The Battle of Abez

[Flameslash]

The Battle of Abez is quite possibly one of the most significant and important battles in the history of the Wesnothian people, rivaled only by the Battle of the Great River, where King Haldric I defeated the lich-lord Jevyan, and the Battle of Weldyn only a dozen years ago, where Konrad defeated the tyrant Asheviere and claimed the throne of Wesnoth. It is because of this that I feel the need to write a historical account of the clash of armies.

Firstly, the reasons for the battle must be explained. In the 490s the Orcs of the North grew consistently more aggressive towards the Kingdom of Wesnoth. The northernmost Wesnothian villages were raided by Orcish pillagers with startling frequency. Memories of the 470 invasion of Wesnoth surfaced in many of the elders in the kingdom; several prominent figures in the King's court included. On 13th IX 500 King Garard II dispatched an envoy to the Orcish Great Chief, declaring war on the barbaric raiders.

Numerous skirmishes and sieges followed over the next six months. With the standing armies deemed insufficient to win the war, the wise king did raise levies from the various duchies in the kingdom and from his own holdings, and almost 32,000 soldiers and magi were moved towards the northern border. The Wesnothian Army did gain major victories at Carcyn and in the Estmarks, and began to push back the vile invaders that were the Orcs and Goblins, forcing them north of Swamp of Dread and partway through the Northern Mountains.

However, the success was not to last. On 8th V 501 reports reached the King of a Orcish host moving south, one larger than had been seen in perhaps the entire history of the realm, defeating the Wesnothian garrisons in the area. The King ordered a grand army to be formed by merging many of the realm's smaller armies. The Grand Army of Wesnoth numbered an impressive 19,000 men. The Grand Army headed north and reached the Ford of Abez at the same time as the Orcs, on 22nd VI 501.

The King split the army into two. 9000 men he led himself, almost an even split between footsoldiers and cavalry, with roughly 500 magi. The Crown Prince Eldred was given command of the remaining 10,000 - including some of the finest knights and swordsmen. Wesnoth had ever trained. Four generals were also given roles of command, two per royal commander. Their job was to advise their monarch and future monarch.

The battle started with both royals raining arrows on the Orcish host from afar. Wesnothian longbowen could shoot far further than the shortbowmen of the Orcs, and many of the Orcish crossbowmen had been lost earlier in the war. Therefore, the Orcs had little ranged retaliation, and instead they sent goblins mounted apon wolves to take out the archers. Spearmen and pikemen formed a wall, stopping the charge and then pushing forwards, sending the wolves and their riders fleeing towards the main body of the Orcish army.

The next phase of battle was when the two armies clashed. Orcs waded into battle wielding large bladed swords, slipping through gaps in the wall of spears Wesnoth arrayed and cutting their way towards the Wesnothian commanders. The King sent cavalry, wielding lance and blade alike, around the flanks to cut into the Orcs from the side. The Prince's cavalry hang back, and instead Swordsmen were sent to push the blade wielding Orcs backwards into the cavalry. The Orcs had few spears, and those they had were used by Goblins, so the cavalry cut through them with ease.

Trolls were sent in to push back the human cavalry, and they succeeded, that is, until Wesnoth's magi began to rain magic blasts and fireballs upon them. Orcish assassins struck at the magi from behind as this happened, and the King lost the majority of his personal magi. The Prince sent a detachment of fencers and nobles to engage the assassins, and they managed to secure the rear of the army. At the front, the King's forces were defeating the Orcish army.

Then the traitor Prince struck. Eldred's fencers and nobles attacked the King's men from behind, dodging through the ranks and hacking down soldier after soldier. Cavalry struck from the flanks, pushing King Garard's men into an inwards retreat. When the two halves clashed in the middle, the confusion was so great that infighting broke out, encouraged by the Prince's men. The Prince's swordsmen, having been behind the King's main advance, took out half of the King's advance force before they reacted.

The King ordered his cavalry to try and relieve his surrounded men, however many retreated from the battle. The Prince and his retinue of Royal Guards, supported by heavy infantry and Men at Arms, pushed through the King's guard and towards the Monarch himself. The Archmagi of the King's Court tried to push them back, but Eldred sent cavalry to force their retreat. Finally, the Prince reached the King and their blades clashed in a duel between father and son.

Eldred won, his sword piercing straight through the King's body and spine. Eldred's brothers looked on, horrorstruck, and that proved their undoing. Assassins, hired by the Prince before the battle, slew the young princes. I will leave it to other historians to tell of Eldred's death at the hands of Delfador the Great, and of Queen Asheviere's reign of terror that lasted for seventeen years.

Written by Gwynfor Baddoe, historian and high librarian of the Dan Tonk library

[Elfarion]

Nice piece of writng. Maybe make the style a bit more similar to medieval-style chronic? Also I think, you confused some latin numbers:

On 13th IX 500 King Garard II dispatched an envoy to the Orcish Great Chief, declaring war on the barbaric raiders.

8th V 500 reports reached the King of a huge Orcish host moving south

The Grand Army headed north and reached the Ford of Abez at the same time as the Orcs, on 22nd VI 500.

Thus the war would have been declared after the battle. (-> IX=9; V=5)

[Flameslash]

The year was supposed top be 501 for the battle. I've fixed that now. I don't really know how to make it more medieval in style, sorry.