[IB AAR] Severus The God

[Junius]

Great update, really enjoying the Pict's Europe holiday.

[Edward lV]

Nice update.

[ReD_OcToBeR]

This is a great AAR..excellent writing man.

[Sunbird Alkibijad]

This is a great AAR..excellent writing man.

Yup!

[Juvenal]

@Aster - Hey, this isn't luck, it's my patented Roxors MadSkillz (plus the Pause key). The Franks are tough (those two-handed axemen are their elite unit).

@bomberboy - Drest lost a battle in my previous AAR. Despite dark suspicions aired on these boards, I didn't deliberately lose, there is just a limit to what you can do with levy troops.

@Mr. Cursed - Thanks, I was really pleased with this last episode. By the way, I'm not using Pictish levy any more (Gairlom, Dimba), these are the Pictish elites, but they still aren't all that good.

@Kallum - The Franks have a lot more armies and can recruit more than me as well. Cirech is about to run into the problem the human player usually faces where they have been victorious, but the army is getting worn down to nothing. There is yet another field battle in the next episode, on the same battlefield.

@fergusmck - Thanks for the rep earlier. It's great to see that people read the advertising thread.

@twking - Thanks for your support.

@ReD_OcToBeR - Another recruit from the advertising thread? Welcome to my AAR and thanks. I'll look in on yours too shortly.

@Sunbird Alkibijad - Thanks, new episode coming soon.

[charles the hammer]

great cant wait for an update.

[Juvenal]

IX: ALETUM CONCLUDED

“Rarus enim ferme sensus communis in illa Fortuna”
(Generally, common sense is rare in the (higher) rank)
Juvenal

The Parley
The Frankish force halted near the site of the previous day's battle. Cirech drew up his army across the road to Abrincates, where his wounded had already been sent. The Franks remained at the foot of the hill for several hours and Cirech had the opportunity to assess their strength.

Prince Hariulfus did not seem to be present, and the Frankish force was inferior to that of the Picts, even in their current battle-worn condition. Cirech wondered if they were waiting for Hariulfus to come up with his main body.



In the late afternoon, a small party of horsemen detached themselves from the enemy and approached the Pictish line for a parley. Cirech met them with Gartnait and a few Mormaers. The Frankish commander Chloderic spoke with an aide, who translated into halting Latin for the benefit of Cirech (whose Latin was also halting).

“My Lord, Prince Hariulfus of Condate, demands that you take your bandits back to Hatomagus. If you do not leave immediately then you will all be killed”.

Cirech was somewhat surprised by this, especially given that his own army was in plain sight on the hillside, “Do you mean to accomplish this feat with yonder army?”

After the reply was translated, Chloderic reacted with fury and responded with a rapid fusillade in his Germanic dialect. The aide condensed this tirade, “Every Frankish warrior is worth a dozen of your stinking bog-scum, you will flee from us just as you have always run from the Romans, prepare to die!”

The Frankish party reined in their horses and, without another word, galloped back to their lines.

The Battle
True to Chloderic's word, the Frankish army lurched into movement as soon as he returned. They marched uphill toward the Picts in a compact mass of three lines, elites leading, levy spearmen behind and Chloderic's light cavalry bodyguard bringing up the rear.

The sun was low in the west and the Romano-British archers had difficulty finding the range against the sunset. Emboldened by this, the Franks picked up their speed until they were trotting up the hill. Soon the archers were obliged to quit their position in front of the army to avoid being run down.



The Chodaoer loosed their javelins bringing down a good number of Franks, but a moment later the enemy had closed the range and replied with a swarm of throwing axes. Several unlucky Chodaoer were killed outright by falling axes.

The enemy Frankeska Heriban band, led by a mad warrior with a draco standard, had drawn slightly ahead of their main body. He happened to stop and turn to beckon his comrades at the exact moment that they came into range of Cirech's Foederati infantry. Every one of those twelve-score mercenaries threw his first javelin simultaneously. There was a terrible moan from the enemy as the whole front rank were struck down. The draco bearer himself was pinned to the ground, transfixed with three javelins while a dozen more stood around him like fence-posts.



Incredibly, despite the slaughter, the Franks seemed to shake themselves momentarily, and then resumed their advance. The stunned Foederati, forgetting to withdraw, soon found themselves pinned by these Franks and their Heriban comrades advancing on their left.

