SoBH Campaign 3 - Battle 8

Battlefield: Outside Shiverton Town
Weather: Heavy Rain
Scenario: Camp Assault
Defender: Barbarians

Forces:
New additions marked in purple italics

Dwarves (452 pts):

• Valgen Maest: DWARF COMMANDER 95 Pts, XP: 0/7
  [Brain Damaged: Combat -1  ], Shieldwall, Snow Walk
• Falster Vonlyr: ELITE WARRIOR 52 Pts, XP: 0/7
  Shieldwall, Snow Walk 
• Halgar Snowbeard: ELITE WARRIOR 42 Pts, XP: 0/7
  Shieldwall, Snow Walk
• Ireheart: ELITE WARRIOR 40 Pts XP: 0
  Quality 3+, Combat 4, Short Move, Lethal (vs Barbarians)
• Manon Hardfoot: WARRIOR 34 Pts, XP: 2/3
  Quality 4+ [due to moderate Injury], Shieldwall
• Rod Grimiron: WARRIOR 34 Pts, XP: 2/6
  Quality 4+ [due to moderate Injury], Shieldwall
• Hono Pickbattler: WARRIOR 34 Pts, XP: 2/6
  Shieldwall
• Odel Bowtwanger: Novice CROSSBOWMAN 24 Pts, XP: 1/1
• Cerri Crakshot: CROSSBOWMAN 30 Pts, XP: 2/5
• Slii Shadesmith: THIEF 30 Pts, XP: 1/4
  Quality 2+

Barbarians (444 pts):

• Ardaric Blackmaul: BARBARIAN COMMANDER 90 Pts, XP: 1/7
  Quality 2+, Free Disengage [swapped with Steadfast due to foolishness on my part and easy going MacSver]
• Ooko: ELEMENTALIST 34 Pts (+ 75 Pts Summoning pool), XP: 1/7
  Quality 2+
• Erwig Bonetooth: ARCHER 56 Pts, XP: 1/7
  Free Disengage
• T-ord Keenbow: ARCHER 50 Pts, XP 0
  Quality 3+, Combat 3, Shooter (Long)
• Remos Arcfur: WARRIOR 42 Pts, XP: 0/6
  Combat 4
• Cohan Deathaxe: VETERAN WARRIOR 30 Pts XP: 2/2

Setup:

The battlefield is set up with the edge of Shiverton in the West and a campsite in some ruins in the East.

The Barbarians start off each with a desired gemstone. Half the warband are on guard duty,, the rest are round the camp fire. Only when an enemy comes within 1 long of a guard will they be able to sound the alarm (on a quality roll) and enable the camp to activate.

The Dwarves are at the town edge. They must get the gems from defeated enemy and put them in the treasure chest to get a victory point.

The Dwarves activated first, but with the conditions slippery all bar one managed to rush out and end up on their backs.

Two Barbarians moved over to guard the pass.

A Line of dwarves rushed into the pass. T-ord sounded the alarm then he and Cohan rushed back to the camp rather than be caught out in the open (although Cohen only just made it). Ooko make some arcane hand gestures and the flames of one of the fires came to life.

Valgen's force started to move up to their foe. The main force pushing a direct route though the gap, and the ranged warriors flanking round, maybe hoping to get a pot shot at Remos. Valgen calls for a Shiled wall formation to protect the front troops until the reinforcements arrive.

Seeing the numbers coming towards them and with the weather hampering the effectiveness of their long bow range the Barbarians decided to seek a better defensive position, and headed for some woods. Ooko summoned a second Fire Elemental to help fight the rearguard.

As the humans started to move away, so the dwarves try to follow round the rock, but an early turnover halts their progress.

But with a bit of a mad dash (and some slipping) Ardarics warriors were getting towards their new standing ground...

and a quick turn over let them get their Archers into position at the edge of the woods, giving them an advantageous ambush position.

Valgen, leading the line, had now arrived at the camp to find it empty. He turns his gaze towards the woods and his warriors followed up.

Cerri Crackshot stepped forward to get within crossbow range, but slipped and fell in the mud. This gave the Fire Elemental the chance to capitalise, which it did as it rushed out, killed the dwarf with a normal attack and then retreated back to it's defensive position. Ooko also took inspiration from the climatic conditions and summoned up a water elemental in the rain.

Looking around him Valgen saw his force slowly take shape. The occasional slip to the ground was slowing the formation before looking to make a rush forward as they had in the previous battle.

But when he looked back forward he saw the Elemental Wall between him and the defensively positioned Barbarians (and more importantly the gems).

The dwarf line was finally formed, but the enemy were still out of easy reach to try and engage. The treacherous underfoot conditions made charging across the divide even more dangerous, as the still warm body of Cerri demonstrated. Sighing, the warlord realised that the slippy terrain could leave his dwarves exposed and, with the Barbarians happy to wait for their attackers, decided that he'd have to seek his riches another way. And so they retreated back into the rain.

Battle Outcome: With the only kill and all the gems the Barbarians win.