The Battle of Eastcross
The Conflict
Prelude
Early on the morning of the 15th of April, skirmishers of House Brume of The Green arrived at Blackmyre to report sighting a large mercenary army in the employ of House Darklyn of Darklyn Point.
Having some knowledge of the hired forces Hallkatla Darklyn had at her disposal, ser Allon Southbay deemed it necessary to sally forth and engage the enemy to delay their advance long enough for the rest of the forces still in Southbay to be ferried over. Ser Darris Blackmyre suggested a good location at which to engage, on the edge of the swamp where the ground would be hard enough to not impede any maneuvers.
The gathered might of Houses Southbay, Blackmyre, Brume, Skanler, Fallder, and Conklyn, marched out of Castle Blackmyre towards the nearest village in the path of the Darklyn’s mercenary army, Eastcross. Whilst riding, ser Allon outlined a rough plan he had put together for the coming battle, based on his studies of The Irogonie Aggression.
Deployment
Rather than having the various Houses deploy their forces, the Lord of Southbay instead had similar units grouped together into new formations to better leverage their capabilities. The three divisions formed for the first battle against the Darklyns were Bramble, Thistle, and Cedar.
Bramble division, led by ser Carreth Conklyn, consisted of all the polearm units partnered with the crossbows and archers, arranged in a checkerboard pattern to provide a solid block of reach weapons alternated with ranged units.Bramble would form the anvil of the battle, launching ranged attacks to frustrate and draw in the enemy to be dealt with by the polearms.
Ahead of them would be the Thistle division, led by Shela Blackwood, made up of skirmishers drawn from all the House forces. Thistle was charged with forming the skirmish line ahead of the army and lightly engaging with advance Darklyn forces, drawing them towards Bramble before falling back and splitting up to envelop the enemy.
Meanwhile, the right flank would consist of Cedar division commanded by ser Allon, leading the remaining foot troops.
Upon outlining the upcoming deployment, there was clear unease amidst the war council. Ser Darris Blackmyre resented not being granted a command in favor of Lord Carreth, but Allon spoke to him privately and pointed out how a representative of The Skanler Duchy had to be in command of an element, and instead placed ser Darris as the second in command of the whole army if the Lord of Southbay were to fall in the coming battle.
Ser Delmar Harvester of The Order of The Wyrm was also displeased at being overlooked for command in favor of Shela Blackwood, but the Marshal of House Brume was far more experienced when it came to organizing such a large amount of skirmishers.
Bramble division, led by ser Carreth Conklyn, consisted of all the polearm units partnered with the crossbows and archers, arranged in a checkerboard pattern to provide a solid block of reach weapons alternated with ranged units.Bramble would form the anvil of the battle, launching ranged attacks to frustrate and draw in the enemy to be dealt with by the polearms.
Ahead of them would be the Thistle division, led by Shela Blackwood, made up of skirmishers drawn from all the House forces. Thistle was charged with forming the skirmish line ahead of the army and lightly engaging with advance Darklyn forces, drawing them towards Bramble before falling back and splitting up to envelop the enemy.
Meanwhile, the right flank would consist of Cedar division commanded by ser Allon, leading the remaining foot troops.
Upon outlining the upcoming deployment, there was clear unease amidst the war council. Ser Darris Blackmyre resented not being granted a command in favor of Lord Carreth, but Allon spoke to him privately and pointed out how a representative of The Skanler Duchy had to be in command of an element, and instead placed ser Darris as the second in command of the whole army if the Lord of Southbay were to fall in the coming battle.
Ser Delmar Harvester of The Order of The Wyrm was also displeased at being overlooked for command in favor of Shela Blackwood, but the Marshal of House Brume was far more experienced when it came to organizing such a large amount of skirmishers.
Battlefield
The battle took place on the plains just west of the village of Eastcross, on the edge of The Blackmyre Swamps. It was recommended as a good place to wage battle by ser Darris Blackmyre, who pointed out that it offered firmer ground than what could be found elsewhere.
