Sir Darius could not believe the stubbornness of these “defenders” of Middenheim. It seemed the taint of Mousillon’s past was stronger than the threat from Archaon himself! No matter what the heralds told the empire men, they would not believe the Bretonnian forces were here to help. Thus, Sir Darius found himself in a battle that he did not want to wage. Not only against a misguided foe, but this battle would delay the Mousillon forces from engaging the chaos hordes that were converging on Middenheim. Turning to the empire force arrayed against him, the general saw that it composed of entirely mounted troops, and mostly knights at that. Even two cannons were hitched to horses on the left flank. Sir Darius could see the knights hiding behind the lesser nobles, “pistoliers” if he recalled correctly. “No matter, the Lady will protect us” Darius thought as he knelt to pray.
The empire forces advanced, the knights still behind the faster cavalry. Sir Darius also noticed a group of Kislev lancers on the left flank, their feathered adornment already whistling in the wind. Some sort of lone hero mounted on a pegasus (which was, of course, no match for the noble flying steeds of Bretonnia) flew off the hill where the galloper guns were perched. The warrior priest’s chant was easily dispelled, though the wizard—of the celestial order it appeared—managed to cast some weak spell. A resounding explosion sounded from the top of the hill as one of the cannons exploded, and the other one’s shot fell ridiculously short. “A befitting end for those cowards who would rely on artillery” Darius thought.
Suddenly, Darius and Sir Hector’s units of young knights could not hold their enthusiasm and charged the Blazing Sun knights in front of them, though the empire men promptly fled, leaving the two lances somewhat stranded. Sir Marius moved his questing knight unit to protect Sir Hector’s exposed flank, and the yeomen and pegasus knights moved forward on the right flank. The peasant bowmen on the right flank moved toward the abandoned farmstead, and all of the peasants’ arrows failed to penetrate the armor of the knights. The damsels, Cassandra and Hecamede, both failed to call upon sufficient power to cast their spells. Sir Darius looked ahead at the awaiting Panther knights and braced himself.
The empire forces surged ahead on all fronts. Darius could see the pegasus hero charge the pegasus knights, and a rider near the galloper guns charged the mounted peasants. Two of the yeomen fell to the charge, but they held. The captain on the pegasus failed to wound the Gallant, but he held despite being outnumbered. The pistoliers on the left flank charged the peasants behind the stakes, but bowmen killed three of their number, forcing the young nobles to rethink their charge and flee. The Panther knights led by the warrior priest charged into the two lances, and Sir Darius called out a challenge. In the ensuing melee, one errant knight fell, and the priest and Darius fought to a draw. Although the empire knights were overwhelmed, they held their nerve as the White Wolf grandmaster was nearby. The Kislev horsmen wheeled toward the right flank, and the cannon on the hill blasted a knight from his saddle on the left flank. The pistoliers on the right flank charged the questing knights, and their position blocked the large unit of White Wolf knights from engaging in combat. The questing knights cut all of the upstarts down without losing any of their own, and quickly overran into the flank of the White Wolf unit. The fight amongst the pegasii knights continued, and still the captain held his ground.
Following up on their impetus, the questing knights and Sir Marius cut down three of the White Wolves, and routed the large unit, scattering them amidst the ruins which the Bretonnian knights found themselves mired. The lone horsemen killed the remaining peasants, and although the captain wounded the Gallant, his nerve finally broke and he was cut down in his attempt to flee. As the melee on the right flank continued, no knights fell, but the empire men still held—Sir Hector had forgot to adjust his position and did not join combat yet. The bowmen on the right moved into the yard, seeking shelter behind the fences. Their shots claimed one of the recently rallied Blazing Sun knights, and the other bowmens’ shots bounced harmlessly off the cannon. As Cassandra cast her magic, the woods came alive, claiming two Kislevite horsemen who fled from the animated trees—they would never return to the fray.
The pistoliers rallied, and the cannon turned to fire point blank into the pegasus knights, killing the noble Gallant. Despite the Blazing Sun knights failing to reach the melee, the young knights were forced to regroup. A single knight fell from each side, and still the enemy knights refused to yield. Sir Darius gave them grudging respect for holding on so long. The warrior priest and wizard’s incantations were easily dispelled, and Darius was glad that he had brought the extra damsel to the field.
The pegasus knights charged the cannon crew, killing two and running the final one down in revenge for their fallen brethren. The pistoliers attempted to stand and shoot the charging errant knights, but failed to wound and then were promptly wiped out despite the challenge the marksmen called out to the grail knight. The bowmen on the left flank shot the newly exposed wizard, silencing his magic forever. Another knight fell from each side (Sir Hector finally having joined the melee), and Sir Marius finally managed to wound the warrior priest, having found a kink in his foe’s armor. Unsurprisingly, the empire knights held.
The Blazing Sun knights finally charged into the ongoing melee, killing two of the young knights. This time, the battle was a draw as Sir Marius’ blessing saved him from the great hammer the priest was swinging frantically. The lone figure continued killing peasants, this time routing the entire unit of bowmen on the left flank.
His luck was to run out however, as Hecamede’s magical prowess claimed him with a flurry of gnarled tree limbs. After killing one of the Blazing Sun knights, the empire men could no longer hold and broke, forcing panic in the Panther knights. Both were run down by the pursuing Bretonnians, and no empire men were left on the field.
Sadly wiping the blood from his sword, Sir Darius hoped that no one would doubt their intentions any longer and delay them in facing the chaos horde.
