Amorica - A Tale of Lancelot, Bors, Galahad & The Frankish Wars

[King Arthur]

Amorica, once a peaceful Kingdom, where the people of Britain fled from the Saxon onslaught. As their villages burned in the distance they set out for a new life full of hope. On the shores of Brittany they found that hope & a rich, prosperous Kingdom flourished. The kingdom of Llydaw was born. Her armies were great & the thunder of the Llydaw heavy cavalry was feared throughout the kingdom & beyond. Peace reigned for a number of years, before the Franks, a war like & savage germanic peoples from the eastern reaches of the kingdom turned their attention to our rich & fertile pastures. Battle commenced & two of our mightiest champions, Bors & Galahad led the assult on their strong holds, a great victory followed & our Kingdoms borders expanded. A new peace was formed between our people, but alas the Franks are treacherous & once again they have gathered their forces under a new war chief & have set up camp on our eastern frontier. Fear not, for we have Lancelot, heir to the throne & great warrior even at his young age:



Then we have Bors, a great warrior of proven skill, who guards our troubled frontier:




Lastly, there is Galahad, another champion of Llydaw, who will show no fear to our enemies:




Our spies & scouts report that a new mighty war chief has gathered the Frankish tribes under one banner & prepars for war.The newly conquered town of Alet, under the rule of Bors is his target.




Help will not come from our allies across the sea, they are themselves in a desperate fight for their own survival against the dreaded Saxons, we must look to our defences & to our mighty champions to push back the Franks & maybe one day we can sail to Britain & aid Arthur against his enimies.....

Some of you will recognise the main characters & setting from 'The Winter King' by Bernard Cornwell - I wanted to play as these 'mythical' warriors in their struggle against the Franks & ATW is the perfect base for my campaign. I've obviously altered the Llydaw names & family tree to incoporate the new characters & also given them 2 new starting provences - Darioritum & Domnonia - this was mainly to help with the finances & also it brings them into contact with the Frankish rebel armies from game start instead of the Breton rebel armies who used to occupy the provences.

If you are interested I will post screens of the struggles that await Lancelot, Bors & Galahad?

To arms brothers, a storm is coming.....

[Agraes]

Really nice AAR start!

[King Arthur]

*****CHAPTER ONE REBEL ASSULT*****

Our peace did not last long, we found enemy spies in our towns & the omens were bad. Christian priests prayed to our Lord & in secret Druids praticed their dark magic.



The omens proved to be true & an army of Lordless men dared to attack the might of Llydaw!!



Bors, one of our Kingdoms sworn defenders brought his army back from the Frankish frontier to lift the siege



He arranged his men for battle



Archers to the front, his trusty Aulue formed his front line backed up by his skirmishers. his heavy spearmen & champions formed the last line. the flanks were protected by the famous Black Shields of the Aeson Llydaw & Llydaw Heavy Cavalry. The enemy marched boldly towards us & Bors ordered his archers to open fire:



First blood to Llydaw!
Our left flank was threatened by enemy Light Cavalry, so the Legendary Llydaw Cavalry charged home & routed them.



More enemy cavalry threatened the right flank, but this was secured by the Aeson Heavy Infantry. A swift melee commenced but the enemy were no match for our warriors!



The enemy infantry charged & tried in vain to smash their way through our solids lines



They were met with a shower of javelins from our Black Shields & despatched by cold steel. The enemy lines were faltering & our great leader Bors sensed victory. he decided to end the battle personally & led his bodyguard in a charge against the enemies Heavy cavalry



After a swift & bloody exchange the enemy routs & Llydaw are victorious! Praise be to God for such a glorious day!




After the battle, Bors rounds up the survivors & questions them. The screams of the captives are heard throughout our camp, to this day they still me make shudder. Our Lord has discovered that the Frankish General paid the rebel's to attack us. Bor's has guessed the Franks wish to test our strenght first before a full campaign is launched. The remaining rebels swear loyalty to Bor's & join our ranks.



In retribution we lay siege to the rebels strong hold of Guadel. This we hope will stop their raids into our lands so my master Bor's & his battle brother Galahad may prepare for the pending battle with the Franks.



The men drink & cheer for our victory today. Myself I stay sober. We fought rebels today, landless, lordless men, when we have such a victory over the Franks then I will cheer & thank our Lord God that I lived to tell the tale......

[Gaius Baltar]

Looks like you will have your hands full with the small gathering of forces to your east. Great campaign. You should go into your preferences file and turn off arrow markers.

[Dooz]

Very nice, looking foward to more. Indeed I wanted to suggest turning off those nasty green arrows as well, I can't bear to look at them.

[Agraes]

I really love AAR and I can only incit people to make them!

[Antagonist]

I agree, very nice AAR. Keep it up.