Conditions
The battle was fought on an overcast spring day, with no rain. The plains, though partially wild, were mostly clear of debris and foliage, allowing for the armies to deploy as lines and steadily advance upon one another as military doctrine demanded at the time. There was a thick mist in the morning, though it dispersed as the battle progressed into the afternoon.
The night before, the Darklyn Mercenaries attempted to disrupt the morale of the Royal Coalition by deploying The Company of The Third Man, who engaged in their usual disruptive tactics of making terrible noise just beyond the Coalition camp, preventing the soldiers from resting ahead of the battle.
The night before, the Darklyn Mercenaries attempted to disrupt the morale of the Royal Coalition by deploying The Company of The Third Man, who engaged in their usual disruptive tactics of making terrible noise just beyond the Coalition camp, preventing the soldiers from resting ahead of the battle.
The Engagement
The morning of the 18th of April, the armies formed up. The Bramble division of the Royal Coalition formed the left flank, whist Cedar division formed the right. Thistle division began the battle deployed in a loose line ahead of Bramble, before moving into the morning mist to identify and locate the enemy.
Carefully advancing, they soon identified a large amount of soldiers gathered ahead, marching into position. Seeking to learn something of the opposing force, the Brume Marshal had her archers move up to lightly probe the enemy. Loosing a flight of arrows, they seemingly caused no harm to the enemy but the trumpeting of minmoths and horns in response betrayed the presence of The War Trunks, a heavy cavalry unit led by a Darklyn bastard - Marshall.
They immediately moved to engage whoever had attacked them, but the mist was still thick enough to let the archers fall back ahead of the thundering charge, drawing the mercenaries into a killing field in the midst of Thistle. Blackwood then sicced her own minmoths on the enemy, but her beasts shied away from the more formidable breed accompanying the War Trunks. Every ranged unit in Thistle then proceeded to shoot the cavalrymen from every direction, but managed to do no actual damage.
Still, the crushing charge of the War Trunks had been halted, allowing Thistle to safely disengage and retreat to Bramble, followed by the enemy formation as the War Trunks vanished into the mist themselves, frustrated.
It was at this point the mist began to disperse, revealing the enemy army in full - made up mostly of The Queens' Men, an elite Hillhurst company made up of the best the Merchant Queens could find, and equipped with the best they could afford. With equal numbers to Bramble, the Darklyn force advanced in a classic battle line deployment, with phalanxes supported by shield units on either flank and their crossbows making up the back line.
However thanks to Bramble’s checkerboard deployment, after an initial volley by their archers, the Somercrag crossbow units in the front line entered range first. A hail of projectiles fell upon the Queens Men, but again the heavy armour and shield of the mercenaries prevented any actual fatalities.
Seeking to strike a decisive blow, the Queensblood, the elite cavalry of the company, began riding forth, building momentum for their charge. Not to be undone, a unit of The Comfort Eagles also leapt into action, but this would ultimately prove to be a mistake.
It was at this point The Lost Striders, deployed as a reserve, revealed their ploy and charged the rear of the Queen's Men. Several days before, ser Allon had written a plea to Benarg Tyren, a former man-at-arms from High Hill, requesting his aid in the coming battle and calling upon old oaths of loyalty.
Chaos descended on the Darklyn ranks as the Queens Men suddenly found themselves engaged on two fronts. With their crossbows routed, the polearms began to redeploy to meet the threat of the Lost Striders. ser Allon committed the Cedar division at this point to push on the enemy’s left flank and reinforce the Lost Striders. In the distance, a second Darklyn army grew visible, and the Lord of Southbay knew the current battle was going to need a swift conclusion to avoid the gathered forces becoming trapped in a prolonged fight which would favour the fresh Darklyn troops.
