Hence why I voted against this course of action. I really, REALLY, don't want to go to Essos yet. We were literally just knighted. I don't want to throw it all away.
[X] Ser Upcliff has the horse and will ride west while the foot retires to the walls after burning it's own trebuchets.
-[X] Volunteer to accompany the horse.
--[X] Put on a helmet so that it covers Jon's mouth and helps conceal the sound of his voice.
---[X] When you attack Ungren's 1000 light cavalry, use Animal Allegiance to cause their horses to throw off riders and run away as if in fear. Time it in such a way that the sound of galloping horses and lances colliding with armor conceal the shout. Use 3 destiny points on the shout and 2 destiny points on concealment. No. of votes: 13 Tiresias, Zero Gravitas, overmind, cast2007, Planchar, Brandark, Vanathor, Zooboss, Usernames, Edkose, Qazplm, unknown_xho, LastChronicle
The decision is made in a split second, Lord Royce ordering Ser Upcliff to mount and move out before barking out further orders for the organized retreat. You mount up quickly as Ser Upcliff again takes command, fall in line in the rear as a spear head formation comes together.
The race west is desperate even as Ser Upcliff attempts to maintain order in the formation, knowing every advantage will be needed in this desperate attempt to blunt the flanking attack. You ignore the chatter amongst the ranks as you focus on your reigns, your horse, the ride, the lance couched in your arms. This is a moment of desperate, a moment that calls for your ... abilities.
Slowly as your force heads west you move further and further up the spearhead, forcing your way past lesser knights and squires to near the tip where Ser Upcliff leads. He acknowledges you with a nod as you fall in besides him, laughing a little at your perceived bravado. You only laugh a little, your mind elsewhere, wondering when the enemy shall reveal themselves.
And then suddenly, they're coming over the ridge. A thousand strong and as rag-tag as can be, seeing a mix of weapons, armours and horses upon their ranks. At Ser Upcliff's command, the spear-formation tightens, preparing to puncture through the mass of men. You tighten your grip on reigns and lance alike, and breathe deeply. Time almost slows down as you wait for the crash of the charge, the perfect moment to strike and speak.
RAAN MIR TAH
Your host punctures through the enemy ranks, punching through the unwieldy mass that are their earliest lines. As lances are used and dropped for other weapons for your host to cut through the enemy, you speak clearly and with intent, your speech emanating against all while leaving its source undiscovered in the mayhem and panic of this horseback melee.
The enemy horses begin to panic and buck, many upsetting their riders or stomping on those already fallen and adding to the chaos. Your own men fall victim to this as well in the panic, not from their own horses but from errant strikes. Largely unhindered, you make your way out all the way through and reform at Ser Upcliff's command, his armour dented greatly from his eagerness to lead the host. Your charge again succeeds to deadly effect, cutting down a host of foes of both mounted and on-foot variety.
Some fight back better than others, relying on their own individual skills and abilities to deal death. Squires, hedge knights, elderly lancers, all fall against their axes, maces and spears. You yourself fall when your horse is struck with a spear to the side that sends it tumbling, forcing you to draw Blackfyre and cut through those of the enemy on foot through the maelstrom of battle that is your surroundings.
Ser Arthur comes to your rescue quickly enough, mounting you on his own horse and withdrawing you from the eye of the storm quickly. He takes you off his horse before riding in again, taking control of a rider-less black destrier that he returns to you as a mount. You shout thanks before mounting it, returning to the carnage and anarchy.
After what feels like an eternity, the battle ends as a handful or so of Ungren's outriders regroup and flee, leaving what seems like only dozens of you left. The men exult on this partial victory of the day, those still living looked for friendly wounded or wishing to loot the dead for whatever they can.
Ser Upcliff seems willing to allow the former and tolerate the latter due to the scale of the victory, giving out orders for scouts to head back on fresher horses to observe the situation, having his house's men to drag the allied dead away separately for identification, and ordering that all coinage be collected for equal dispersal later, while leaving the matters of weapons and armour up to those scavenging.
You happily partake in this alongside Ser Arthur, grabbing a well-forged steel dagger off one hedge knight's belt to replace the one you had given to Wulf. There is little more that you need or desire however, as few castle-forged weapons here can match Blackfyre's edge and your armour is not so dented as to require replacement. You do stake your right to six more horses however, two of fine destrier stock and the other four coursers. Some of the others protest this, but considering exactly who you were in relation to them, none wished to press the issue any further.
As you rest and drink shared water and bread, the scouts return from the east, reporting that Ungren's men seem to have smashed Lord Royce's remaining host and forced the survivors back within the walls of the keep. As Ser Uther pales, they report that the trebuchets are being brought to assail the walls, with Ungren's pike and outriders deployed west defensively to prevent the remaining Vale cavalry to attempt any form of a flanking manoeuvre.
Ser Uther curses, and begins to pace back and forth as he attempts to make a reaction plan. His family's keep is protected by strong stone walls and an iron-banded oak gate, with preparations of many sorts for a siege. But it was meant to withstand starvation or direct assault, not artillery capable of being used from a distance. He worries that Ungren might simply satisfy himself with bombarding the keep with as much as he can, killing many before even stepping a foot inside the gates.
And with the cavalry so low, a second strike might easily fail to accomplish anything. As the news filters out amongst the ranks, you note more than one ill-dressed hedge knight is quietly taking his own stolen goods and slowly leaving the company of the Vale knights.
Ser Uther notices this, and orders those men to be arrested for cowardice. Swords are drawn by both sides, and you grimly note that the advantage in numbers lies to the hedge knights, who by way of their lighter armours and decreased honours and prestige had stayed in the back of the initial contract charge.
Ultimately common sense prevails and these hedge knights are allowed to leave with their illicit goods, Ser Uther promising that none of them would find service in the region again. As they mount up and leave, you do a head count to take account of your newly diminished size. You curse as you finish all too quickly, having counted less than fifty knights and lancers still present. Fifty men, with thousands at the gates.
What do the remaining cavalry host do? (Write In)
Enemy Commanders: Ungren (Mountain King)
Enemy Composition, 3610?
Ungren Loyalists (???)
Enemy Status: Quality (Veteran) Morale (Demoralized), Stamina (Winded)
1000d6 (heavy infantry), 1000d6 (pikemen) 1000d10 (archers), 500d7+2 (champions), 110d8 (cavalry)
+50/+100% to all combat rolls, Pikemen negate cavalry charge bonus, cause -75% on cavalry damage, +100% to cavalry charge.
10 available rounds of pitch fire (+100% for archers)
arsenal of poisons and preparations (caltrops, ditches, etc..)
2 trebuchets (1500 damage each, require 1d100 accuracy)
+15% damage
