At the end of September 950AD.
The group consisted of Vlad, Carloman, Pavol and Radovan. Miguel was recovering from wounds and Aleks
Ironhead had travelled into Herzlavakia to visit a friend. The remaining Heroes
were joined in a bar-room broil, by Igor, a friend of Aleks and by a strange
Angonian Cleric named Theobald. After the tavern affray, which had left a Welsh
mercenary dead; the group decided to take some time out of Triente. They hired
the gallea Falco and set sail with a crew of Trientan officers,
Translavonian oarsmen and a dozen Adallian crossbowmen, with the intention of
raiding the coast of Translavonia. They were joined on this venture, by an
Asgard merchant, one Vasko, whom the group hoped might help with his commercial
and sailing skills. After days of making little headway against onshore winds,
a storm force Bora struck up driving them southwards before it.
Fortunately the fragile gallea suffered no damage and after a couple of days
the Heroes were able to make for the coast of Translavonia, where they quickly
fell in with two local merchantmen, bound for Triente.
The cargo vessels ran for the shore, but the swift Falco
soon overtook, first one then the other. Two short, but savage boarding actions
took place after which our Heroes took possession of both prizes for the loss
of three crossbowmen dead and a few light wounds due to
the spirited defence of the merchant crews. The coasters proved to be carrying
grain to Triente, which our Heroes carried into the port and sold for a
handsome profit.
The Heroes spent the next few weeks in Triente, spending
some of their ill-gotten gains, buying a Palazzo in the city and a modest house
and stables in San Giuliano, to house their growing ramada. They commissioned
the construction of a large open decked raider, before setting off overland to
buy horses in Saczow, hiring as escorts 12 Adallian cavalry and 10 Magyar horse
archers. Miguel had now re-joined the Heroes, but Igor and Aleks had stayed
behind to safeguard their interests in Triente.
The well-armed party travelled without incident to
Saczow, where they unfortunately found no horses for sale. However, during the
following week, 15 suitable horses were brought in from the surrounding countryside,
when word spread that the group was buying. To make the trip more worthwhile
despite the paucity of horses, the group bought 20 pack mules which they loaded
with chestnuts, before setting off for the return journey.
All went well as our Heroes rode north through the Autumnal
forests rich with vistas of red and gold turning leaves. All went well that is,
until they reached Lijkovac. Here in the town, where on an earlier venture,
Aleksandr had killed Radoslav Paskovic in a bar-room brawl, the Heroes were
detained on a trumped up charge of spying. Released after a week’s delay, the
band once again journeyed north, entering the forest in the lands of the
Paskovic clan. During the week our Heroes were delayed in Lijkovac, Sievar
Paskovic, clan chief, had gathered his whole sept in ambush, determined on
blood revenge for his slain nephew. Not only had Aleks killed Radoslav, but
following the fracas, Miguel had slain the boy’s father Slavomir, Sievar’s
younger brother, when he had tried to exact vengeance.
Sievar had gathered pretty well the whole Paskovic clan
to exact his revenge on our Heroes, 140 fighting men. He chose a spot deep in
the woods and had blocked the road north with a stout barricade of stakes and
plashed branches, it’s eastern end resting against a treacherous marsh. Behind
the barricade, he had massed 22 chosen spearmen whilst to the south, on both
sides of the road, the woods swarmed with a further 60 spearmen and 30 plus
archers. In the woods behind the barricade he had massed the clan’s 30 mounted
warriors.
Our heroes rode in column, their vanguard formed by their
Magyar horse-archers. Following the Magyars rode our heroes, themselves in
column of twos, Miguel and Radovan, followed by Vlad and Theo, Carloman and
then Pavol and Vasko. Finally the Adallian mercenaries brought up the rear with
the horses and pack train.
Legend |
a |
7 heroes, 2 abreast |
1 |
Sievar with 11 cavalry |
6 |
20 Paskovic spearmen |
b |
10 Magyar skirmishers |
2 |
10 Paskovic cavalry |
7 |
18 Paskovic spearmen |
c |
12 Adallian cavalry with the pack train |
3 |
10 Paskovic cavalry |
8 |
12 Paskovic archers |
|
|
4 |
22 Paskovic spearmen |
9 |
12 Paskovic archers |
|
|
5 |
20 Paskovic spearmen |
10 |
10 Paskovic archers |
Fortunately for our Heroes, the Magyar point-men saw the
barricade, before Sievar could spring his ambush and called the alarm. A storm
of arrows streaked out from the woods, killing one of the Magyars and
inflicting slight wounds on Miguel, Theo and Vlad. An arrow buried deep in the
flank of Carloman’s horse, causing it to throw him and bolt, leaving him
uninjured, but afoot. The Magyars fell back skirmishing and Miguel joined them
briefly, hurling a javelin amongst the Paskovic archers, killing one of them
outright. Miguel then rode back, hoisting Carloman behind him, whilst Theo, Radovan
and Vlad covered his flanks… Pavol however, rode for the pack train, taking Vasko
with him.
Seeing his prey slipping from his grasp, Sievar ordered a
general advance; one group of his cavalry (2) riding behind his infantry to
attack the pack-train and its escorts, whilst a mass of spearmen (6) rushed
onto the road to cut off the Magyar’s retreat. Seeing the spearmen in the open
and in loose order, Miguel and his comrades charged them in flank and scattered
them, driving them in flight back into the archers (9) behind them, panicking
these too.
As he and Vasko passed, Pavol shouted orders to the
Adallians to cut the pack-train loose and retire with the tethered horses.
However, the mercenaries were already beset Paskovic cavalry (2) and no one
heard the order. The rest of Sievar’s cavalry now charged; his own men (1) slammed
into the flank of our Heroes. The other group (3) charged the Magyars, who
evaded them falling back in good order down the road, leaving the Pakovici to
smash into already engaged Adallian mercenaries. The outnumbered mercenaries
finally cut loose the pack train and the tethered mounts in a desperate stand
against overwhelming odds, while the five Heroes fought for their lives against
Seivar’s hearthmen. Pavol chose to join the Magyars rather than his embattled
comrades.
Taking advantage of a lull in the onslaught Radovan
assumed command of the beleaguered five and pulled them back down the road,
rallying the Adallians to him as he went. Sievar raged as his quarry began to
slip away, but with the horses and pack mules to gather and his infantry
falling behind, he called off the pursuit. Altogether, a Magyar and two
Adallian Cavalieri had been killed and several of the group’s mercenaries
wounded alongside all five of the Heroes who had fought. They had lost their
horses and the pack train, but escaped with their lives and some bitter
memories…
As the group made camp that night, many miles to the
south of the ambush site, there were many and bitter recriminations about the
day’s events. Pavol was demoted from his leadership position and Radovan became
the group’s new Military leader. Over the next weeks, they worked their way
through the forests and over the mountains to the north-east turning west again
through increasingly wintry weather to finally arrive back in Triente by the
end of November.