The Battle for Surud (Decisive Battle)

SURUD

Early fall, the three hundred and fifth year since the first Kantach unified. The sun had long set along the swirling Nihr river. Lined up in full marching order, the soldiers of the Kantach stood massed in the dark. Bitter the night may have been, but they were well used to extremes. For two weeks they had been following their loyal king, Gervatix II on their intrepid campaign, through the plains of Surud, the hills of Kantach, across the Nihr, to the margins of the world. Now, with their journey at an end, they stood poised at the edge of a blade to tip the end of the sword. They rounded the townsend of Surud in good marching order, six abreast with the cavalry in full stood along the northern ridge. Gervatix would give no rest to the heathens. He pulled the huge sword from it's scabbard at his side and swung it dutifully across the air, signaling the attack with Surud at their backs.

The cavalry broke wide, with Gervatix at it's head at a full jostle. Fifty-thousand strong with ten thousand of the greatest warriors the Kantach had ever mustered at it's center, the Kantach Horde came forward at a full run. They would give no time to deliberate to the Ezrian and Survaek hordes, or their barbarian Jonten hounds. They would give no time to breathe, no time to think. With the front established and hopefully minimal casualties from enemy archers, the wide breaking cavalry would be sent into the wide Eastern flank of the combined force, the intent to squeeze in as close as possible and cause a collapse.

The Surud themselves had been called to marching order as the battle was drawn, their cavalry to join Gervatix' own cavalry to bolster his numbers to sixty-thousand horses. The Surud Archers would march in deliberately behind the Kantach Tribesmen, the Surud Warriors and the dreaded Kantach Swordsmen and reign death upon the enemy skirmishers as well. Swollen with pride, Gervatix did not yet realize the defeat of Kuverax and would most likely be unaware of such an event until the Battle for Surud was decided. Still, Surud had been ancestral friends of the Kantach and Gervatix considered them friends and family alike. This was a battle of personal magnitude, and it was in his strong force of Cavalry slamming into the flank of the enemy that he pinned his hopes on such a decisive battle.

[ All right, since this battle is so critical, I am going to be posting for Asp and the Ezrian forces for this turn. Hopefully by the time the modmark comes around, Asp will be able to continue as overall commander. But this battle is absolutely decisive for the forum, and much can't happen without it being resolved..so..here I go. ]

'' NOCK! '' Thousands of arrows were fixed, the archers staring ahead at the approaching wall of humanity that came charging at them. The Survaek army, warned by the Ezrian cavalry force had pulled it's troops over a mile from the city. The King recognized that his army could not be caught between a hammer and an anvil, and had positioned his forces so that his troops no longer had their backs either to the approaching barbarian army nor to the cities defenders. The King had assembled much of his cavalry on the eastern flank, they were a small force, outnumbered two to one. With General Kommenous taking command of the western edge of the fight and Survaek infantry making up the center line. The elite pikemen had been held back in reserve, the King was aware that the enemy had a large force of cavalry and depending on where they struck wanted to commit them. The Survaekom was aware that reinforcements were on their way. His troops did not have to win the fight in the center, they just had to hold.

'' LOOSE! '' Steel rain fell, as volley after volley from thousands of Ezrian horse archers and Survaekom soldiers unleashed a torrent of fire into the charging barbarian horsemen and infantry. Kommenous watched men crumple, arrows sticking out of their torso's and necks, others kept up the charge. Even if they had an arrowhead stuck in their shoulders. A barbarian's courage was a terrible thing to witness. The Ezrian's for their part, were keen not to become involved in a massive swirling melee (but were prepared to cut their way out if they had too with their blades). The charging force kept coming, the Ezrian General could only hoped that the 'barrage' had been enough to break up the barbarian formation before they came crashing into the Survaekom troops.

The Survaek cavalry stationed on the East were not content to allow the Kantach charge to overwhelm them. Waiting until the archers had done their bloody work, finally the order was given. The Survaek horsemen surged forward, 30,000 of them in a wedge shaped formation to maximize the impact of their charge. Men were catapulted from their horses from the impact, others were cut down and stabbed as the riders passed by eachother. The Survaek could only hope that the archers had managed to break up the enemy charge and allow them the opportunity to carve a hole into the barbarian line.

Gudrick had arrayed his men slightly behind the Survaekom Battle line. His raiders adding their bows to the barrage on the Kantach forces. The hum of bowstrings filled his ears as the shafts flew above his head. He didn't know what the best course of action to take was never having seen a cavalry charge of this magnitude. His huscarls stood in loose formation, ready to form a shield wall in whatever direction they would be needed most.