Far beyond the southern banks of the Alantir in lands crawling with goblins and creatures once thought extinct by humans, stood the several cities that were the remnants of the once proud empire of Aerneg. These cities were Griffonbridge, Westerhedge, Crystelgryfmont and Seabarrow. All had withstood assault and now stood as the last city-states of order and justice in the southern regions of the continent. Slowly small kingdoms developed around these cities. expeditions sent were out by the rulers of these cities to determine who lived and who was destroyed and to deal with goblin raids.
The Island Kingdom of the shattered Sun and the City of Seabarrow maintained contact with each other and the wider world through these dark ages using their navies. Seabarrow sent out a call to any and all adventurers and mercenary companies in order to put together an expedition to explore the former Empire of Aerneg. Using the extensive wealth of the banking families of Seabarrow to fund this venture was an expensive proposition when the city senate discussed it.
In Griffonbridge a force was being assembled to assist Westerhedge in its war against the goblins. This force was under the command of Prince Regent Cato. Cato had become prince regent when his father declared himself king of griffonbridge and a few months later became seriously unwell.
Crystelgryfmont was a fortress in every sense of the word. It was the ancestral home of the old Imperial dynasty and was high up in the Estergryph mountains and had a grand total of six defensive walls and three citadels alongside the Gryphons roost which was the ancestral home of all Gryphons. The castellan of the fortress is Lord William Marsbroke. Lord Marsbroke is holding out for the no longer existing Imperial army to come and relieve the fortress.
Seabarrow assembled around 50,000 foreign troops for this expedition including 20,000 soldiers of the army of the Kingdom of the shattered sun led by their king Theodric I formally Emperor Theodric III. This great host formed into four divisions of roughly 12,500 soldiers each. a 5th division was formed from 12,500 citizen troops from Seabarrow. the overall host numbered 62,500 troops.
The army began their march towards Griffonbridge along the river Ash. Each division was at 6-hour intervals with King Theodric commanding the lead division. The column was spread out more than 66 miles. The lead division took roughly 19 days to reach Griffonbridge. Prince Regent Cato had assembled 5,000 to assist Westerhedge when King Theodric arrives with the lead division of the army of the Seabarrow Coalition. A goblin army was assembling 66 miles north of Griffonbridge along the River Ash according to intelligence given by Cato's forces. Theodric elected to wait for the rest of the Coalition army to turn up before heading to face this threat. It took four and a bit days for the rest of the army to fully assemble at griffonbridge. As soon as the Army assembled then it was marching north along the River Ash again. 30 miles later the Lead division was encamped next to Westerhedge as the second division marched slowly into view of the camp. Scouts frantically rode into the camp warning of a goblin host nearby. messengers were immediately sent to all other divisions in the army to assemble as quickly as possible on the plains beneath Westerhedge. 1,000 goblin-heavy chariots crossed the River Ash and committed to a charge of the second division labelled Aesdon division. The screening cavalry on the right were shattered almost instantly while the screening cavalry on the left broke into a gallop towards the safety of the camp. This decision screwed over the infantry of the Aesdon division. Esquire Gerald Aeshin managed to organise 2,000 infantry in the Aesdon division in repelling the charge. He then organised the retreat towards the camp of these 2,000 men. The rest of the infantry had fled in all directions. The Goblin chariots launched attack after attack on this group as they withdrew in an initially ordered retreat which turned into a rout into the camp after the 7th chariot charge.
The Goblin chariots swung to the north and prepared to charge the camp. At the same time, massed columns of goblin infantry could be seen crossing the river Ash to the east of the camp being screened by yet more Goblin chariots.
Upon seeing the destruction of the Aesdon division the morale in the king's division plummeted. Soon the camp was assailed in multiple directions however the walls of pike and billhooks drove the initial assaults back. Archers and crossbowmen also assisted in the first goblin assaults being driven back. The Goblins after being beaten back once tried again this time with allied auxilia. Trolls, wolves and other such beasts like centaurs, satyrs and minotaurs. The camp is breached in multiple locations and the King's division is driven amongst the tents into a killing field. The third division nicknamed the Aethelred division after it's commander alongside the remnants of the Aesdon division arrive on the field and form up to march to relieve the camp.
A large force of goblins and their allies turn to the South and form up into a battle line to block the approaching Aethelred division. The battle expands beyond the camp into a pitched battle on the plains. Already tens of thousands of bodies litter the plains. enslaved humans and warped cultists crash upon the ranks of the Aethelred division. The valley is thick with dust and the sounds of battle.
The last two divisions arrive together from a brutal forced march. These two divisions set off from camp earlier that day together and arrived on the field in the late afternoon forcing the enemy to withdraw across the river Ash. The reunited army having survived the day of battle retreat into Westerhedge where they join up with the Westerhedge garrison. Throughout the night both sides send out scouting and skirmishing parties to scout and retrieve their wounded soldiers. unbeknownst to both sides an army of soldiers from the northern kingdoms were heading south.
The battle had only just begun.
