The Battle of Epirus Plains (Major Battle)

Arrows screamed as archers on the walls of Epirus sent volley after volley hurtling into the ranks of the barbarians. It had been a pitched battle for the past day, but when the Emperor's personal banner had appeared on the horizon a massive whoop had gone up from the cities defenders! Emperor Basil was here! The sun glinted off armor as the Ezrian Legion's deployed methodically, a wall of glinting metal as they advanced inexorably towards the Kurach lines.

The First, Second, and Fifth Ezrian Legion's made up the Emperor's center line, while the Third and Fourth Legion's along with the heavy cavalry formed up on the wings. The Ninth Auxilla Legion was held in reserve, ready to exploit a breakthrough in the Kurach line's as the Ezrian's moved to make contact. The Akritoi attached to the Ezrian army had begun lining up, using their superior range to hammer the lightly armed Kantach raiders with arrow fire. Meanwhile, the Tagmata (horse archers) had been detached by Emperor Basil to ride wide around the enemies left flank. The Tagmata would be charged with harassing the Kurach with lightning fast attacks, hitting Kurach troops with arrow fire and the occasional charge but never becoming too entagled. The Tagmata's objective was simple. Harass the enemy, keep the Kurach from retreating until the Ezrian main force could close with the Kurach and destroy them.

SUMMARY:
The Ezrian infantry and cavalry move to attack the Kurach, under the covering fire of it's archers in and outside the city. Meanwhile, 10,000 horse archers have been detached from the army to begin a series of light attacks on the Kurach host. Their main objective will be to block the Kurach's main line of retreat, counting on their archery skills and blades to keep the enemy hemmed in while the main force attempts to close the distance.

The assembly of five legions was one that Kuverax had not seen in some years. Their flying standards and aquilas gave even the hardiest warriors pause, and Kuverax may have been steady with a blade, he was no fool.

" Runner! "

The horse galloped up through the rolling meadow, darting across the leafy green plains with haste to heed the call of his commander. The Kantach Tribe was arrayed like the tribal people's they were ; without formation. Groups of men here, groups of men there and without Kuverax dreaded swordsmen! The man pulled his steed next to Kuverax and gazed at the incoming horde of legionnaires. Men who knew the comfort of a good wine, but not a good blade. Men who knew what pleasantries their gods could bestow upon them, the power of a coin, but not the power of nature. He reaffirmed himself with a quick clasp of the longsword at his side before gazing across his shoulder at the town of Epirus, it's huge walls like monsters that sought to impede him.

While the Ezrian archers fired their volleys, the Kantach had been well out of range, initially piecing together makeshift siege ladders they would use during the course of the battle to come, when instead the Emperor's force instead appeared to their rear, from the East. To the west meant Epirus, to the East meant the Emperor's Legions. There was but one direction to go. The runner, his horse at full gallop, ran off and within a few hours the staggered columns of furred and simple clothed tribesmen were moving north at a slight jog. The Murdoch had been given the head of the column, since it would be going into their territory again, back to the safety of the Murdoch, where they would have free range, and if followed would be in friendlier territory once more.

The Kantach Riders would come last with Kuverax also in tow. The Kantach Riders, unarmored and borne for speed would ensure the rear security .. especially from the Ezrian equites who also intended to attack from afar. However, given the fact that the remainder of the Ezrian force was heavily armored, he had doubts that they would catch his troops as they retreated northward, save their cavalry units. Should the Ezrian Cavalry attempt to catch them, Kuverax had preparation for such a plan.

Basil watched the progression of the battle grimly, standards fluttered in the light breeze, the cries of men drifted over green plains that were now stained blood red, and his army was closing the gap like a tsunami on a city. The people could try to flee and run, but the wave would catch them..and Basil would see the Kantach drowned in a sea of their own blood.

'' My Lord, is it time? '' Strategos (General) Andronikos asked, sitting at the Emperor's right.

