Battle of the Northern Fields (Ezria / Thaedys'm Cal) (Major Ezrian Victory)

Battle of the Northern Fields
Turn 1

NOTES
-- There are no reinforcements in this battle.
-- If Ezria wins the Thaedys'm Cal will be severely weakened.
-- If Thaedys'm Cal win Shurmanda's Happiness will drop 15 points immediately.


POST ORDER & MILITARY

1. Empire of Ezria
Military
-- 600 Avian Light Infantry (Elite)
-- 300 Elven Heavy Cavalry

2. Thaedys'm Cal
Military
-- 150 Elven Light Infantry
-- 250 Elven Heavy Infantry
-- 100 Elven Skirmishers
-- 100 Elven Heavy Cavalry
-- 50 Mages (2 Mana)
-- Archmage Lionar (4 Mana)

-- 3. ModMarks : Moderation Marks will be given to dictate casualties. If no tactics are given during the respective posts, the Moderator will have to imply battle tactics which may mean unnecessary casualties, it is for this reason that it must be stressed to be extremely detailed in your posts.

It was to be a dawn attack, the Ezrian troops had approached far enough towards the rebel elven force that they were out of sight in the pre-dawn darkness to be unseen by the Elven sentries but still retain the capability to complete their short range flight right into the rebel encampment. The Nukur (LI) flew from the East, with the sun at their backs so that anyone looking towards the advancing Ezrian soldiers would be blinded by the sun (and hopefully this would slow any rebel sentries from shouting the alarm until the Ezrian soldiers were amongst them). The Ezrian choice to attack at dawn, with the sun at their backs was to maximize surprise. The Elves would be just stirring from sleep or so that was the thought and have little time to collect their equipment for a full pitched head to head battle.

After all, why should the rebels be on high alert? The rebels had no idea that the Ezrian's knew the location of their encampment. Simultaneously as the Nukur landed, the Ezrian Heavy Cavalry had begun their charge towards the encampment as well to maximize confusion amongst the Thaedys'm Cal. If catching them off guard succeeded, the Ezrian troops would attempt to slaughter the Elve's as they stirred from their tents and from around breakfast fires before they could arm themselves. The Ezrian's were relying on their elite light infantry to carry the day as well as their military discipline.

(Ezrian's are fighting on home turf, so this should give them added advantage.)

Summary:
-The Ezrian force launches a dawn attack towards the rebel encampment. The Ezrian LI attack from the east, while in flight. The Ezrian Heavy Cavalry will launch a cavalry charge as soon as the Ezrian LI touch down.

Thaedys'm Cal Camp,
Mabiyan Forest

The early morning dawn offered new hope to the Thaedys'm Cal, a new start to an impoverished and oppressed life. General Silias had said it best, " like the sun, we elves will rise and overcome any darkness that would stand against us. The resistance harbored about 1,200 people ; a majority of them women and children who had decided that a life as second class citizens under the Ezrian dominion was not acceptable. Most of the males were former Mabiyan military ; a slew of them wizards of the Mabiyan Court, and even Archmage Lionar was present, the last remaining Archmage of the former Kingdom of Mabiya. Along with General Silias, Archmage Lionar was the other half of the Thaedys'm Cal leadership, and he was as old as he was wise.

General Silias and Archmage Lionar stood poised over a nearby table with a slew of maps, a few other well decorated officers standing opposite of them, looking at the same maps.

" The Ezrians patrol here, here and the bazaar here. We can continue to slip in supplies through the old road here. " General Silias nodded, his voice stern, but like all Elves resonated with the eloquence of verbal silk. His gauntlet enshrouded fingers indicated the points of interests in Shurmanda's dark back alleys. His officers mumbled to themselves while Lionar played woefully with a long strand of platinum blond hair.

" It will work, for now. " He cooed, then turned and looked to the sky as if someone had shouted his name. " They are here, Siliar. " Siliar was the traditionalist Mabiyan name of General Silias, and few still called him that since the fall of the kingdom. Lionar was a cynic however and could not be compelled otherwise.

There was little time to prepare as the Avians fell around them like rain. Mabiyan soldiers pulled their embellished swords from their hilts and engaged them, Elven rangers notched arrows and loosed them to fell some of the Avians falling from the sky. General Silias, though no coward in his own right, returned the nod Archmage Lionar offered him. General Silias and two of guards decided to take their leave, Silias talked briefly with a frail Elven woman before sending her off into the forest with a gentle push. The Elven general wretched the blood from his sheath and engaged a rather ambitious Avian soldier who thought he could score a quick kill on Silias.

