Twilightpeaks.net
RoE Archive => Fire and Steel => RoE2 Archives => Boer vs. Avan => : DM B March 10, 2009, 03:18:21 PM
-
Although not much more than rumors, some news from the West have reach the City of Anuire and the Sword and Crown:
Brandon Boer has somehow landed a large force right in the heart of enemy territory, slipping past Avan's main defensive line in Brosien. There are wild tales of Tenouirean buccaneers and Islander reavers slipping past Ashien's river defenses by dragging their ships overland, and then launching them on the river once past the towers and catapults of the capital. Clearly this cannot be true!
Regardless; once again Brandon he has used his command of the sea to move his army to achieve strategic surprise, which is no mean feat against a skilled general like Baron Canelan Daulton. Anyway, up in Brosien Daulton had word that Baron Bacaere was approaching at the head of the Boeruine army. Drawing up for battle in an prepared and very advantageous position, the general suddenly had word that a force of several thousand hardened warriors had appeared at the rear of his army!
Both sides fought hard for several hours, Lord Daulton actually managing to keep his force cohesive and redeploy to meet this new threat. Unfortunately for the Avanese Lord Daulton, who was forced to fight on the front lines because of the situation, was killed around noon by Brandon Boer. Their leader felled and their camp and provisions already under enemy control proved too much. The Avanese broke.
Had it not been for the heroic efforts of Count Wynn Zoest (formerly in Ilienese employ) it would have turned into a general rout. As it were Lord Zoest rallied the defenders, broke the Boer flank, and brushed away Brandon's forces holding the camp. After securing provisions they retreated in good order.
-
Marquis (or thane as they call him in the West) Moergan of Thasbyrn has lead a raiding force deep into Avanil, reaching as far as Coere!
It is also reported that a paladin of Haelyn was slain by the thane in a small cavalry engagement not far from Toergenvale Manor (in Coere). The Western Imperial Temple mourn his passing.
-
The Avanese army has fallen back to the province of Barisen (but obviously not before Moergan penetrated their lines and slipped into Avanil proper), where they have a strong defensive position while at the same time threatening Boer's flank, preventing him from moving freely south.
-
A Dieman army of great size is said to be massing in Moere.
Moreoever, both Archduke Diem and Duke Hiriele are active on the mercenary scene.
The dogs of war gather...
-
Clearly rumors spread by Boer's sailors, but nevertheless:
While Lord Zoest and the Avanese army has remained encamped in defensive positions in Barisen, awaiting reinforcements, the end of the S&C and their Prince, Boer has struck against the capital of Brosengae. There, according to the story, he found the Duchess waiting for him, eager to slip out from under the Avanese yoke.
The astute observer of war and politics will not that this makes little sense; even Boer's army cannot be in two places at once. It cannot be both blocking Zoest's army AND seizing the capital. And even Boer could not have staged any heroic raid or such and captured the city AND the Duchess.
No, subterfuge is the likely explanation; Prince Avan has been defeated not only on the battlefield, but also on the political scene. Brandon Boer must have bought the Duchess' allegiance BEFORE the campaign even started, or at least convinced her to join his course should he manage to take Taeghas.
-
Darien Avan, fearing the worst, force-marches his army north, sending his scouts and outriders (such as there are) before his host to link up with Zoest...only to find the tattered remnants of the Grand Avanese army marching back home, their banners hanging limply.
Treachery indeed; the army of Brosengae must have been ready to move even as Brandon set course of the City of Anuire. He did it to make sure Zoest did not movewhile the made ready for battle...had the Prince know he could have averted this disaster and been able to gather all his hosts.
Now he can only move forcefully to block any Boer pursuit of his fleeing army; and he does so with great zeal. Personally leading the cavalry he repeatedly engages the pursuing Boers, who have less cavalry them him, having dispatched part of it to Core already, finally routing them and taking Baron Bacaere prisoner.
But Barisen is lost, as the Baron of Tenarien sends his infantry legions forward to secure the high ground; Avan can only curse and pull back. Not three days later the advance guard of the Dieman army arrives in Devan to join forces with him.
