Jest of Darkwell War A.S. XXXIX

Darkwell War A.S. XXXIX

by Baron Malcolm Alberic

Everything in this account happened just as I have told it (well…. almost...)

As the afternoon sun was waning I arrived at the appointed place in Dun Or where Caid’s forces were mustering. It was there I sought out His Lordship Edward the Sinister who would command the Fifth Brigade while Brigadier General Gregory de Saville recovered still from injuries sustained in prior combat. Edward informed me that only a portion of the Fifth was able to ride fast enough to arrive in time for the plan to work. I informed him that I was expecting more Dreiburgen Irregulars to arrive in the night.

The Mongols were camped outside of the village near an abandoned stronghold from days of old. They had just sacked the village and were enjoying their spoils. It was our hope to hole up on the other side of the ridge for the night to see how many troops would arrive before morning and then, if luck was with us, catch them by surprise!

Morning came and I had just finished donning my armor when I saw one last company of troops marching up the road to join us. They were lead by our Secretary of War, Katherine of Scarborough! I was delighted at her initiative to find and hire mercenaries at the last minute, and I went to her at once to secure them. It was then I noticed that they seemed to be in poor health. This troubled me, but we were far too desperate for anyone willing to fight to question their condition. I told them to follow myself and the Fifth and to make themselves useful where they saw fit.

Our units were formed and the charge was called! Unfortunately the countryside was too sparse to allow for complete surprise, so the Mongols were able to secure their arms in time for our attack. The Horde started to make for the old fort; it was our hope to overtake them and engage in battle upon the field. We hit their line with a crash. The battle was on! It was then I saw to my horror that during the charge the line had not stayed straight and tight. A gap had formed, and Mongols were coming though and attacking our men from behind! Edward, however, was swift to call a fall back to deal with this chaos and redress the line. Had he not we surely would have lost more troops.

The damage however was done. The Horde left enough men to keep us busy while the rest took refuge in the fort. We made short work of those in the holding action, but were now faced with an enemy in a fortified position. Fortunately the stronghold boasted no front gates; they had long since rotted away in the ages that this fort lay unused. The Mongols had no choice but to block the opening with shield men, their archers taking to the loops, their spearmen to the murder holes and cracks in the walls. We had gone from a field battle to a siege! 78 I surveyed the scene, Edward was preparing to lead the Fifth Brigade in a charge on the open gate; just past them I could see a few of the mercenaries Kat had hired fighting at a large crack in the wall. They had proven effective in spite of their obvious poor health. The only trouble was that some of them seemed to be sustaining injuries without engaging the enemy. It was as if some of them were just falling apart. I shuddered and turned my attention back to Edward, the charge was called and in went the Fifth with Dreiburgen Irregulars just behind.

Edward on the left of the line led us in to try and break their shield wall. BAMM! Their line shook and a few of the enemy went down, but their line held!! We struggled to punch a hole in their line while they picked at us through the murder holes. Archers joined in and the enemy line pushed back. It was then I saw Edward fall. I moved in to cover him while he scrambled out. The press continued. I noticed one of Kat’s mercenaries had moved up on my left and was keeping a couple of their spearmen busy, and I was grateful for that. Then it happened - a hail of javelins and a sudden press from their side. A javelin came in, flipped and hit me in the face plate! It sent me reeling backwards, blood streaming from a laceration in my forehead into my eyes! I was off balance and blind; I stumbled back to a safe distance, opened my visor and wiped my face to regain my vision.

I looked back to the gateway. It was going badly. All that was left of our force at the gate was Viridovix and one other shield man whom I did not know. CRACK the other shield man went down, Viridovix was alone…. Now I have seen many moments of valor since I first set foot on the battlefield back in A.S. XVI and I must say Viridovix greatly impressed me in that moment. Many men would have run away but not he! He looked around, took the measure of his situation, and pressed back into the Horde! I watched as the entire group of Mongols rocked back before they started to flank his large shield!

