Battle Report: The Battle of Bloody Peaks Part II

The Battle of Bloody Peaks

A Dogs of War vs. Dwarfs Battle Report

Part II: Desperate Gambit (covering turns 1-2)

The Dwarfs were first to act and their many blocks of warriors began their march to meet the opposing mercenaries arrayed against them. Limpin Creep’s Fighting Mallards advanced to scout a rocky large hill on the left flank of the Dwarf army. The Hammerers of the Dwarf King as well as their ancient battle standard advanced on the right flank closely followed by a unit of warriors within which marched a runelord. A second unit of Hammerers containing a thane advanced as well. The Dwarf king marched with his hammerer bodyguard eager to get into combat with the greedy mercenaries, hoping to end this battle as quickly as possible in order to get on with the reclamation of their hold. After reaching a certain point along their march the musician in the hammerers blasted a series of notes which were the signal for the various Dwarf artillery pieces to unleash their fury against the mercenaries. One of the grudgethrowers targeted the unit of ogre bulls on the left flank of the Dogs of War but the sailing rock veered off their crew’s intended target, scattering onto the nearby light cavalry who deftly avoided the missile. The other grudgethrower in the Dwarf lines targeted the Republican Guard but the guess was long and the massive boulder landed with a massive thud a good twenty yards behind the pikemen. The flame cannon in the center of the Dwarf army also took aim at the Republican Guard and its flames nearly made it to the relieved pikemen. Even from this distance they could feel their intensity. Several of the men were already sweating in their heavy plate armor.

All along the Mercenary line there was a great deal of movement as the various units sprang into action, orchestrating a carefully planned strategy which the general and the various unit commanders hoped would allow the superior speed of the mercenaries to expose the flanks of the Dwarfs and quickly attack their vulnerable units.

All flanking units of the Dogs of War quickly surged forward hoping to execute the battle plan and defeat the Dwarfs so that they could collect their pay and the spoils which they were sure awaited them in the ruins of the Dwarf hold. The Republican Guard were in a difficult position staring at the large open expanse in the center of the battlefield with nowhere to avoid the various Dwarf war marchines and missile troops targeting them. They opted for a slight tactical withdrawal moving back several yards. Lumpin Croop’s advanced through the small stand of trees scouting the terrain for signs of Limpin Creep’s impostors. The nearby Leopard Company also began their advance maneuver to have some cover. On the right flank, the concentrated might of the best mercenary units leapt forward hoping to race up the flank and overwhelm the Dwarfs and break through into their lightly defended rearguard.

The winds of magic seemed favorable but the mercenary wizards could feel something robbing their power as the Dwarfs stole some of their magical energy. Nevertheless, the mercenaries manage to cast Portent of Far on the large unit of crossbowmen in right center. Zhur the Magnificent tried to bring down a Thunderbolt on the Dwarfs but a magical rune flashed to life in the Dwarf line and the spell was permanently robbed from the wizard lord.

Light cavalry, ogre bulls, duelists, and dwarfs advance on the mercenary left flank.

The hammer strike would come on the right flank as the mercenaries concentrated their most powerful troops there: a rhinox thunderlord, Voland’s Venators, Maneaters, von Drachenheim, and Schmeisser’s Streiters advance on the right flank.

As the various elements of the mercenary army moved forward, the cannon crew took aim at Limpin Creep’s but the cannonball landed just short of Limpin, sticking in the ground. The message had been sent, this would be a take no prisoners battle. The two large crossbow units holding the center for the mercenaries (including the one benefitting from Portent of Far) took aim at the advancing Dwarf Thunderer unit with both crossbow units scoring three kills each. Despite their horrendous losses the Dwarfs seemed unaffected and continued to advance.

Finally, Lumpin Croop’s took aim at Limpin and his impostor regiment, but they were unable to find their mark as their target had wisely chosen to stick to the small wooded areas dotting the Dwarf line.

The Dwarf host continued its implacable advance on the mercenaries. The severely depleted Thunderer unit in the center continued its now seemingly suicidal advance, seeking retribution for their fallen comrades. As the Thunderlord and Voland’s galloped along the flank they spotted a formation of Thunderers clustered on a small rise. Seeing this lightly defended position on the Dwarf flank they spurred their mounts onward. To their dismay however, the Dwarfs calmly marched down the hill towards them and changed their formation into a single long line, exposing a multi-barreled cannon atop the small hill whose crew was already hard at work aiming at the advancing mercenaries. Cunning little Dwarfs mused von Drachenheim, as he banked his Pegasus into a turn along a rock formation above his advancing flank.

The Dwarf war machine crews checked their calculations and made some adjustments. Their second volley was far more accurate than their first attempt. The Grudgethrowers targeted the Republican Guard as well as one of the large crossbow units occupying the center. The grudgethrower targeting the Republican Guard veered off target scattering onto the crossbows in the right center squishing one beneath the heavy boulder while the other grudgethrower was far more accurate scoring a direct hit on the same crossbow unit killing four more from the impact of the boulder. Miraculously the crossbowmen standing directly next to the boulder's impact was unharmed. He considered this a good omen and thanked Myrmidia.

As Voland’s Venators were galloping along the flank a massive steel-tipped wooden bolt sailed out from behind a small copse of trees impaling two of the galloping knights. It wouldn’t be the first time that day that Voland would curse the Dwarfs. Whether this was due to the loss of his men or the hangover he was nursing was anyone’s guess.

The other bolt thrower crew took aim at the large profile of the Thunderlord but the missile simply lacked the range and dropped to the ground well short of its target.

Seeing an opportunity the mercenary light cavalry spurred their mounts into a charge on the thunderers on the far left flank. If they could break through they would wreak havoc on the rear of the Dwarf lines. The Dwarfs took aim at the onrushing cavalry and scored three hits but miraculously the bullets failed to wound the cavalrymen as they charged into the shocked Dwarfs with a thunderous crash of man, dwarf, and horse.

The combat between the thunderers and light cavalry was a close fought battle with each side scoring a kill.

Elsewhere the mercenaries continued their advance on both flanks with the forces on the right flank in a race against time. Just how many would die from Dwarf missile fire before they could charge? Zhur and his apprentice again tried to bolster the nearby crossbow units but the winds of magic were fickle this turn and a miscast ensured that no further magic would affect the battlefield for some time.

The mercenaries continue their advance on both flanks!

The missile troops of the mercenaries continued to target the closest immediate threats. The cannon crew took aim at Limpin Creep again, overshooting the hobbit by a wide margin but killing one of the impostors as the cannonball struck the unfortunate Halfling, leaving only his shoes behind.

The crossbowmen in the left center targeted the accursed flame cannon striking the machine several times and apparently causing some slight damage the effects of which would soon manifest itself in a most unfortunate way for its crew. Both Lumpin Croop’s and the right center crossbows took aim at the depleted thunderer unit advancing in the center and felled the remaining warriors in a hail of arrows and bolts.

A cunning strategy or…

… a fatal trap?

Stay tuned as there is more exciting action to come!