Lancastrian Invasion - Northern England

[Gandalfus]

In Lothian, north of the Anglo-Scottish border, a force of seven-thousand-five-hundred Scotsmen gathers under the banner of the Black Douglas, who marched south three years ago to re-seat Lancaster on the throne, though the attempt was thwarted at Towton. Now, the Douglas prepares once more to lead his troops on a rampage through the north, hopefully gathering allies as they march south to attack the Yorkists from two fronts.

Force:
2100 Archers
700 Men-At-Arms
1400 Heavy Footmen
2800 Light Footmen

[Oznerol]

The newly-wed Beaufort arrives to Lothian to meet Douglas.

[Gandalfus]

Douglas was among the other Scottish nobles, distinguished by his apparent pre-eminence among the lords surrounding him - all of them were in a thick silence as he addressed them in an incomprehensible Gaelic tongue. As Beaufort approached, they stopped, and Douglas squinted at the Englishman.

"We meet again Somerset. Lets hope the campaign fares better than lest time, eh?"

[Oznerol]

"Let's hope so"

His armor had been repaired during his exile, a fine Milanese harness. The surcoat depicted the arms of Beaufort. His head, bare, the sallet resting under his arm.

"Douglas, noblemen of Scotland, I salute you"

He leaves the helmet on a squire's hands.

"How many men do we have, Lord Douglas?"

He asked.

[Gandalfus]

"Seven thousand, there or thereabouts. I hope we can muster some from your English friends, too, to bolster our numbers." Douglas was relatively tall, especially when bedecked in armour. Across his back hung a wicked two handed blade.

[Oznerol]

And Somerset was unmistakably short.

"Impresive"

Beaufort rested his crossed hands on the sword's pommel.

"Many will surely raise their banners, half England will raise in our behalf"

His gaze wanders around the tent.

"York hasn't even been crowned yet, Henry of Lancaster remains the sole rightful ruler of the lands south the Elk"

[Gandalfus]

"I agreed to fight for you already, didn't I? You don't need to convince me, Beaufort." The Scotsman grinned, his response prompting laughter from the other lords present.

[Oznerol]

"Then, let's talk about facts"

Said Beaufort bitterly.

"Exeter bent the knee, likely switched his coat. Most Eastern England is Yorkist: Essex, Kent, Suffolk, Norfolk, Exeter. We don't have any allies there. But Wales and Western England are brimming with Lancastrians. The Queen will likely land somewhere around Dover or Plymouth, it's the rational landing point. If our allies raise on the east we could effectively circle York in London, hammering him against the Queen's French army"

He looked at Douglas.

"If the Northern lords join us we could swiftly link with my own men from Somersetshire and the Welsh loyalists"

[Gandalfus]

"What about Percy? I don't want my arse to be filled with Northumberland's arrows as we march south. Didn't he bend the knee to York?" Douglas sighed, wondering what the point was of all this. Henry was a senile fool anyway, not worth fighting for.

[Oznerol]

"He did. Maybe we should send emissaries ahead, but that might reveal our movements beforehand, which could be dangerous"

Said Beaufort.

"But even if he betrayed us, he cannot single-handely oppose your host combined with that of other loyal lords, like Westmoreland, who fiercely hates his cousin, Salisbury"

[Gandalfus]

"We should make use of their allegiance; march through Cumberland and Westmoreland, regions whose loyalties are not doubted." Douglas grimaced, just hoping that Percy wasn't a traitor. If he was, it would make the advance south much more cumbersome.

[Oznerol]

"We should follow that course and swell our ranks with recruits from Lancaster and His Grace's feuds. Later, we could link with our western allies; Pembroke has been attainted but his men remember where his loyalties lie"

Said Beaufort.

[Gandalfus]

"We will have to contend with Mowbray's pup, of course - he sits in Carlisle castle as the warden. But we should have more than enough men to unseat him."

[Mary The Quene]

Several riders approach Lord Beaufort and announce themselves as loyalists to Lady Margaret.

Lord Beaufort, news has it that Lady Margaret has landed in Sussex, the invasions has started, she requests you to move your troops within England immediately to divide the Yorkists. A Force of tenthousand Frenchmen and Mercenaries are attempting to rally loyalists to reinforce her army before moving to fight Edward himself.

[Gandalfus]

The following AI lords and provinces along with their troops are present in the north of England at Beaufort's disposal:
Lancaster: 1800 men
Cheshire: 900 men
Cumberland: 150 men
Earl of Richmond: 300 men
Earl of Westmoreland: 900 men

[Oznerol]

ooc: This happened several hours ago.

The vanguard arrives to Alnwick Castle, seat and favored residence of Percy. The Anglo-Scottish army marches, in good order, towards the castle. Riders are sent ahead.

[Lucius Malfoy]

Just as the vanguard arrived, additional troops could be seen approaching Alnwick, bearing the banners of the Bishop of Durham. Yet instead of forming their lines, they joined the camp right outside of Alnwick which flew the Lancastrian banners. A group of riders issues forth to inform the vanguard that the Earl of Northumberland was expecting their arrival and he would meet with those who command those forces loyal to King Henry VI.

With the addition of Durham's troops, Henry Percy's swelled to over 5000 men.

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[Oznerol]

The earl is summoned to Beaufort's position. The bishop is welcomed as well.

[Lucius Malfoy]

The Earl appears before Beaufort with the Bishop not present. Henry looks at the Duke who lost them Towton for a moment before speaking.

"I would have thought you would be commanding the forces alongside the King and Queen, Your Grace. But no matter, your presence in the North will assure those loyal to Henry to join the cause and swell the ranks."

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[Oznerol]

"Her Grace needed me here. By the way, let me introduce you to James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas. Lord Douglas, the Earl of Northumberland"

Said Beaufort, gesturing towards the Scot.

"What have you done these years, Percy?"

Asked Somerset.