With an armoured cavalry unit and frothing berserkers descending upon them, Lord Carreth had his ranged units focus fire on the Comfort Eagles, trusting his polearms and bills to brace and survive the Queensblood charge. Half the Comfort Eagles on the field died in that initial volley as ser Allon and his fellow knights, ser Virginie, ser Karden, and ser Darris performed a ride by attack on the Queens Men unit on the far flank engaged with the Lost Striders.
However they were caught by the suddenly reappearing War Trunks, Marshall Darklyn eagerly sounding the charge at the sight of ser Allon. The dire minmoths raced ahead and swarmed the Somercrag knights, but Flynt, Allon’s mount, once again proved himself a warhorse of singular quality, slaying Marshall’s Minmoth and scattering the pack.
Benarg meanwhile settled a score with a Queensman captain, slaying him outright and demoralising the unit standing against him.
Seeking to salvage something of the situation, the Queensblood committed to their charge and smashed into the unit of Blackmyre bill-men holding the left corner of the Bramble formation. Inspired by their example, the blooded berserkers of the Comfort Eagles under the command of Rhenai threw themselves at the opposite corner of the formation, at a bill unit from Southbay commanded by Captain Gannon Troter.
With the Blackmyre bill-block pushed back from the force of the Hillhurst charge, Shela Blackwood abandoned the original plan of encircling the enemy to instead countercharge the Queensbloods, unleashing her minmoths to much greater effect this time. It was well known that the famed cavalry unit was made up of the children of the Merchant Queens themselves, meaning every single member was worth a pretty ransom.
Such motivation proved crucial as Thistle rejoined the fray and cut down half of the Queensblood riders. Lord Carreth then had his own Household Guard step up to reinforce the Blackmyre troops as they stepped back, forming another wall of polearms as the House Brume forces gleefully tore the lances from the grips of the Queensbloods.
On the other end of the formation, Troter’s bill-men were hard pressed by the Comfort Eagles until one of the Skanler phalanxes marched up and showed them how it was done, sweeping away the berserkers and felling Rhenai. It was at this point Alrah Queensman, commander of the Queens Men, deemed the situation untenable and called for a full retreat. The Lost Striders were happy to break off their attack and let the other mercenaries quit the field, whilst Lord Carreth refused to chase down a fleeing foe. Shela Blackwood had no such restraint and had her Skirmishers send a parting shot at the Hillhurst company, which by pure chance managed to kill Alrah Queensman’s horse and trapped her beneath it. Blackwood gleefully took her prisoner.
Yet even as the vanguard of the Darklyn army quit the field, Marshall Darklyn and the War Trunks refused to yield. They had a chance at slaying ser Allon, and they were determined to take it. But as Marshall charged Allon, the swamp knight for the first time drew his black stone sword, the ill-omened weapon giving even the enraged Darklyn bastard pause. A brutal duel followed, which ended with an exhausted and battered ser Allon emerging triumphant after cutting down Marshall.
Carefully advancing, they soon identified a large amount of soldiers gathered ahead, marching into position. Seeking to learn something of the opposing force, the Brume Marshal had her archers move up to lightly probe the enemy. Loosing a flight of arrows, they seemingly caused no harm to the enemy but the trumpeting of minmoths and horns in response betrayed the presence of The War Trunks, a heavy cavalry unit led by a Darklyn bastard - Marshall.
They immediately moved to engage whoever had attacked them, but the mist was still thick enough to let the archers fall back ahead of the thundering charge, drawing the mercenaries into a killing field in the midst of Thistle. Blackwood then sicced her own minmoths on the enemy, but her beasts shied away from the more formidable breed accompanying the War Trunks. Every ranged unit in Thistle then proceeded to shoot the cavalrymen from every direction, but managed to do no actual damage.
Still, the crushing charge of the War Trunks had been halted, allowing Thistle to safely disengage and retreat to Bramble, followed by the enemy formation as the War Trunks vanished into the mist themselves, frustrated.