Antagonist

[King Arthur]

Thanks for the support & interest guys

It's going to be tough facing those large stacks of Frankish warriors!! They have lots of nasty anti armour Axe wielding troops which out number me 3:1. Already I am in a battle for survival! The usual tactics of pin the enemy infantry down & then flank with cavalry is not an option, as I only have one unit of cav per army (excluding my Generals) & the Franks have 4!!! The battles will be bloody & I hope I have enough troops left after to hold onto my Kingdom

I'll try & get Chapter 2 posted later today.

[King Arthur]

*****CHAPTER 2 THE SIEGE OF GUADEL*****

Our great leader Bors has just received a messanger who has reported sighting a large Frankish army heading towards us, they will be here by summer. Not wanting to be caught between a sally from Guadel & a frontal assult by Franks, Bors orders the construction of battering rams to use on the towns wooden pallaside.



Construction is soon completed & we launch our attack upon the rebel strong hold



Our forces line up for battle & the rams are pushed towards the walls!



Glory be to God, we are through the gates & into the enemies strong hold!



Once inside the fighting was brutal. Combat inside a town is a cramped close affair no room to breath let alone swing a sword. Our charge was glorious & the enemy were already retreating!



All throughout the settlement I could hear the clash of steel, the dull thud of weapons against shields & screams of dying men. I prayed to God those screams were those of the enemy.






All around us the enemy forces were retreating. Bors brought his Body Guard foward to oversee the last stage of the battle.



The battle raged in the towns center & brave warriors cut down the enemy leader in a brutal exchange of swords, spears & shields.




At the death of their chief, the rebls are crushed & we are again victorious.
We lost many good men today, it was a victory we had to achieve. It shows our enemies we are strong & has expanded our kingdoms borders aswell as increasing her coffers. This will help to replace our fallen brothers & train new warriors to face the Franks.





Our master as ordered us to rest here in our settlement of Guadel. The High King has issued orders for new troops to be trained & sent to the frontier. These new troops head for Alet & the command of Galahad. Bors has orders to remain in Guadel for now & maintain order. Galahad we hear is organising a large force to confront the Franks in open battle. His orders are simple, destroy the large gathering of the Frankish tribes to the east. This I fear will not be easy. So, I will prepare for garrison duty & some much needed rest & I shall pray for Galahad & his men as he marches into Frankish territory.....

[Gaius Baltar]

Another great installment. I like your blow-by-blow commentary. It will be interesting to see some of the larger battles with the rebels groups, they are tough customers for sure.

[King Arthur]

*****CHAPTER 3 THE MARCH OF GALAHAD*****

Our orders finally came through. Part of me wishes they never had. Alet is a nice town, a short walk to the beach, decent weather & decent women ha! Alas, I'm a soldier & trained to kill, so I am also relieved to be on the march again. I've heard the tales of Bors lads of glory & booty, I need some of that. I cant help but feel we got a raw deal, I mean those lads down south came up against a rebel band of disorganised criminals & everyone thinks 'em heroes, me & my lads have to march with Galahad into enemy territory & take the scum head on, suicide if you ask me.....



Our scouts report the main enemy armies are directly to our east. Now Galahad is a smart general, but his next move suprised all of us! We expected the army to move south & behind enemy lines to pick off the tribes one by one, Galahad had other ideas. Some of our spies had infiltrated a Frankish town by the name of Nantes directly south of our position, they say it is pratically unguarded! This was to good an opportunity to miss, so galahad led the men south & launced an assult on the town!



It was not long before the gateway fell into our hands.



Once inside the city our soldiers made short work of the defenders with cold hard steel.




It was agreat day for the Kingdom of Llydaw as Nantes was added to her borders!



Let me tell you brothers, Alet was peaceful & quiet but Nantes is a huge town the likes of which I have never seen before! I made a small fortune in loot & Galahad a fortune in slaves. The town had a metal works & this pleased my Lord as we were now able to repair & armour & forge new suits for the coming war against the Franks. We rested & re grouped behind the high stone walls of our new town & when our strength was renewed Galahad led the men out & into an attack on the enemies position!



We met the enemy in a sparse woodland & after the marching was over our Cavalry spotted the enemy trying to out flank us on our left. They spured their horses forward & crashed through the trees into the helpless foe.



The defeat of their cavalry in the woods spreads a panic through the enemy lines & they start to re form their lines in front us, foolishly presenting their flank to our front!



Galahad orders the toops forward & our front line attempts to punch straight the enemies centre



Whilst the combat rages across our centre the right flank is secured by the Aeson Llydaw who see off the threat of the enemies Cavalry



The enemy has reformed & now begins to press hard on our center, for the first time in my life I feel the fear of death but I hold my nerves as I take a sword blow to my shield & thrust my own blade into a mans throat, I'm covered in a spray of warm blood & I howl with the rush that only battle can bring!



Disaster! I look to my left & see our entire centre drop their weapons and retreat, the men have lost heart against the superior numbers the enemy have brought this day & the savage barbarians follow the retreat & cut our men down like dogs!!



