[Gondor AAR] Seven stars, seven stones and one white tree. Started again, 31st of July with a Reintroduction "chapter".
Pre Reintroduction: Settings: I play on VH/H (The AI dont get smarter by doing VH/VH they just get handicaps) I have slightly nerfed trolls and use the cavalry engagment mod + zzz's Good vs Evil mod. And of course no cheats.
Post Reinctroduction: Settings: VH/H, no manual changes to unit strength and no sub mods. Obviously still no cheats. (Other than the occasional toggle_fow I do to see how the rest of the game is going, this will never show in the AAR though.)
Introduction:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Long ago, the proud numenorians came in ships from the west to Middle Earth. There they founded the great kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. Elendil and his sons; Anarion and Isildur ruled the kingdoms in splendor and magnificence, but the day came when they had to march on evil again. The dark lord Sauron had established himself in the region of Mordor, and through the forging of the great rings he had gained much power.
In a last alliance between elves and men Sauron was overthrown after a long siege on his fortress of Barad Dur. Unfortunately, both Elendil and Anarion perished during this war and Isildur found himself corrupted by the lurings of the One Ring which lead to his death.
Due to these tragic events, Gondor and Arnor splintered, and while Arnor diminished, Gondor grew more powerful. Long wars with the Haradrim of the south and the Easterling tribes of the east gained new lands and expanded borders to the kings of Gondor. However, it would not last.
The last king of Gondor, Earnur, was lured into the den of the Witch King, Minas Morgul and was never seen again. This put the rule of Gondor in the hands of the stewards and from that point on, Gondor fell into decay.
Now, in the third age, Ecthelion II rules over the lands of Gondor, and once more does the shadow stir in the east. The old city of Osgilliath lies in ruins and held by bandit scum, the great trade that once flooded through the coastal cities has all but vanished due to fear of the ravaging Corsairs, can Ecthelion and the house of stewards stand against the growing storm in the east and south?
Chapter 1, The call of Gondor:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
As Ecthelion stood to announce his decision to the council, a wind blew in through the window from the east. The wind smelled foul, like it always did in these dark days.
"After careful consideration I have decided that the city of Osgiliath must be fully reclaimed and restored in the name of Gondor" Ecthelion said in a voice that had not been weakened by age.
Mumbling broke out in the ranks of the council and many approving faces looked at Ecthelion.
Ecthelion continued, undisturbed: "Therefore, this afternoon, I will send out riders to the cities and towns of Gondor to call upon the lords there to fight"
The approoving faces froze and worry suddenly covered their faces.
"The lord of Arnach, Forlong, will be reached by my riders first and I expect him and his army to be camped on the fields of Pelenor within days. I have also sent a spy who goes by the name Borthor to investigate the western bank of Osgiliath. Although you may not like trusting such a responsibility in someone very close to a simple thief, be assured he is a patriot to Gondor in the highest degree."
A few days later in Arnach:
Messenger: My lord Forlong, the steward of Gondor has called upon you to gather your forces and march for the Pelenor fields immediately. You owe him your loyalty.
Forlong: You need not remind me of that soldier, I will gather the mighty Axe men of Lossarnach and march at daybreak.
Unfortunatley, things did not go as well in Linhir and Pelargir.
Messenger: But Gondor needs Pelargir's aid!
Mistion: I am well aware of that, but this city is under constant raids of those cursed Corsairs and Haradrim. I will take my forces south and meet Durven of Linhir at the delta of the Anduin. There we will cross the river and take the fight to the enemy.
In Ecthelions chambers, a few days later.
Fountain guard: Sire! Sire! The lord Forlong is here and he sends word that he is at your command.
Ecthelion: Excellent, send the city's garrison out to his camp and tell him to retake the western bank of Osgiliath at all cost.
Fountain guard: As you wish Sire.
/End of chapter 1
Chapter 2, Reclaiming Lost Glory:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Forlong sat in his command tent whilst patting on his pipe. In front of him sat a young captain by the name Maemen. He had become something of a student of Forlong, as he considered himself his mentor.
“When do you plan to attack my lord?” Maemen asked nervously, no wonder, the entire camp was rank with fear and anxiousness. “What do you think Maemen? You must learn these things if you are ever to command an army of your own.”