It was at this point the mist began to disperse, revealing the enemy army in full - made up mostly of The Queens' Men, an elite Hillhurst company made up of the best the Merchant Queens could find, and equipped with the best they could afford. With equal numbers to Bramble, the Darklyn force advanced in a classic battle line deployment, with phalanxes supported by shield units on either flank and their crossbows making up the back line.
However thanks to Bramble’s checkerboard deployment, after an initial volley by their archers, the Somercrag crossbow units in the front line entered range first. A hail of projectiles fell upon the Queens Men, but again the heavy armour and shield of the mercenaries prevented any actual fatalities.
Seeking to strike a decisive blow, the Queensblood, the elite cavalry of the company, began riding forth, building momentum for their charge. Not to be undone, a unit of The Comfort Eagles also leapt into action, but this would ultimately prove to be a mistake.
It was at this point The Lost Striders, deployed as a reserve, revealed their ploy and charged the rear of the Queen's Men. Several days before, ser Allon had written a plea to Benarg Tyren, a former man-at-arms from High Hill, requesting his aid in the coming battle and calling upon old oaths of loyalty.
Chaos descended on the Darklyn ranks as the Queens Men suddenly found themselves engaged on two fronts. With their crossbows routed, the polearms began to redeploy to meet the threat of the Lost Striders. ser Allon committed the Cedar division at this point to push on the enemy’s left flank and reinforce the Lost Striders. In the distance, a second Darklyn army grew visible, and the Lord of Southbay knew the current battle was going to need a swift conclusion to avoid the gathered forces becoming trapped in a prolonged fight which would favour the fresh Darklyn troops.
With an armoured cavalry unit and frothing berserkers descending upon them, Lord Carreth had his ranged units focus fire on the Comfort Eagles, trusting his polearms and bills to brace and survive the Queensblood charge. Half the Comfort Eagles on the field died in that initial volley as ser Allon and his fellow knights, ser Virginie, ser Karden, and ser Darris performed a ride by attack on the Queens Men unit on the far flank engaged with the Lost Striders.
However they were caught by the suddenly reappearing War Trunks, Marshall Darklyn eagerly sounding the charge at the sight of ser Allon. The dire minmoths raced ahead and swarmed the Somercrag knights, but Flynt, Allon’s mount, once again proved himself a warhorse of singular quality, slaying Marshall’s Minmoth and scattering the pack.
Benarg meanwhile settled a score with a Queensman captain, slaying him outright and demoralising the unit standing against him.
Seeking to salvage something of the situation, the Queensblood committed to their charge and smashed into the unit of Blackmyre bill-men holding the left corner of the Bramble formation. Inspired by their example, the blooded berserkers of the Comfort Eagles under the command of Rhenai threw themselves at the opposite corner of the formation, at a bill unit from Southbay commanded by Captain Gannon Troter.
With the Blackmyre bill-block pushed back from the force of the Hillhurst charge, Shela Blackwood abandoned the original plan of encircling the enemy to instead countercharge the Queensbloods, unleashing her minmoths to much greater effect this time. It was well known that the famed cavalry unit was made up of the children of the Merchant Queens themselves, meaning every single member was worth a pretty ransom.
Such motivation proved crucial as Thistle rejoined the fray and cut down half of the Queensblood riders. Lord Carreth then had his own Household Guard step up to reinforce the Blackmyre troops as they stepped back, forming another wall of polearms as the House Brume forces gleefully tore the lances from the grips of the Queensbloods.
On the other end of the formation, Troter’s bill-men were hard pressed by the Comfort Eagles until one of the Skanler phalanxes marched up and showed them how it was done, sweeping away the berserkers and felling Rhenai. It was at this point Alrah Queensman, commander of the Queens Men, deemed the situation untenable and called for a full retreat. The Lost Striders were happy to break off their attack and let the other mercenaries quit the field, whilst Lord Carreth refused to chase down a fleeing foe. Shela Blackwood had no such restraint and had her Skirmishers send a parting shot at the Hillhurst company, which by pure chance managed to kill Alrah Queensman’s horse and trapped her beneath it. Blackwood gleefully took her prisoner.