War move 11 to begin.
-
War move 11:
Avan still has a potent army; the remnants of his own Avanese army, as well as his freshly hired mercenary army. Unfortunately he doesn't have much cavalry, and his own men are weary, while the mercenaries are untested.
Diem's force is also potent, a mix of musters, auxiliaries and mercenaries. These are steady men, even if they have not all fought together. They are also quite fresh. But Diem too has little cavalry.
Boer's army is mostly infantry now - but situated well on hilly high ground - and ot easily dislodged...
-
General Maecolm, Commander of the Army of White Lion, the force assembled by Ghieste, looks across the maps and drawings and reports before them in the command tent. A grizzled veteran, he scowls at the various numbers but a glimmer appears in his eyes as he begins to see some possibilities
"Sir's, so they have taken to the hilly ground above; well what information do we have on their supply lines, their current numbers and what is their level of provisions in their current position? Cos it's all very well sitting on top of a hill but if you have no water or just what you have carried then you have 3 to 5 days, at the most, before your ranks start to desert on mass. With just their baggage train then they have perhaps 7 days food? Any force they send to forage or meet up with supplies we can harry or pick off, constantly depleting their numbers. In fact we could force Boer to attempt a relief attempt, one we could well prepare for, perhaps?"
"And if they do intend to sit on the hill then I would suggest breaking out a siege weapon or two - a few rocks in the middle of the night, or even just oil barrels, will keep them awake - there is nothing breaks a man's spirit like exhaustion and few men can sleep when they are waiting for the next sound of the falling weight of a trebuchet."
"And if we want to pull them off sooner? Well I have a few ideas on that one to though they involve a little acting on the parts of our various leaders..."
-
Anyone?
-
Avan seems content to hold the lines, as does Boer's forces. Both sides probably needs time to reorganize and resupply.
-
OOC: There's some engieneers with the army. Would it be possible for them, to construct some sort of contraption, that could throw various objects at their fortified position?
IC:
With a little contingent of his personal guard, Kaven rides along the Avan/Diem lines, to assess the foe, while striking up conversation with some of the commoners.
"Haelyn's blessings, good man," he offers in his southern accent, to one Avaneese soldier, weary from the last weeks hard duress, "we'll see them off soon enough, eh?" he comments to another.
Returning at last to the main camp, he dismounts and seeks out the Archduke, to partake in the map-session.
"I would agree, that it would be best, to keep them on their toes, perhaps by use of light siege weaponry. I feel I must insist though, that we need to offer them the possibility of surrender first.
I've been in similar situations before. If we decide to assault, the cavalry we have will be of little use, and should instead circle around the hill, and deal with reinforcements and the likes, or stay here in reserve and outrider positions, in case something unforeseen happens. Also, we need to have several lines, and someone capable of recognizing weak spots, and send or lead reinforcements to plug a hole.
We have to consider several things: First of, Brandon Boer is NOT with this army as far as we are aware. That alone, speaks highly for an assault. The longer we wait, the longer we risk falling into the same situation as I heard rumours of, at the Sword and Crown, where the Avaneese suddenly found themselves attacked from several sides.
The Avaneese are weary though, and could do with rest. Perhaps we could stage some raids of the Boeruine positions with our Diemean troops, and wear them out, preferably with a minimum of casualties, while the Avaneese get their breath back? There are a lot of possibilities, all with merits and flaws here."
-
Darien Avan, fearing the worst, force-marches his army north, sending his scouts and outriders (such as there are) before his host to link up with Zoest...only to find the tattered remnants of the Grand Avanese army marching back home, their banners hanging limply.
Treachery indeed; the army of Brosengae must have been ready to move even as Brandon set course of the City of Anuire. He did it to make sure Zoest did not movewhile the made ready for battle...had the Prince know he could have averted this disaster and been able to gather all his hosts.