“If I were in command I would storm the walls the first moment the towers and rams were finished and the men had rested. We need not give the enemy more time to prepare than we must” Maemen replied.
Forlong smiled, the boy was brave, not afraid of a fight. “Then that is what we will do, time will show if it was a good decision or not.”
As Maemen opened his mouth again to speak, one of the fountain guards assigned to Forlong rushed into the tent. Forlong was wary of the guards of the fountain court, they were not under his command, not really. They obeyed only the line of Stewards and Kings.
“The siege tower and rams are constructed.” The guard reported, standing straight and proud.
“Very good, tell the men to rest, we storm the walls at daybreak.” Forlong told the guard before dismissing him. “And so it begins..” he mumbled so that neither the guard nor Maemen could hear him.
The next morning the army was arrayed outside the western walls of Osgiliath, ready to fight to the death for Gondor.
Forlong: Axe men of Lossarnach and Fountain guards, I entrust you to push the ram and siege tower and be the first line of attack!
Fountain Guard Captain: I am sorry my lord, but we were ordered by the steward to keep you safe, not to deal with mere bandits.
Forlong: So be it, Axe men, you will have to do without the guards of the fountain this day, the Gondorian militia will be right behind you.
The fighting inside the city was fierce. The bandits did not give one foot of the city without claiming Gondorian lives. As the siege tower hit the walls, the Axe men of Lossarnach spilled out onto the enemy.
In a desperate fight on one of the city streets leading to the town square the militia managed to slay the Bandit captain, ending his reign of tower over the once glorious city of Osgiliath.
After their leaders death, the rest of the soldiers became weary and their fighting became less fierce, it did not take long until Forlong had won the battle and reclaimed the city of Osgiliath.
A day later, in Forlong’s tent.
Forlong: Maemen, I have a task for you this day.
Maemen: What ever you command lord.
Forlong: During the battle, the Axe men of our homeland took heavy casualties, I wish for you to return to Arnach and let the remnants of those units train new men for the war.
Maemen: Although I do not like leaving your side I will do as you command.
Meanwhile, to the south, battle was brewing for Mistion of Pelargir and Durven of Linhir.
/End of Chapter 2
Chapter 3, The Red Arrow:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:Ecthelion sat deep in thought in his chambers. He had received word from Forlong that the western banks of Osgiliath had been taken and that his men were ready to defend it against Mordor’s forces.
As he looked out of his chamber window he could see the banner of Gondor flying high above the city of Osgiliath. However, it did not bring him much joy, for smoke rose from the other side of the Anduin both day and night.
In his letter to him Forlong had displayed anger at the unit of Fountain Guard that Ecthelion had sent. Apparently they had refused to storm the city walls and Forlong’s units of axmen had suffered heavy casualties because of it.
However that was not what troubled Ecthelion in these days. He had not heard from Rohan in many years now, and the last his northern scouts had reported was of large mysterious Uruk bands moving freely throughout the regions around Isengard and Dunland
After a while a captain of the Fountain Court entered his quarters and saluted him. “You sent for me lord?” he said in a quizzical tone. “Yes, yes. Find the finest rider you know of and give him the red arrow. I trust you know what this means.”
The Fountain Guard looked shocked when Ecthelion held out an engraved and gilded box in his hands.
“You are calling upon Rohan for aid my lord? Do you think they will answer?”
“They must, for both the leader of the Eorlingas and the steward of Gondor took an oath to come to each others aid in old times, and that oath can not be broken by any leader of either peoples.”
“Very well my lord, I will send Bordir on this task. He is a fine rider and possesses good diplomatic skills as well. “
Meanwhile in Osgiliath
Forlong sat in the house that he had taken as a command post. It had a large room at the entrance, suitable for receiving officers and captains of the army. With his quarters close by he rarely had to leave the building, except for when the enemy attacked or he had troop inspection.
Today he had sent most of the forces to the bridge over the river to fortify it in case of a Mordor attack. He had almost ended up screaming at the Fountain Guard Captain before he had agreed that he would station his men there as well, luckily things had not gotten out of hand.
Suddenly his second in command after Maemen had returned to Arnach burst into the room. “The bridge! It is under attack my lord!”
“Find my horse and assemble my bodyguard. I will lead the men in battle this day!” Forlong said as he strapped on his armour and sword.