Cirech released the armoured spears and the Chodaoer to the control of Finechta so that he could reinforce his pikemen and Milites, telling him to hold the line at all costs. It was just in time, because two bands of Frankeska Heriskara slammed into the pike line, now only half the strength it had been in yesterday's battle. Chodaoer remained in the battle line to protect the pikemen with their axes.



Cirech saw Finechta's brave men hold the Frankish charge. He peered over them to see what reserves the enemy had, and was delighted to see that they were all levy spearmen. He trotted over to Calgacus and ordered him to take half his reserve swordsmen around the left flank. Cirech took command of the other half himself for an attack around the right flank. He told Gartnait to take all the cavalry in a wide sweep to the right and fall upon the Frankish rear.



It was a stirring attack. Most of the Frankish second line turned toward Cirech, while the single band facing Calgacus retreated, allowing him to attack the flank of the Frankeska Heriskara who were chewing up Finechta's spearmen.

While Cirech's infantry fought the remaining levy spears, his cavalry made straight for Chloderic and his bodyguard. Mormaers and Graal knights had no difficulty with the lightly armoured enemy cavalry, and Chloderic's retainers gave up their lives in vain, unable to save him from a Pictish spear to the gut.

Gartnait found Chloderic as he lay writhing in agony on the ground. While one of his Marchan held the Frank's hair, Gartnait struck the head from its shoulders with a single blow, and had it raised on a spear for the remaining Franks to see and despair.



The Frankish levies were beaten and they streamed away in rout, but the elites fought on, even after the Pictish swords closed in behind them. There was nothing more Cirech could do as an army commander. He had to watch his best warriors being worn down one by one as the stubborn Franks were slowly destroyed.

The failing light of dusk was further darkened by roiling black clouds and drenching rain. But eventually the deed was done. Only wounded Franks remained, and they were soon dispatched by Gartnait's men while the men of Finechta and Calgacus collapsed from exhaustion.



There were no pyres this night. The army returned to its camp and Esselt took charge of tending to the fresh batch of wounded men. Cirech sent couriers with urgent requests for reinforcements, and contemplated the best course of action. Prince Hariulfus still had a garrison of unknown size at Condate, so remaining here was not an option.

In the end Cirech decided to he ought to try for Condate and hope that the enemy were weak, or if not, that help would come in time.

[Selifator]

Very nice update! Cirech had better be lucky, or else he's going to be in a load of trouble!

[Xavier Dragnesi]

Great read to start off the morning, having just gotten up.

[Legio]

Stellar update Juvenal

[Hesus de bodemloze]

Wonderful AAR.

[Antiochos VII Sidetes]

Another wonderful update.

A question on the Picts, though:

That pseudo-phalanx unit of spearmen, what use is it? Does it hold them off from the wielders of the pikes like a Macedonian phalanx, or is it just a pretty levy unit?

[bomberboy]

They're probably levies. Cirech has made a big gamble.

[Sunbird Alkibijad]

He who dares, wins!

[bomberboy]

He who dares, wins!

True, but not always.

[Sunbird Alkibijad]

True, but not always.

You just have to use the nerf bat on me, eh ?!?!

Of course, I must agree, but: ^{fortes fortuna adiuvat}!!!

[Entropy Judge]

That pseudo-phalanx unit of spearmen, what use is it? Does it hold them off from the wielders of the pikes like a Macedonian phalanx, or is it just a pretty levy unit?

They're probably levies. Cirech has made a big gamble.

Well, he said in his reply to Mr. Cursed on the 21st that he isn't using levies anymore, and the units in the battle are elites. As for how it fights - seeing as I don't have the mod, I don't feel qualified to answer, but it looks like they have some ability to hold units away from them, although the shortness of the spears means they only have a couple rows able to attack the enemy.

[Kátz]

Great! The Picts kicked some more asses!

[bomberboy]

Well, he said in his reply to Mr. Cursed on the 21st that he isn't using levies anymore, and the units in the battle are elites. As for how it fights - seeing as I don't have the mod, I don't feel qualified to answer, but it looks like they have some ability to hold units away from them, although the shortness of the spears means they only have a couple rows able to attack the enemy.

They look like levies though.:hmmm:

[Edward lV]

cool update as usual.