Elven Mages, intermixed in the melee were identified with easy distinction as they threw bolts of fire and ice onto their attackers. Archmage Lionar himself waded through the battlefield, his staff in hand. He was older, and although more powerful was more meticulous in his application of arcane than the younger wizards.

Confusion was the order of the day as Ezrian warriors dropped from the sky, cutting down any elves that got in their way, whether they were warriors, women, or children. Many were cut down in their sleep, or run through as they reached for their blades. With the weight of surprise and numbers the Ezrians cut a swathe through the scattered elves even as more of their kind fell from the sky.

It was the elven mages who saved the camp from immediate destruction. Archmage Lionar lead their retaliation by lifting his staff and unleashing great showers of lightning into the sky. Flashes of white blinded many as the bolts crackled and split, frying dozens of Ezrians in midair as their descended. Fire and lightning scoured the skies above the camp, simultaneously warning their brethren of the danger and destroying the momentum of the Ezrian attack.

"We need to evacuate the camp." General Silias decided as he stabbed the last nearby Ezrian in the face. The elves were rallying around him, using their brief respite to organize themselves into effective groups. "You! Find the rest of the cavalry. Tell them to evacuate the civilians immediately. They are to head north, the barbarian's lands should provide shelter for now."

"General Sillias, I'd like to help." A cavalryman advanced towards the beleagured general, his uniform was that of the Ezrian Heavy Cavalry. "Lieutenant Sirius at your service sir. My company scattered rather than follow orders to charge the camp." He spat, a sign of disgust at his orders. "A few of us have decided to throw our lots in with you."

Sillias smiled for the first time that day. "Then you are true elves. Find the rest of our cavalry and help them evacuate the civilians. I will direct the defense until they are away."

The sounds of battle began to resound now, louder than ever. The delay had disorganized the Ezrians and scattered their forces, but they still had more coordination than the confused elves. Pockets of fighting were breaking out all around the camp as elves and birdmen fought. It was clear that the Ezrians held the advantage in these fights; the screams and cries of elves far outnumbered the squawks of Avians.

Casualties

Kingdom of Ezria
57 Ezrian Light Infantry
300 Heavy Cavalry (Defected)

Thaedys'm Cal
34 Light Infantry
41 Heavy Infantry
31 Skirmishers
22 Heavy Cavalry
21 Mages

Reinforcements

Thaedys'm Cal
12 Heavy Cavalry (Defected from Ezrians)

Forces

Empire of Ezria
543 Avian Light Infantry (Elite)


Thaedys'm Cal
116 Elven Light Infantry
209 Elven Heavy Infantry
69 Elven Skirmishers
90 Elven Heavy Cavalry
29 Mages (2 Mana)
Archmage Lionar (4 Mana)

Notes
-- This is Moderation Mark 2
-- The Ezrian's Elvish Heavy Cavalry have defected rather than charge their own kinsmen. Some have joined the Thaedys'm Cal; the rest have simply scattered and abandoned their uniforms.
-- Noon will arrive at Moderation Mark 4

Thaedys'm Cal Camp,
Mabiyan Forest

" Back, back! " General Silias cried, swinging his saber with almost reckless abandon at the fluttering and lightly armed Avian that attempted to fell the five thousand year old general. The saber connected twice, the Avian's second parry was not so precise and Silias' third swing ended the poor Ezrians life. He waded through the battlefield, easily identified by the platemail cauldrons and helmet of sterling Mithril that complimented his otherwise thin and slender form. His saber shimmered in the morning light, its fine edge doused in scarlet. He finally located Archmage Lionar and grabbed him firmly by the tuft of his robes sleeve.

" Lionar, you must ensure the little one survives. "

" I understand, General. " The Archmage replied, his fine features indicating his stern discipline even amongst battle. He turned and paced back into the melee, leaving Silias on his own again. Silias moved to continue the defense and in the stead of a static defense turned his attention to getting his soldiers out alive.

