Bear Island

[Pontifex Maximus]

Bear Island


Bear Island is the stronghold of Hugo Harlaw The Drowned. The coasts are expansive, but his ships patrol it as best they can. Incoming northern ships will have to contend with the possibilities of being spotted by these longships in their patrols.

Harlaw's strength is unknown, though he has been left unmolested for some time. It is possible the Ironborn have fortified the island, and just as possible that many of them have perished in this harsh, alien climate. Only the gods know for true.

[Pontifex Maximus]

With the Royal Host en route and the columns successfully landed, it would soon become apparent that the decisive battle to wrest control of Bear Island from the Ironborn would begin shortly.

Harlaw the Drowned commands a respectable host, but one that is outnumbered. The defenders of the island have had time to set up some defensive measures including traps in the field.

Harlaw the Drowned
(Full plate equivalent armor) Iron ring mail
(Bastard Sword equivalent) 1h battle axe and a shield

Rorik Fish-Eye
+2 battles, +2 rearguard, +2 pillager

Frishi the Cruel
+3 battle, +1 duels, +2 survival

800 Archers
1,000 Hearth Warriors
2,000 Light Infantry
1,000 Polearms
1,000 Heavy Infantry

[Poach]

The northern ships disgorged the Greystark forces onto the beach, thousands of men storming ashore in the early morning forming the first wave of a vast invasion, aimed at pacifying the island with overwhelming force and claiming it for the North.

Sigorn commanded the initial landing party, wading ashore and forming a closely-huddled shield wall, eyeing carefully the treeline for any defenders. It was highly unlikely that any would be prepared, as the fleet was able to cross to Bear Isle without sighting any Ironborn warships, suggesting that the defenders were not aware of the invasion. Lights could be seen in the distance up the coast, likely fishing villages, and so the alarm would be raised by now: the Ironborn were likely to respond in force later in the day after they'd gathered their forces.

"Build a pallisade, secure the landing beach." grumbled Harrion to his two sons once the three had met on the shore, the last of the Greystark men disembarking their boats and rushing to join their comrades on the sand. Their job was simple: establish a beachhead, allow the rest of the army to land, and then they would destroy the Ironborn defenders.

* * *

By the time the ships had made their return with the second wave, swiftly completing the short journey between Bear Isle and the Northern coastline where the combined armies of the great Northern houses were gathered, the Greystark forces were hard at work dragging trees into a crude but useful barricade, offering the infantry shelter and the archers an elevated position from which to scan the woodlands.

Harrion stood on the edge of the beach at the waterline, watching the first boats of the next wave making their way to the shore. He would see who the next House was to wade ashore.

Already, Ironborn scouts had been sighted at the perimeter. Small groups of horsemen and archers, obviously sent by the masters of the island to ascertain the extent of the invasion they faced. No doubt by now riders would be travelling the length of the island, summoning the Ironborn settlers to arms. They'd be gathering far inland somewhere, preparing themselves in an army.

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

[Gandalfus]

As soon as they had landed, the Dustin infantry raised their banners across the shore; twin longaxes and the snarling direwolf would be seen by any approaching the island. As the infantry set up an encampment, the cavalry force patrolled the shores, with a small group of them riding northwards to determine if any substantial Ironborn force was nearby.

[Poach]

[OOC: On the assumption the fleet is offloading the army in generally the same place...]

Lord Greystark found Lord Dustin arraying his own forces around the ever-expanding beachhead the Northerners had established, just as the riding parties were getting their orders to go out into the woodlands that covered the islands.

"Few of theirs been sniffing 'bout the edges of camp." he growled, "Army's gathering, they know we're here. Your boys best keep a sharp eye, woods'll be crawling with them now."

[Gandalfus]

"Horse are watching the perimeter. If they try anything, we'll know." Dustin replied, looking up from a hastily drawn map of the island etched into a piece of animal hide. "But the sooner we march, the better. Being out here in the open doesn't put me at ease."

[Poach]

"How many more men to come?" asked Harrion.

The armies of Houses Dustin and Greystark numbered just shy of seven thousand men, a formidable force in its own right. Still, Harrion knew troops from the Wolfswood and Winterfell were also gathering their strength for the campaign, but he had not had the opportunity to make contact with them before boarding the ships.