When Forlong arrived the battle had already begun. The Fountain guard were using their long spears to hold the forces of Mordor at the choke point whilst the Gondorian archers were showering them with arrows at the flanks.
It did not take much for the enemy to crack under the pressure of Gondorian spears.
“Follow them over the river men! Today we reclaim the rest of our city!” Forlong shouted to his soldiers.
Battle was also raging in the south
Captain: My lord Mistion! Lord Durven! The enemy sallies from the walls and is moving on our encampments! We are under attack!
Mistion: Captain, gather our forces and station them in two ranks, archers behind, Militia and Marines at front.
Durven: Shall we gather our bodyguards Mistion?
Mistion: Yes my friend, our troops will need our support this day.
As the enemy stormed out of the city, the Gondorian lines held strong and mere minutes after the enemy charge they were running back to their city. Durven and Mistion proceeded to cutting down the routers before they made it back to the gate.
In the west the messengers from Minass Tirith had finally made it to Lond Galen, the city of Lord Arveldir, the Guardian of the Western Borders.
Messenger: Greetings lord Arveldir. I bring tidings and commands from Steward Ecthelion.
Arveldir: Ah! A man of the White City is always welcome in these halls.
Messenger: Ecthelion is not pleased with the situation in the west. Long have you been entrusted with the protection of these borders and yet bandits fester in Annunlond not far west from here.
Arveldir took on an expression of shame and anger before he responded.
Arveldir: What would my lord and Steward have me do about this.
Messenger: The Steward commands that you gather all of the western forces and march on Annunlond with haste. When that is done you will take the rest of your forces north and offer yourself to Thengel.
Arveldir: Very well. I will gather my forces and send word to Pelilas of Pinnath Gelin immediately.
/End of Chapter 3
Chapter 4, Bandits and Plunder:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The summer breeze gently touched Arveldir's hair as he walked through the camp, inspecting his men. As he walked he saw the faces of them, they looked tired, restless. They were clustered around the cooking fires, wolfing down what food they could get from the rations. They didn't get much, even though they bought what they could from the local farmers there wasn't much to buy. The bandits holed up in the city had been plundering the surrounding lands for to long.
While he passed some more men, his second in command joined him. They walked throughout the camp whilst he gave reports on rations and the construction of siege weapons. Arveldir wasn't particularly interested, the reason he had a second in command was because he had never been much of a tactician. He was a soldier and a Governor, good with a sword and a keen sense of management, but the tactics of war had never much interested him.
However, something did catch his interest. “..also the siege weapons are finished, we are ready to attack the city and purge it of the bandit scum on your command”. “Good” Arveldir replied, “Ready the men, we attack within the hour.” He said as he took a left turn towards where his bodyguard resided.
The troops lined up for battle and the infantry advanced with the ram, Arveldir was no brilliant general but even he knew the basics of warfare.
When the troops made it to the gate with the ram, the unthinkable happened. Instead of letting the Gondorian troops come to them the bandits opened the gates and charged out, even though this would surely be their unmaking, Arveldir could not help but admire their courage.
As their forces called a retreat, Arveldir pulled his infantry out of the city. He lifted his sword high and let out a glorious shout; “Chaaaaaaaarge!”. As his cavalry repeated his cry he spurred his horse and made for the city.
At the city square, the cavalry clashed with the remaining bandits, whilst Arveldir's men were doing the butchers work he could smell the stench of dead horses and men throughout the square.
It did not take long before all but a few men were on the ground dying or already dead.
Meanwhile in Minas Tirith
Ecthelion was having his midday meal while a captain of the Fountain Guard read the reports to him. It was mostly uninteresting things as grain supply or trade income, however he waited patiently for the news he wanted and needed to hear.
“The messenger sent from Osgiliath reports that they were assaulted by the bridge. Forlong repelled the assault and pushed the orcs out of the city, we now control both banks my lord.”
Ecthelion felt a weight lifted of his shoulders as he heard the good news, and he nodded for the captain to go on.
“Also.. the messenger you sent to your son, Lord Denethor, reports that the lord has emptied the city of forces and gone south with the ships of Admiral Ohtar, he intends to plunder the corsair port Umbar.”