" Fall back! You, burn this forsaken forest down! Burn it down around them! " Silias was yelling at a nearby mage with at least half a dozen dead Avians around him, scorch marks accompanying their unmoving frames. The mage nodded and raised his heads above his head, his robe fluttering briefly as if a selective breeze had chosen him. It manifested between his extended fingers, growing in size with each second, a budding sphere of flame. He gazed around and found his target ; a huge and ancient oak. The pillar of flame was cast forward and slammed into the tree, creating a small explosion that would hopefully catch onto other smaller trees. The fire would cause further disruption so that Silias and his troops could begin to make their exit.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

-- Elven Mages have cast Firestorm (2 mana).
-- Firestorm - Firestorm creates a huge pillar of flame that rips its way through enemy formations. It will light aflame any it touches and can be used both on enemy foodstuff resources, wooden defenses and enemy soldiers.
* Costs 2 Mana.

'' TRAITORS! '' But traitors to who? The cavalry didn't arrive and the Ezrian's were on there own. If Kirhae survived this, then there was going to be hell to pay. The Battlemaster hacked a charging Elf down with his blade, the sword becoming trapped in the man's guts when he felt the heat of flames on his back. A glance behind him confirmed that a fire had started, the one with the flowing robes quickly became apparent as the source of the blaze.

'' Focus on the damned mages! '' He roared, even as he watched some of the flames leap from the tree and set alight one of his men who quickly dropped to the earth in an attempt to douse the flames.

'' FORWARD! '' Kirhae snarled, the elite Ezrian soldiers charged forward intent on coming to grip's with the mages and elves before they could slip away under the cover of the smoke. It was quickly becoming a deadly brawl, the Ezrian's were determined that they would not get away. Kirhae picked up a fallen spear from of the dead Elven troops, the Archmage clearly in his sights as he stepped forward and let fly. The spear hissing through the air, Kirhae only hoped that his aim was true as the battle raged. He seemed to be the strongest of the Elven wizardfolk and their leader, if Kirhae could kill him than the battle might turn in Ezria's favor.

Summary:
The Ezrian's pursue the Elves and focus on isolating and destroying the mages before pressing on.

Battle of the Northern Fields
Turn 3

Archmage Lionar stumbled to his knees in shock and pain as the spear pierced his side, blood staining his elven robes a deep red. Amazingly, this did not stop the wizard. As Battlemaster Kirhae rushed forward with sword drawn, intent on removing the mage's head from his shoulders, Lionel raised a hand and spoke the arcane words. A concussive burst of fire erupted from the elve's fingertips, catching Kirhae full in the chest and hurling his light, avian frame backwards like a burning pinata. The Battlemaster crashed against a flaming tree, instantly snapping his spine. Lionel smiled weakly as his vision sunk into nothingness.

Around them the battle raged. The elves' firestorm had achieved its purpose: obscuring the battlefield with smoke and fire. But while the goal was achieved, the mages paid a heavy price as they were picked out and slaughtered by the Ezrians. Few of them would make it out alive. Civilians were everywhere fleeing the field while pockets of elven soldiers fought desperately to hold back the avian aggressors. There were no formations or maneuvers in this fight. The avians were killing whomever they could catch, desperately trying to prevent a mass exodus among the smoke and confusion. The debacle was no longer a battle but a large-scale brawl.

Casualties

Kingdom of Ezria
39 Ezrian Light Infantry
Battlemaster Kirhae

Thaedys'm Cal
Archmage Lionar
26 Mages
35 Elven Skirmishers
11 Elven Light Infantry
24 Elven Heavy Infantry
4 Elven Heavy Cavalry

Forces

Empire of Ezria
504 Avian Light Infantry (Elite)

Thaedys'm Cal
105 Elven Light Infantry
185 Elven Heavy Infantry
34 Elven Skirmishers
86 Elven Heavy Cavalry
3 Mages (0 Mana)

Notes
-- This is Moderation Mark 3
-- Noon will arrive at Moderation Mark 4
-- Sundown will arrive at Moderation Mark 6
-- The battlefield is now obscured due to smoke and confusion.
-- Battlemaster Kirhae has been killed. His death is not yet widely known to the Ezrian troops; therefore there has been no morale penalty due to his death.

Thaedys'm Cal Camp,
Mabiyan Forest

General Silias was no coward, but the battle was lost. He turned, soot and sweat having turned his otherwise youthful visage into one of a common worker, he pulled the helmet from his head by the tuft of it's silken horse hair plume and cast it aside. The world seemed to drift into slow motion as the screams and cries of his people overtook the battlefield. For every Avian he killed, two more seemed to fall from the sky ; and they were not amateur soldiers. These were hardened veterans of the Ezrian Imperial Guard. Traenyn had gotten away, he personally saw to his departure in the arms of his mother with one of the Mabiyan Guard.