Now he can only move forcefully to block any Boer pursuit of his fleeing army; and he does so with great zeal. Personally leading the cavalry he repeatedly engages the pursuing Boers, who have less cavalry them him, having dispatched part of it to Core already, finally routing them and taking Baron Bacaere prisoner.
But Barisen is lost, as the Baron of Tenarien sends his infantry legions forward to secure the high ground; Avan can only curse and pull back. Not three days later the advance guard of the Dieman army arrives in Devan to join forces with him.
War move 11 to begin.
Note: From this text it is implied that Boeruine's forces are in BARISEN, while DIEM/AVAN/GHIESTE is in DEVAN.
It is, however, OK to assume that your scouts have made contact with the enemy and discerned their location and general deployment.
-
OoC: FYI, I believe Sheldon is generally unavailable during the weekends.
-
IC: War move 11 ended, without much happening.
Word is brought to Avan that Carrida has not fallen, but that the Baron continues to hold out; he's lost most of his field army since it was with the Grand Avanese army, but he's got enough troop and supplies to withstand a looong siege. Good news!
-
(pseudo OOC {My regent's desires, but not his exact words}) I would want to press the attack while the men on the hill are still disorganized, Giving Avan's forces a chance to regroup while my own coalition have the advantage of rest and the enemy is still off balance.
I would first, as Baron Enlien notes, give them a chance of surrender. Any Brosengae soldier who throws down their weapons and armor, and walks towards our lines in the next hour, will be bound, taken into custody, and treated humanely until the end of the war, when they will be repatriated.
After the hour, pound them throughout the night with our artillarists and Ballistae (ooc or in theory, until their ammunition runs low, or we cannot find any more things of sufficient mass or appropriate incindiarity to hurl at them). and then close, Ghieste's forces of the left (If he is willing to attack with us), mine on the center and right, making a U. as soon as the archers are in range for indirect arcing fire they should set fire to their arrows and rain flaming death on the enemy encampment.
(OOC: can this still happen in 11 or very soon after we arrive? Normally my wife forbids me any RoE time on the weekends. I can normally sneak an email or two, but if I get caught on the computer for too long my hands get smacked for being a negligent father. :-[ )
-
Well, as pointed out, your armies are not in the same provinces, so I take this to mean that the Dieman contingent (minus the cavalry and archers detached to Roesone) march towards Barisen. You are already in contact with the enemy, so you know where his main force is, and since both sides have little cavalry left, the really isn't too much maneuvering to do. The Boer forces have some skirmishers and irregulars, but once you prove that you are determined to see the attack through, they fall back to guard other nearby ridges, covering the flank of the main defensive position (and effectively preventing you from scouting out the Boer reserve, which is hidden behind the main position).
Prince Avan isn't too keen on splitting 'his' forces, but he really cannot gainsay Duke Diem at this time, so he relents, after a few choice words of caution. Of course, even through splitting one's forces is generally frowned upon, so is allowing the enemy time to regroup and keep the the initiative. So although much riskier than just sitting on your collective asses, at least your showing the enemy that you've a will to fight. Perhaps extra important since the Diemans have yet to commit themselves to battle.
Prince Avan remains with the remnants of the Grand Army, while sending with you his mercenary contingent - he cannot afford to to participate in the attack. With his own mercenaries goes those of Ghieste as well.
-
Maecolm rides up next to Diemed, saluting as he stops.
"Sir, we may have an opporunity here. We need to know what reserve they have to throw at us and those nearby ridges hold the key. If we were to set a holding position here, refuse one flank, "gesturing at the set of ridges to his left, "and push with a reasonable sized force that is ready to move quickly onto the other flank we should be able to expose that flank or at least gain the valuable information as to what the reserve might be. We could then decide to engage either into that exposed position, call on the Grand Army for static position support or opt for a third unseen plan. All of these are possible from that position at least."
And then an aside,
"And I would thank you your grace for commiting to action; there is nothing worse for morale than standing still in the field and not knowing what the enemy is doing. Engage, engage, engage - and at the very worst the Grand Army provides us now a safe position. Defeat the enemy in detail while he sits on his seperate hills unable to stop us rolling his flanks cos to venture from his position will leave him open to field battle? Sheer genius, Sir, and exactly what we needed to do."