Ecthelion saw worry on the face of the captain, his son Denethor was well loved by the people and his death would cause great sorrow. And even though he felt that same worry in his heart he did not let it show and merely nodded for the captain to go on again.
Some days later, on the eastern banks of Osgiliath.
Benedrin scanned the helmets of his men as he shouted his orders. Forlong had done well in commanding the assault on the eastern bank, but he was not a fighting man, a tactitian and strategist yes but no fighter. Up on the high walls the archers stood with arrows nocked, ready to rain death on the orc horde closing in on the walls.
As captain of the Fountain Guard stationed in Osgiliath he was by law the second in command and he led the garrison here on the battle. Suddenly he heard bows being fired, the time had come.
The men looked worried as they heard the ram beat on the gates, it would not be long now.
As the gate buckled and broke a fearsome sight came upon the men, hordes of orcs outside the walls bent on the deaths and destruction of their people. But they stood, men of the Fountain Court would never turn tail and run. They would weather this storm.
Far in the south..
Denethor rejoiced as he saw dry land again, there the old Numenorean stronghold of Umbar lied. Once a jewel of the Gondorian Kingdom, now a den of pirates and thiefs. He would reclaim it for Gondor, for his father.
/End of chapter 4.
Discrepancies between Chapter 4 and the Follwing chapter are as follows:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Boromir is now in the story and holds Cair Andros.
Faramir takes over Forlong's role in Osgiliath.
Denethor is now steward, instead of Ecthelion.
Imrahil takes over Denethor's storyline in Dol Amroth and Umbar.
Durven is no longer present in Mistion's campaign in Harad. Miston is replaced by Derufin.
Turn numbers do not coincide well.
Reintroduction - Coruon's tale:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:The wind rattled in Coruon's cloak as he once again thought about how he came to be where he was, looking out over the abandoned orc pits of Isengard.
As a long standing veteran in service of the Ithilien Rangers, Coruon had been a skilled marksman, fighter, tracker and strategist. He had even been given command of his own company of Rangers under Lord Faramir. That was, until he had been sent to Erech.
As the local lord of Erech and his entire family fell ill and died, the settlement had found itself without a leader. As the Lord Steward, Denethor, had attempted to find someone to lead the settlement, Faramir had suggested that one of his seasoned Lieutenants take command of the town's garrison, while a council of elders oversaw day to day business of running a settlement.
After some consideration, Denethor had conceeded, and left it to Faramir to choose one of his lieutenants to send away. He had chosen Coruon. Coruon had been reluctant to leave the fight in Ithilien to command a small garrison in a backwater town that would only see combat if the entire eastern portion of Gondor had already fallen. However he could not simply refuse to go when Faramir obviously held him in high enough regard to give him an entire town to command. He was at once both honored and disgruntled that he had been given the assignment.
Only a few months after settling in and reviewing the garrison he had at hand, word arrived from Dunharrow that Rohan had been attacked by the treachorous dog Saruman. Appearantley the wizard had bred uruks and orcs in pits beneath the ancient Numënorean citadel of Isengard.
With little time to wait for orders from Minas Tirith, Coruon had gathered an army from Erech and the nearby settlements and marched to war. In a string of succesfull battles, he had beaten back the Uruk hordes to Isengard and laid siege to the inpenetrable walls. As he had nothing that could force it's way through those mighty barriers, he had chosen the tactic of starvation, slowly waiting his enemy out as they starved.
In the end, the hordes had spilled out of the gates during the night. Rank upon rank of uruks led by a chieftan who went by the name “Ugluk” made their way on the encampent.
Coruon was prepared.
As the enemy clsed in on the camp, thinking themselves subtle and hidden by darkness, Coruon's archers, hiding in the treelines flanking the camp, opened fire. Confusion and death spread through the enemy horde, quickly cutting down their numbers. Then Coruon commanded his axemen and spear men to charge out of the camp and engage the battered forces of the enemy, as he himself circled around the battle to hit them from behind with all of the cavalry at his disposal.
The battle was an astounding success, with minimal casualties among the Gondrians, while leaving the Isengard host destroyed. It was then Coruoun had ordered his men inside the citadel and personally overseen the remaining orc labourers scourged from their pits.
As Coruon looked out over the abandoned Orc Pits, he watched the southern horizon, dreading the counter attack he knew must come.
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