He turned and saw Valinys, a personal friend of old and the Captain of the Thaedys'm Cal Rangers in heated combat with one of the Avian soldiers. Decked out in a cloak of green, the hood still drawn up, Valinys fought at odds with the aggressive birdman with his silvan short sword, narrowly parrying each blow by only the smallest margin. Valinys was forced back as the soldier came again, and this time Valinys was not quick enough in his parry. He was run through by the wicked birdman and slumped to one side, unmoving. Silias could take no more of this madness. He turned and slipped away, through the hedges and to the West, though where was unknown even to him. He knew only that he must escape to ensure the continuation of the resistance. His men would understand, brothers in arms would understand. They would have to.

He was fast! The Elf managed to parry every blow that Hanno had sent his way, however he wasn't fast enough to dodge Hanno's low feint towards his legs followed by the thrust of his sword into the Elf's chest.. Hanno paused to wipe his gore drenched blade on the elf's beautiful green cloak before turning his attention to the fight. The battlefield if you could call it that, was a tangled mess. Visibility was poor as smoke pumped into the air. A hacking cough left Hanno's lungs. There was no sign of Battlemaster Kihrae but in the end Hanno wasn't surprised, the fighting had become a confused mess. What Elve's hadn't escaped were being surrounded and cut down methodically. '' Prisoners, get me some damned prisoners. '' Kirhae had explicitly ordered that prisoners be taken..Whether anyone heard Hanno's command was another matter entirely. It was like trying to shout into a damned storm, only a handful of the soldiers from his company still remained from the regiment. The rest of the formation either dead or more likely broken off to chase the fleeing Elve's whom had disappeared like ghosts. The Ezrian's had won it had seemed but at a hefty price. Not only had 300 good cavalry deserted the bloody army (with scarce mounts), only the Ancestor's knew how many Ezrian dead lay amongst the Elven corpses.

'' Swine. '' Hanno snarled, before continuing through the wafting smoke into what was left of the wrecked insurgent camp. Those whom surrendered would generally be given quarter, though Hanno turned a blind eye to the occasional Ezrian trooper who killed the bastards instead. If the camp wasn't set on fire, then a wealth of intelligence could be gathered. Maps, documents, all could hopefully be recovered by the Ezrian force, and of course the pursuit continued after the insurgents. The Imperial Guard had them by the throat and they weren't going to let go until the corpse had turned blue.

Battle of the Northern Fields
Turn 4 (Conclusion)

As dawn changed to noon those elves that had survived the attack made good their escape. The Ezrian Light Infantry pursued where they could but were unable to stop the remaining elven forces from escaping. Only a few pockets of elven resistance unfortunate enough to be too disoriented to escape remained, and these were quickly put down by the victors.

The Avians had won the battle, but it had been a costly victory. Tens of elite Nukur warriors, along with battlemaster Kirhae, had given their lives in the assault. The Elven Heavy Cavalry that were supposed to assist in the attack had instead spread out among the countryside, selling their horses and burning their uniforms as their members hid among the elves of the countryside. The Thaedys'm Cal had been driven off and their camp destroyed, but most of their civilians and a sizable portion of their army had escaped to fight another day. Few battered prisoners were taken in the chaos. As for the camp, the Ezrians saved what they could, but much of the information had been caught in the conflagration or destroyed by fleeing elves.

Casualties

Kingdom of Ezria
3 Ezrian Light Infantry

Thaedys'm Cal
8 Elven Light Infantry
23 Elven Heavy Infantry
1 Elven Skirmisher

Forces

Empire of Ezria
501 Avian Light Infantry (Elite)

Thaedys'm Cal
97 Elven Light Infantry
162 Elven Heavy Infantry
33 Elven Skirmishers
86 Elven Heavy Cavalry
3 Mages

Total Losses

Empire of Ezria
99 Avian Light Infantry
300 Elven Heavy Cavalry (Defected)

Thaedys'm Cal
53 Elven Light Infantry
88 Elven Heavy Infantry
67 Elven Skirmishers
14 Elven Heavy Cavalry
47 Mages

Notes
-- Much of the Thaedys'm Cal camp is burnt. The Ezrians will have to search the wreckage to find any information or valuables.
-- The Escaping elves can be tracked northwards, but will have a significant head start by the time the Ezrians reorganize.