“There goes a fine soldier”, I thought to myself, knowing I was about to watch him die, when I heard the voice of Mora de Buchanan cry out “SEND MORE JAVELINS!!” (or words to that effect; my head still reeled), as she picked up a javelin herself and running past Edward and myself, let fly! A Mongol dropped; this distracted the barbarians just for a brief moment as the next unit charged. They went right through! The gate was breached, our troops charged in and wiped them out, for none of them would surrender. At that moment I was reminded of what my mother taught me, “Never mess with a Buchanan.” After a ll the Buchanan badge is a hand holding up a Dead Duke’s cornet! But with these acts of glory my tale does not end, for we are only halfway through the telling.

As we searched the keep to discover if any Mongols still hide inside and attended to our wounded, a loud cry arose from the field. Another wave of Mongols were charging down the hill to meet us, and our men in the field were retreating into the fort just ahead of the enemy. There were more Mongols in the area than we had anticipated, and now we were trapped inside. The Attackers were now the Besieged. We now held the gateway and used the murder holes and defended through the loops and cracks in the walls. How long we held them at bay I am not certain. It was a battle of attrition, and whoever first ran low on able troops would loose! Fortunately the Mongols were no match for the well-trained units of Caid. At last realizing that they would never enter the fort and seeing their numbers of warriors fall, they broke and ran.

It was time to finish them! Our forces swept out of the stronghold in pursuit. Having been in the defensive position our troops were better rested and theirs the more tired. We over took them. They turned in desperation and made one last defiant charge, this broke our lines! The left end of our line scattered! The officers and myself were exposed. I readied my spear knowing I could not hold off this onslaught alone. I looked to my left. Edward flanked two Mongols, taking them from behind. I saw him wrap his arm around one and his sword the other, and all three went down. To my right I saw one of our shield men in trouble with an enemy pike man. I thrust at the latter and he toppled upon the shield man, pinning my spear between them. It took a mere moment to jerk it free, but it was a moment I did not have! As I backed up there were no friendly soldiers near me. As the spear came free I saw a shadow move in on my left. I turned and put out my spear as a stop thrust…and then my recollections become a jumble of sights and sounds.

Something struck me and sent me over backwards. I hit the ground so hard it knocked all the wind out of me! I knew the enemy was at my heels. I had to move fast…. but… I could not move. With no air in my lungs I was helpless. I inhaled as deep as I could but the air in my helmet was too thin. I saw a shadow come over me, I thought, “This is it. Dreiburgen is about to loose its baron!” I heard a crash and looking up I saw a javelin cartwheel into the field beyond me. Now movement was returning to my limbs, and I turned enough to see a Fifth Brigade shield over me. “I am saved”, I thought to myself and took another breath, then turned far enough to see who it was. Viridovix had taken a defensive position over me and had saved me from a javelin that surly would have killed me. More men came up and helped me to safety behind the line where I pulled off my helm to breathe the sweet, sweet air.

I do not know how long I sat there, but a page came up and offered me water. I looked around, but there was no sign of the battle, only the surgeons with their apprentices tending to the wounded. I turned back to the page to ask where was the battle. He replied, “The horde retreated down the road and is making a stand on the bridge.” I thanked him for his courtesy, taking both one last long drink and a deep breathe. Putting my helmet on, I hurried down the road as fast my sore legs would carry me.

I joined the men at the bridge just as Edward was leading the Fifth and the rest of Dreiburgen in a second charge as he tried to break through and cross the bridge. I moved in to lend a hand and as their line broke an arrow came into my visor and lodged there. “This is just not my day”, I thought, but as I looked at the shaft wedged in my helm on a diagonal just missing my eye I thought better of it, and decided, “Then again, may be it is!”

I tuned my attention back to the battle. Caid had crossed the bridge and the Mongols were scattered, our troops systematically eliminating them one by one. The day was won!!! Dun Or and the rest of Caid are safe!

For now….

As I rode home word reached me of an army massing on the backside of the mountain range. I have sent riders to investigate the truth of this. If these rumors are true this new threat will probably march around the mountains through the Highland Pass threatening al’ Sahid, and if the shire falls to this threat Dreiburgen is next. I hope to have confirmation of this soon. Until then I will prepare Dreiburgen’s wagons for war. We can not suffer a threat this close! Our arms will be needed by Al-Sahid.

Baron Malcolm Alberic /I\/I\/I\