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Battle 3: Kzah Robad
A millenium ago, Kzah Robad had been a great
Dwarven provincal capital, massively built and echoing with the stamp of Dwarven
armies and the noise of trade, one of the centers of the Peace of the Axe that
the great Dwarven Empire had maintained in the area. Then had come the Plague
Years, killing one dwarf in four and ruining the Empire. Kzah Robad had been
abandoned then, all the dwarves killed or moved back over the great mountains.
Humans and other races less affected by the Plague had moved into the area, but
some half-remembered fear of Dwarven might or of the Plague had kept Kzah Robad
empty. The great stones had weathered and tumbled, but not even a millenium of
nature's work could destroy this city.
Now Kzah Robad echoed again to Dwarven soldiers marching, and warleader
Reorax hoped the noise of trade would return soon. The Peace of the Axe was
being re-established, starting with Kzah Robad and the upstart humans who
occupied the districts surrounding it. In two major engagements and a host of
smaller, the human armies had been swept aside. Now Kzah Robad was Dwarven once
again, but there remained one last organized force of human soldiers in the
district. Before the Peace of the Axe must come the use of the axe, Reorax knew.
His forces were drawn up outside the ruined West Gate of Kzah Robad, and his
scouts reported that the humans were coming directly towards them. He took a
moment to look over his lines. Axemen, as always, and a force of crossbow
dwarves, drawn up just behind the leftmost small hill. The Warbears were off
skirmishing, but the boltshooter had been repaired and rejoined his forces,
deployed on the far right. He leaned on his sword and waited for the enemy to
come over the low hills in the middle distance.
Dwarven Order of Battle: 1x Hero General (Reorax), 6x Blades
(axedwarves), 2x Shooters (crossbow dwarves), 1x Artillery (boltshooter)=23pts.
Dwarves were defending.
Terrain: Several low hills in front of the dwarves,
including one immediately in front of their inital left wing setup. No other
significant features.
The human knights came into view first, thundering over the rightmost
hill and onto his right hand line of axemen and the boltshooter.
Human Order of Battle: 1x Knight General, 3x Knights, 4x
Swords, 1x Wizard, 1x Artillery=23 pts.
Reorax cursed, realizing that both he and the human leader had made
mistakes. He was almost certain to lose the boltthrower now, as the knights
crashed into it. The knights had, however, charged forward too fast for their
infantry support - their flank was wide open for him to charge into...he thought
the human'
s mistake was far more likely to cost him the battle.
First, he had a witch to kill! The human 'wizard'
- they were all witches to Reorax - had advanced to within striking range, just as had his comrade had
during the eariler fight. Didn't these silly fools know anything? Reorax taught
the witch the folly of attempting to fight dwarves, although he doubted the
witch appreciated the lesson. Another staff for his collection....
To his left, his crossbows were harassing the human swordsmen as they moved
up. As Reorax had feared, the boltthrower was burning on the left, the crew
either cut down or run off by the knights. They were finding his axedwarves
tougher going, however, and as he charged into the flank of the nearest knight
unit, he knew they weren't going to get any farther today, or ever.
Reorax and his followers hacked through the knights, driving them off and
cutting them down until he reached the lofty banner of the human leader, the man
who called himself Baron and leader of these lands. A minutes swordwork brought
human 'Baron'
and banner both down, and the human army started to rout off the
field, chased by the victorious dwarves.
Later that night, an enourmous victory celebration was held in a partly
restored hall in Kzah Robad. A human in chains was brought before Reorax. "And
who in Brokaz'
s name is this damn Tall?", said Reorax.
The human attempted dignity, which is hard when chained. "I am Oswald of
Greenwald. My brother was Baron of Greenwald. I understand you slew him in
battle, so I am Baron now, and in charge of Greenwald."
Reorax shook his head. "Human, you are nobody, and in charge of nothing. I am
Reorax, and the Dwarves are in charge now."
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