Yet even as the vanguard of the Darklyn army quit the field, Marshall Darklyn and the War Trunks refused to yield. They had a chance at slaying ser Allon, and they were determined to take it. But as Marshall charged Allon, the swamp knight for the first time drew his black stone sword, the ill-omened weapon giving even the enraged Darklyn bastard pause. A brutal duel followed, which ended with an exhausted and battered ser Allon emerging triumphant after cutting down Marshall.
Outcome
The Coalition victory at Eastcross saw the elimination of the Queens Men, the War Trunks, and The Karro Whacks as fighting forces in the war. Whilst the Queens Men were ransomed back to Hillhurst, in the negotiations Shela Blackwood specified they should be escorted back by ser Cody Karro and his soldiers.
This effectively removed an untouched mercenary company that had not even partaken in the battle from Hallkatla Darklyn's forces.
This effectively removed an untouched mercenary company that had not even partaken in the battle from Hallkatla Darklyn's forces.
Aftermath
The battle would prove to be a great blow to the Queens Men’s reputation, for they had faced off against forces not even commanded by knights and been routed. It would be a stain on their honour they would never forgive, and never forget.
Historical Significance
Legacy
The Battle of Eastcross saw a new organisational approach to warfare in Somercrag. Ser Allon, an outsider to Somercrag and relatively inexperienced general of armies, managed to convince the fuedal lords to pool their manpower into divisions dedicated to specific roles.
Such gathering of specialist troops proved critically effective, especially compared to the later much bloodier and costlier Battle of Blackmyre Castle which had the Coalition forces revert to traditional House deployments under ser Darris Blackmyre's leadership.
Such gathering of specialist troops proved critically effective, especially compared to the later much bloodier and costlier Battle of Blackmyre Castle which had the Coalition forces revert to traditional House deployments under ser Darris Blackmyre's leadership.
Included under Conflict
Conflict Type
Battle
Start Date
18th April 443KS
Ending Date
18th April 443KS
Conflict Result
The Coalition claimed a crushing victory, knocking out two mercenary companies from the war entirely.
Location
Belligerents
Strength
- ser Allon Southbay, general of the Coalition and commanding The Men-at-Arms of House Southbay.
- Laina Falcin, ser Allon's squire.
- Shela Blackwood, commanding The Men-at-Arms of House Brume.
- ser Darris Blackmyre, commanding The Men-at-Arms of House Blackmyre
- Gurnar, ser Darris' squire.
- ser Nathan Eastford, leading a detachment of The Kingsguard of Tyon I Cray made up of ser Arwin Levi, ser Mortin Bettley, and ser Falar Maezenhath.
- ser Virginie Locke
- Ashlanna Peake, ser Virginie's squire.
- ser Karden Hawthorne
- Shett, ser Karden's squire.
- ser Delmar Harvester of The Order of The Wyrm
- Sylvina, ser Delmar's neophyte.
- Benarg Tyren, leading The Lost Striders (turned cloak on the Darklyn forces mid-battle).
- Alrah Queensmen, commanding The Queens' Men and overall general.
- Marshall, commanding The War Trunks.
- Jack of The Trades, commanding The Company of The Third Man.
- Cake, commanding The Comfort Eagles.
- Renney Norcross, commanding The Lost Striders.
Casualties
- Estimated at around 85 soldiers.
- Marshall, scattering The War Trunks.
- An unnamed Queen's Men Captain.
- Alrah Queensmen captured by Shela Blackwood.
Objectives
- To delay the mercenary army's advance into the Blackmyre until such a time as remaining Coalition forces could arrive from Southbay.
- The death of ser Allon Southbay and the scattering of the Royal Coalition.
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