'' It is. '' Basil intoned solemnly, as he raised his hand and tapped his left shoulder. A bannerman went forward, waving the flag for the cavalry to attack. Trumpets and horns sounded, riders bearing messages scrambled out carrying dispatches. The Tagmata which had bloodied and broken through the thin line of Kantach cavalry, attempted to increase their breakthrough. They ignored the staggering Murdok heavy infantry, instead riding towards the head of the barbarian force to launch a series of attack on the lightly armored tribesman to try and get the fleeing mass of humanity to halt. The cavalry archers would strike forwards, loosing arrows and hacking down individual troops before a knot of them would break away, only to wheel around and re-enter the fray.

But while the Tagmata were attempting to force the Kurach force to halt their column of retreat, the heavy cavalry of the elite ''Immortals'' were determined to crush the force beneath their iron shod hooves. At seventy yards out, they broke from their canter to a full gallop. On the left and right of the Kantach force, they swept past the Murdok and left them for the Legion's which were gaining ground on them. Their objective was the soft underbelly of the Kurach formation. A horn blast came as the wall of steel came closer, and then again when the troops made contact. Kurach were tossed like broken puppets into the air, blades flashed downwards, as the wedge shaped formations crashed in on the left and right. Meanwhile, the Legion's had broken into a run to attempt to fall upon the enemy from behind and end the Battle of the Plains before the enemy could slip away.

While Kuverax had distinctly ordered the general retreat, the Kantach Tribesmen hastily moving northward across the open plains with the more heavily armored Murdock at the fore, he had realized his mistake. Their platemail coverings slowing them, his entire column had been slowed with the decision to leave the Murdock at head of the column, since the Tribesmen had been forced to match their own speed. Arrows peppered the lines as the Ezrian light cavalry swooped in, apparently breaking through the lines of his own riders with some foul magic that caused the Kantach to break upon the mere sight of more civilized peoples on horse back. With a quick tug of his hand, he pulled his steed back eastward to face the oncoming threat, the unsheathing of his sword gave noise to his intention.

" Warriors of the Kantach! " Kuverax voiced, his sword pointed eastward. " Face these villains, and fell them! " The column of tribesmen, the more armored Murdock at the front, began to wheel around to form a battle line, the Murdock comprising the majority of the western wing as the Ezrian heavy cavalry sallied in. Junterax, leader of the Kantach riders waved his short blade in sign to Kuverax, who nodded and pointed across the plains. Wheeling their steeds around, they would make a wide circle and intercept the Ezrian Legionnaires, since the Ezrian's own light cavalry was pestering the soldiery and not the Kantach Riders. The next phase of battle was absorbing the blow of the heavy cavalry, a feat which would be nigh impossible with such unarmored troops.

Kuverax had dismounted his steed and pulled the shield from his back to join his men afoot. " Hold, " he shouted, readying his sword and shield as the impending cavalry charge came ever closer. " Hold I say! " He shouted again. The Murdock had not so carefully been placed along the left flank, but had found themselves there more on the virtue of events, and when the cavalry came crashing in, they would fight an enclosing movement; allowing the overzealous Ezrian Cavalry hack away at the unarmored tribesmen while the Murdock pinched them in on the left to either force them back, or surround and destroy them completely.

Near the rear of the formation, the Murdock Slingers lurked. Small peltasts with sacks of rocks at the waist who skirmished forward along the edge of the tribal formation, loosed their rock toward the charging Ezrian infantry and retreated back behind the line. Their swiftness and quick reload however might mean little if the Ezrians had decided to march in formation, but with the Ezrian heavy infantry in a full run, their inproperly used shields would mean little.

The sounds of pitched battle were nearly overwhelming, the enemy line were pushed back and back then reformed as they stubbornly gave resistance, the Ezrian's seemingly pouring in from all sides. Hole's were punched within the Ezrian line but the constantly reforming ranks did well at filling gaps. The Ezrian's held both the numerical and quality advantage, as the line stabilized the troops began to push forward. The leading three legions of the Ezrian center were reinforced by the Ninth Auxillary Legion, providing the critical massing of force needed to (hopefully) break the Murdok line. Meanwhile, the elite Athanatoi were attempting to slice and chop their way through the Kantach left and right flanks, now that the infantry caught up these cavalry were reinforced by two separate Legion's. Putting the pressure of an additional twenty thousand men on the beleaguered Kantach flanks.