My head tells me the day is lost, but we still have good men to carry the fight against the enemy & my heart says stay & fight. I grip my shield tighter & bellow a war cry as we advance shields locked towards the enemy lines. A sea of spears awaits us, but I do not fear them. A horn sounds in the distance & their before us is Galahad & his Knights, swords drawn they charge straight into the enemy formation & I swear I saw my lord take the head clean from the body of the enemy general! At the death of their leader the once savage barbarians begin to loose heart & I lead my men in a counter attack to avenge our fallen brothers!





From the jaws of defeat we have turned the tide & now the enemy flee's from us! We hunt down the remnants of the barbarians & my men ambush & rout their cavalry in the woods.



The battle is won & the day is ours! We lost too many today, but we have sent a message to the Frankish Lords that Llydaw will not surrender without a fight!




I say a quiet thanks to God for our victory today & pray for our fallen. Even though we have won, there are still numberless Frankish warbands to fight & I fear that Llydaw, for all her great victories, may not have enough men to bear arms in the coming months. We head back to Nantes to train new recruits & recover from our wounds. This is just the start, the Storm has yet to come......

[swabian]

The show must go on! Don't give up! Wise decision of you to use lots of Marca Llydaw, though you should try to get your hands on Marca Contwn as well. Maybe you should use more Aeson Llydaw instead of Aulue. Against the Antrustions your Rherel are enough.

[Agraes]

Excellent read again!

[King Arthur]

The show must go on! Don't give up! Wise decision of you to use lots of Marca Llydaw, though you should try to get your hands on Marca Contwn as well. Maybe you should use more Aeson Llydaw instead of Aulue. Against the Antrustions your Rherel are enough.

Thanks for the tips Swabian. Regarding the use of more Aeson Llydaw, the thought had crossed my mind.It would be interesting to find out how an 'historical' Amorican army would have lined up for battle. I chose to use alot of Aulue as these are the Levy & I assumed they would be more numerous than the Aeson Llydaw? I've no problem basing an army around a core of the Llydaw specific troops if this is a good representation of history?

[Agraes]

Actually, there is only theories about warfare in this era, especially for the Britons. No carving, nor sword or helm have been discovered for them, and litteral sources say very little (except maybe Irish ones, not yet all translated and published). The reconstitution we propose of them is a based on extrapolation of late roman, saxon and irish warfare, and also of the later welsh and breton warfares. However, this was an heroic society, where the king or prince retinue hold the first role, in case of the Britons, well-armored warriors on horseback.

What we know of the Breton military came essentially from the IXth century. Brittany was briefly incorporated in the Frankish Carolingian Empire, until the death of Louis le Pieux. Then, the Brittany governor, Nominoé, rose against the new Frankish king, Charles the Bald. His son Erispoé will won the great victory of Messac, and will be the first recognised king of an united and free Brittany (kings of our "Llydaw" were called comes, that is counts, by the Franks).

Erispoé military power lied in his cavalry. This was not the heavy frankish cavalry of middle ages, but a kind of "light" or "medium" cavalry. Bretons used a lot a kind of guerrilla warfare, and the heavy frankish infantry was often stuck in swamps while beeing continuously harassed by showers of javelins throwed by the breton cavalry. It is likely that most nobles and their households fought like this. People unable to afford horses and armor probably fight as militia.

The Aeson Llydaw are also guerilla warriors, but unmounted.

So, well, a lot is free for your imagination, and I guess you started well on this

[King Arthur]

Erispoé military power lied in his cavalry. This was not the heavy frankish cavalry of middle ages, but a kind of "light" or "medium" cavalry. Bretons used a lot a kind of guerrilla warfare, and the heavy frankish infantry was often stuck in swamps while beeing continuously harassed by showers of javelins throwed by the breton cavalry. It is likely that most nobles and their households fought like this. People unable to afford horses and armor probably fight as militia.

The Aeson Llydaw are also guerilla warriors, but unmounted.

Agraes, thank you for this information, this is perfect I will now base the army on a core of Aeson & Marca Llydaw (well for chapter 5 at least. Galahad has an 'old' style army containing Aulue for chapter 4.....) I like the idea of a guerilla war as it will add to the fight for survival theme I'm hoping for....

Thanks again

[Gaius Baltar]

Another great installment. Which infantry unit are you in?

[King Arthur]

Another great installment. Which infantry unit are you in?

Thanks Gaius. The soldier who narrates Galahad's tale is the Captain of a Campwyr unit & the soldier from Bors' tale is a member of the Aulue (he's proved himself in battle so a promotion looms...). Lancelot will also be on the march soon

[Dooz]

Loving it, great battle, heavy losses! Those are always fun to read. What difficulty are you playing on, campaign and battle?

[King Arthur]

Loving it, great battle, heavy losses! Those are always fun to read. What difficulty are you playing on, campaign and battle?

Thanks Wonderland! I'm playing on Hard/Hard.

Yep, the battles are bloody & unforgiving. Wait for the next chapters, thoses Frankish axes sure do hurt!