war.
13 Coldeven (March), 590 CY Battle of the Hamlet Sir Guilliam and the wizard Rickus lead a defense of the mountain hamlet Foolshope against Big Johann and his giant raiders.
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| Knights of the Watch Coat of Arms |
Höss's mercenary band and Sir Guilliam's Knights of the Watch were a welcome addition to Olaf Snowfalcon's forces at the Keep. 20 years earlier the Ranger Lord had made his reputation almost twenty years earlier, in 576 CY, fighting the giants in this same region, he knew the mountains well.
Höss's mercenary band, the Honorbound, had been carefully hired and trained in southern Keoland, at Saltmarsh, built around the cadre of mercenaries who fought for him in the Battle of Saltmarsh the previous year. Höss of Prussia had resigned himself on remaining on Oerth, and used his knowledge of firearm technology along with weapons captured in the battle to create a company designed around the Landsknecht mercenaries of of his old world. He found that Perrenlander mercenaries were very similar in culture and fit well in his organization. The chances for loot and more independent command seemed better fighting the giants on the northern frontier rather joining the Royal army besieging Westkeep at the far end of the a swamp-surrounded supply chain in the Hold of the Sea Princes, so he loaded his artillery and handgunners aboard the Sea Ghost with Rickus and sailed up the Javan River while his horsemen and the rest of his infantry moved north, all of them rendezvousing in Cryllor. Then the entire band road on to the Keep.
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| Knights of the Watch on the move... |
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| A Knight of the Watch afoot... |
Sir Guilliam was ordered north by his Order, the Knights of the Watch, who had sent no forces with the Royal Army into the Hold of the Sea Princes, as they were more focused on the northern threats. Travelling with just a squire and Benedict of St Cuthbert, he sailed aboard the Sea Ghost and took command of the detachment of Knights of the Watch detailed by the order to aid Lord Olaf against the giants.
As a Ranger Lord who had acquired many unique followers over the decades, including a pegasus, Olaf had conducted great deal of reconnaissance - he knew the next giant raid would hit the hamlet of Foolshope and sent Rickus, Sir Guillium and his knights to protect and evacuate the villagers while his gathered his army.
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| Big Johann rides his war mammoth into a harvest festival... |
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| Soon the giants were rampaging through the village. |
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| Hill Giants and giant trolls in Big Johann's army. |
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| Bugbears! |
It was a fierce fight, but Sir Guilliam and Rickus led his knights and the local militia in a somewhat successful but bloody defense of the hamlet. The hamlet was destroyed, but the people lived and escaped south, fleeing over the river.
This fight was run as a test of the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game rules, to see if they would work better for the campaigns large scale battles. It is a decent rule system, but not a good fit with D&D - the magic especially just didn't work particularly well.
Disclaimer: This blog recounts the fictional events of a game of Dungeons & Dragons. Views expressed by characters within the blog are those of the characters, not the players, dungeon master, nor the blog's author. All other views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.
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