-
Maecolm rides up next to Diemed, saluting as he stops.
"Sir, we may have an opporunity here. We need to know what reserve they have to throw at us and those nearby ridges hold the key. If we were to set a holding position here, refuse one flank, "gesturing at the set of ridges to his left, "and push with a reasonable sized force that is ready to move quickly onto the other flank we should be able to expose that flank or at least gain the valuable information as to what the reserve might be. We could then decide to engage either into that exposed position, call on the Grand Army for static position support or opt for a third unseen plan. All of these are possible from that position at least."
And then an aside,
"And I would thank you your grace for commiting to action; there is nothing worse for morale than standing still in the field and not knowing what the enemy is doing. Engage, engage, engage - and at the very worst the Grand Army provides us now a safe position. Defeat the enemy in detail while he sits on his seperate hills unable to stop us rolling his flanks cos to venture from his position will leave him open to field battle? Sheer genius, Sir, and exactly what we needed to do."
The rest of Avan's army, his musters and auxiliary troops, are NOT with you. They can of course be marched forward, but that's going to take another war move.
-
While the Medoeran and to some part the Ilineese contingents go through their battle rituals, they form up in rough lines and fall to one knee, as a group of priests from Ruornil's Celestial Spell walk amongst them, and lead them in prayer to the Silver Prince.
Kaven walks up to the Archduke, nodding slightly at the words of the Ghiestean general, though he frowns slightly at the lack of etiquette. He looks to Carvaloen
"Liege, gentlemen... we have a foe who is dug in, as best he can. We have no idea as to his reserves, and no means with which to outflank him. Welcome to the Anuirean meat-grinder.
General Maelcom has some interesting points. The ridges could be valuable indeed, but not much in the long run. Seeing what lies behind that central hill does not become much easier from another ridge. But it would be a valuable place for ranged troops."
He turns and shields his eyes against the late summer sun.
"If we march on the foe, I would suggest, that we pack our pikes together at our center, there's no enemy cavalry to speak of, and the Avaneese lancers and Ghiestean and Diemean heavy cavalry can do away with those.
I don't spot any artillery pieces there, so my idea would be pikes in the middle. Covered by regulars and armsmen on the flank, they should prove just as deadly to enemy infantry, as to their cavalry.
Archers in the second rank, indirect fire at their center combined with the balistae, while the rest march towards them. If we can keep their leadership pinned down, we might have an advantage.
The crossbowmen, I'd use, to take potshots at the other ridges, guarded by halberdiers, in case any cavalry attempts to hit our flanks. And irregulars to battle their skirmishers and irregulars dug in there, once the crossbowmen has had their way with them."
He turns to the group again.
"I'd suggest we have a strong reserve, and use it wisely. Whenever one of our sections looks like it'll break, fill it with men.. and if one of their sections looks to cave in, strengthen any breach there with reserves. We need to push into their ranks, and wedge out. Sever their line, and deal with each smaller group individually. I'd save an elite unit of armsmen for that detail, backed by whatever we can spare..."
-
OoC: Dug in? They just got there in war move 10 ::)
"In order to build a fortification significant enough to qualify for a field fortification bonus, an army must occupy the province for four war moves (1 action round)."
-
OoC: Dug in? They just got there in war move 10 ::)
"In order to build a fortification significant enough to qualify for a field fortification bonus, an army must occupy the province for four war moves (1 action round)."
OoC: "Dug in, as best he can..." they have the high ground, to they not? Digging in doesn't necessarily mean they have a fortification, just that they have had time to prepare themselves to the best of their ability. ;)
-
OoC: "Dug in" entails some form of time spent digging and preparing. What you're looking for is "they hold the high ground".