'' SURRENDER! SURRENDER! '' The cries came up when it became apparent that the Kantach would be cut off and surrounded. No Ezrian wanted to face a Kantach who had no options in mortal combat after all, rather than fight to the death the Kantach would be given a choice. But it remained to be seen whether the Kantach whether at the leadership or individual level would accept as the crushing chokehold of Ezrian arms closed into a vice. The Tagmata at this point, reduced to only a handful retreated. Content to harass any enemy that attempted to break away from the melee with arrow fire.

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Alexos was bleeding from a head wound, his helmet knocked askew by a Kantach cudgel that had nearly brained him. Only his comrades had saved him, cutting down the Kantach before he could finish the job as they pressed into the deadly fray. Alexos blocked another low shield cut, his return blow slicing into a Kantach's arm before the barbarian veered away, lost in the midst of shifting and screaming men.

Alexos found himself next to the Third Legion's standard bearer, the man had stumbled down onto one knee. Alexos quickly saw the cause why, a Kantach arrow was buried deep within his shoulder. A lucky strike that had managed to penetrate the chainmail armor the soldier wore. But the Aquilla couldn't fall. He dropped his bloodied blade as he seized the standard from the veteran soldier. The golden eagle was stained with the blood, Alexos would guess that it had changed hands several times in the course of the brief but chaotic battle.

'' Rally to the eagle! '' He heard the Centurion bark at the battered cohort as they regrouped and pushed on.

The cry of battle, only a thousand yards from the towering city of Epirus left the Ezrian field stained with blood, foreign and native. Strategy had dissolved into simpleminded blood lust for the people of the Kantach, no different for the Murdock. Well prepared along the left flank, they'd have the upper hand against the Ezrian cavalry and a better parity of the Ezrian Legions, but their morale was suspect as they fought not for country, but coin. Instilled with a desire to see another sunrise, Kuverax ducked low under the blade of an Ezrian legionnaire, thrust forward with his great sword, parrying the legionnaire's huge shield and coming around with a second cut across the man's chest. It had been only his second kill of the day, and already he was drained of both morale and strength. His blade carried the blood of Ezrian nobility, or so he thought, but Kuverax considered himself no murderer. He instead sought to find a way out of the madness, a way perhaps not to victory, but instead of survival.

Perhaps it was his honor, but he could not force himself to sacrifice even the Murdock to the blood thirst of the Ezrians. They fought just as hard, perhaps even harder than his own troops. He gazed around, wading through the battlefield while his tribesmen ; outmatched and outnumbered, fought against the Ezrian Legions. There was no escape, no victory to this. By the hour the blood ran rampant and Kuverax had scored two more kills while his own people were butchered across the plain. While the Kantach horde slowly thinned and it became apparent that the meatgrinder of men and steel were not in their favor, Kuverax raised his sword in disgust and shouted.



" To the woods! To the woods! "

While they had fought bravely, they had been surprised and some greater, civilized mind had bested them. The retreat was quickly called, but perhaps not so quickly orchestrated as the tribesmen fled in nearly every direction. Some stayed to fight, to earn one more kill before fleeing, others were undoubtedly and mercilessly cut down by the rampaging heavy cavalry and casualties would be high. Kuverax himself relocated his horse, sheathed his blade (his shield had been discarded during the battle) and climbed atop the steed, reigning it in and giving it a harsh kick to set it off into a ride. The Murdock Warriors might been the first to be chased down, they might even surrender, but it was the scenery of his own men cut down that hurt him most. He kicked his steed further along, darting in and out of the running troops and avoiding Ezrian arrows from their own light cavalry as he headed toward the head of the retreating host.