Border Princes Turn 8 Battle Report: Da Bushwhack Bash (aka 'The First Battle of La Maisonvert Abbey)

Da Bushwhack Bash (aka 'The First Battle of La Maisonvert Abbey')

Aided by a loyal merry band of woodsmen, Tybalt du Boix de Balzac sought to claim the forests north of Malko by re-taking the ruined Bretonnian abbey of La Maisonvert, long reclaimed by the forest but still of great strategic significance in the wild.  Tybalt was more wise and prudent than his crusading brother-in-law Baron Odo, and avoided a reckless charge into the dense ranks of savage orcs, trolls and greenskins. 

Rather, Tybalt held his veteren knights of the realm and otherworldly Grail Knights in check even as doomdivers wrecked havoc around them, waiting for just the right moment to charge.  All the while brave squires mounted upon their doughty horses rode in and out of the greenskin lines, taunting them with bowfire, drawing out their fanatics and trying to draw them out of the tight defensive position they had formed in the clearing.  Meanwhile, the merry band of brigands (er… bowmen) who had guided Tybalt to the clearing desperately rained flaming arrows down upon the horrific mangler squig which hurtled ominously across the battlefield.

Seeing that Tybalt was unlikely to be drawn into a charge and that the goblin doom-divers were struggling to find their mark, the wily Orc shaman Plodda da Olda summoned the Greenskin gods themselves to battle: the power of Gork (or was it Mork?) rained repeatedly down on Tybalt and his proud knights, who sought in vain to flee from the otherworldly onslaught.  When a shamed Tybalt finally regained his composure and returned to the field only one of his proud retainers and the damsel Jeannette remained at his side.  The damsel herself, desperately trying to channel the Lady’s power against that of the Greenskin gods, drew too strongly on the winds of magic and faded away into the mist that wreathes the Goddess’s sacred places.

Meanwhile, Sir Jasperre and Sir Renais had lead their retinue thundering through the woods themselves, protected from tangled root, low bough and forest spirit alike by an enchanted banner fashioned by the prophetess Iseult.  Smashing asunder the rickety Snotling pumpwagon sent against them, the knights burst from the woods behind the Greenskin lines, destroying one of their artillery pieces and wheeling to prepare for a final charge from the rear.

With shadows already growing long the savage warboss Handibul used all his will and menace to keep his savage orcs and trolls in a tight, solid battle formation amidst the insults and stinging bow fire of the mounted squires, several of whom slipped through the Greenskin lines to destroy the remainder of their artillery.  After devouring well nigh a dozen of the good-natured brigands who had guided Tybalt through the woods, the Bretonnian bowmen finally brought the horrific mangler squig down with their volleys of flaming arrows.  For his part Tybalt struggled to gather his Bretonnian knights into position, hoping desperately to find a weakness in the Greenskin block which would collapse under a combined charge.

Tybalt sounded charges from his realm knights in the south, the Otherworldly Grail Knights in the centre and prepared to join the fray himself, but only the Grail Knights timed their charge correctly and the others did not find their mark.  For their part, the Grail Knights held their own against the loathesome bile attacks of the trolls, but were unable to break the beasts.  With the light dying rapidly in the west and the Greenskin lines still intact and largely unscathed, a frustrated Tybalt sounded the withdrawal.  La Maisonvert Abbey would remain with the orcs and goblins this day.  

Da Bushwhack Bash (aka ‘The First Battle of La Maisonvert Abbey), part of the Border Princes War of 2516-2518 IC
Date: 27th Erntzeit, 2516 IC
Location: The Ruined Abbey of La Maisonvert, Woods North of Malko
Result: Orc & Goblin Victory
Belligerents
Bretonnians (Duke Tybalt’s Retainers)	Orcs and Goblins
Commanders
Duke Tybalt	Handibul, Savage Orc Warboss
Other Leaders
Iseult, Prophetess of the Lady	Plodda da Elda, Savage Orc Great Shaman
Sir Renais, Battle Standard Bearer	Hasnobul, Savage Orc Big Boss
Sir Jasperre	Brootus, Orc Big Boss
Jeannette, Damsel of the Lady(?†)	Smudge, Night Goblin Shaman
	Gresi,  Goblin Big Boss Hairball, Goblin Big Boss
Strength
2250 pts.	2250 pts.
Casualties
522 pts.	415 pts.
†=killed in battle