-
Maecolm turns to Kavan and sighs gently,
"With respect Sir, you are wrong. Those ridges are vital. Take one set of those ridges and hills, occupied as they are by only light troops, and you are removing a flank defence from him. You are also at liberty then to explore his defences from an unexpected position and to ascertain where and when his reserves may be deployed. That will inform and allow the egress of your main body. He cannot reply to such an action as to do so would require commitment of his field force and you get to whittle him down that way. If he does commit to a full engagement then we will be prepared for such an action - it seems a shame for a few hours of good clearance work go to waste when it could gain us so much in the main grind."
"We also have to recall that this may be a well placed trap and moving into it without exploring at least one of those flanks would leave us at a significant risk also."
-
Maelcom is correct; although neither ridge will have any direct bearing on the main battle (too far away), they will rob Boer of his flank security and enable you to recon his rear areas and even present a threat to his communications.
If, however, you are looking for a decisive battle to take care of things, then taking the ridges are not really necessary. If you break his main army, the ridges become useless and the irregulars/skirmishers there will withdraw.
The southern ridge is the more difficult in terms of terrain, but it appears slightly weaker in terms of manpower. The reverse is true for the northern one. Presumable the end result is that they are relatively equal in defensive strength.
Btw: Shooting (arrows or ballistae) at dispersed units hiding in among rugged terrain is NOT very effective.
-
"General, you are adressing a Baron, not a knight... Please refrain from adressing me as such." Kaven frowns once more at the rugged mans disuse of etiquette.
"Those ridges, though interesting, does nothing other than stall us. The leader of the opposing army knows this. We cannot just ignore them, but it will take us too long to deal decessively with them. They do however provide a certain strategic advantage, and thus I stated, that I believed you to be correct in your assessment, but that the means with which we should deal with it, is faulty.
What you discuss, could take weeks to do propperly. Am I right in thinking you would place artillery on one or the other of those ridges? We would need some means to get them up there. And in that time, reinforcements will have arrived for their side, Avan's troops will be revitalized and ready to assist our side, and you would look at an engagement twice this size. I believe our objective here, is to give the foe a rather decessive bloody nose, to take the initiative. Not win a small skirmish."
-
"No Baron, what I am recommedning is the opening move of the battle. You engage and clear one or other of the sides and use the force so deployed to push onto the main body and to provide recon on the reserve with clever positioning they should also be able to arrive at a key position allowing either for relief of our front or for applying crucial pressure upon enemy positions"
"I am certainly not discussing the deployment of artillery to those ridges or their direct use in the field of battle, more that without driving to sever, or at least interfere with, the enemies lines of communication and supply then we will do no more here than a show battle. A bloody nose is all very well but with a little application I believe we could break this army while maintaining our own."
-
"Aha, well then I believe we are talking past each other, or perhaps I misunderstood you. My appologies. Yes, I belive we could take one or the other of these ridges, but It'll cost us time and men. So we need to determine if the outcome is worth it.
The thing is, we may learn what's behind the hill, we may be in a flanking position, but we have no real means to profit from it. Any men sent there, will not be with us in a main push, but will be able to provide intel, so we need to know who and what to commit."
-
"Baron Medoere, I enjoy your plan of how to arrange the men. Duke Ghieste, I enjoy the notion of denying Beor one of his ridges and the intellegence value it would gain. Do the both of you believe one or part of one of our cavalry flanks would be enough to take the north ridge?"
-
"Liege, that is depending on which ridge you refer to... I'm not sure the cavalry would do well uphill... Unless you want them to dismount, which is a possibility.
We have a number of irregulars, who could probably do well in that position, and I believe I spotted some scouts amongst the Ghiestean detachment, who would excell at such encounters. But other than that? Regulars perhaps, though they are more trained for formation combat. You'd need someone competent up there as well, to assess the situation, and use what intel can be provided..."
-
Only the
south north ridge is accessible for cavalry; and even here the ground is not favorable.
-
OOC: sorry, I thought the north ridge was the one with more favorable terrain but more enemies.
"We could send a detachment of irregulars and skirmishers to take the south ridge. does that sound feasible?"
-
OOC: sorry, I thought the north ridge was the one with more favorable terrain but more enemies.
"We could send a detachment of irregulars and skirmishers to take the south north ridge. does that sound feasible?"
Right you are; we are talking about the NORTH ridge.
It is a feasible plan; sending in some cavalry to support them is also an option - have it sweep around to the far north, work its way up the ridge and then sweep down the flank of the enemy defenders. They might have planned for such a contingency though; but its a viable addition to the plan. Archers and/or artillery fire might also help provide cover for the advancing troops, even if it doesn't do very much damage to the enemy.
Just presenting some semi-IC options here, so that it'll be easier to make some choices.
-
(ooc I don't have any information on how many enemy units we "think" are defending the ridge, so any objections to my numbers, please speak up!)
"Send 4 regiments of Avanese Irregulars and the Diem Skirmishers, backed by the Lion 1st infantry division (Regulars) to offer heavier veteran support to take the North Ridge. Send two regiments of the Lion Outriders backed by one unit of Avanese Lancers to flank the ridge and put pressure on the defenders there. If any of you have concerns with the amount or makeup of this operation then by all means speak now. Maecolm, if you would wish to lead the troops in the taking of the ridge your leadership could swing the balance further in our favour. As for our artillery, I think it is best used in breaking the spirit of their main force."
-
Maecolm cracks his knuckles and grins with a certain relish.
"I'll gladly do that. Irregulars and Skimrmishers from Avan and Diem backed by the White Lions 1st Swordsmen certainly backed by the cavalry of outriders and lancers as you describe. I'd also like to take the Lions Scouts and Mounted Armsmen 'cos if we are right it will allow a quick intelligence assessment and a rapid response with a punch unit if required. The mounted armsmen will allow me to deploy heavy pressure as required you see and might just give us the extra options we need on the main battle field when we arrive. Does that meet your approvals?"
-
"Yes, it leaves me with a little less cavalry than I would like, but if it assures that much quicker a success then it is a risk I am willing to take. Hopefully as the main army moves forward, the north ridge can be taken quickly, information gained, and any cavalry non-essential to holding the ridge can then ride back to join the reserves and protect our flanks."
(OOC: Force detatched from main army as it moves forward:
Lead by Maecolm; North Ridge Assault Force:
4x Avanese Irregulars
1x Diemed Skirmishers
1x Lion Regulars
Flanking Force:
2x Lion Outriders
1x Avanese Lancers
1x Lion Scouts
1x Lion Mounted Armsmen)
-
This concludes war move 11;
The Dieman/Ghieste forces meet heavy resistance from the defenders, suffering heavy losses, and failing to make much progress. The arrival of the flanking force, however, surprises the enemy and he retreats in disorder. The northern flank has been secured.
-
War move 12:
IMPORTANT!!! WILL THERE BE ANY MAJOR BATTLE THIS TURN???
-
Maecolm states his clear determination that the need to move for the strike is present. Without an engagement the morale and political pressure will continue to drift from Avan and there is a need to press therefore. Strike quick and strike hard, use the flank gained to the advantage and drive them from the high ground.
-
We are fresh, they are not, we gain nothing by waiting other than paying our mercenaries more. Albeit Avan reorganizing and backing us up but as he reorganizes our foe reorganizes. I wish to fight!
However, what did our scouts on the ridge find out?
-
The enemy has established a second line of defenses to their rear, where their baggage and reserves are located. They also have access to the main road, and a few miles to the south-west a river that can be used to transport supplies. In all their position is very strong, both on the tactical defense, but also as a base for a lengthy standoff.
The actual offensive is delayed by heavy rains and high winds; a late summer storm comes rolling in from the Sea of Storms, hitting the area where the armies are encamped quite hard. Both sides suffer, and any major attack is out of the question.
Does Cuiarécen favor the Westerners?
-
Never speak such Blasphemy!, Haelyn and Cuiraecen are on OUR side! The gods do not favor those who usurp and annihilate the lines of noble blood.