Will of the Thengoz - An interactive Swêbóz AAR

[Tyrfingr]

~ Chapter IV ~

(258BC-255BC)

A golden opportunity

Words was sent out to all the tribes of the Swêbóz confederation, and many answered the call. Some because the promise of plunder and bounty, some because of the lust of war, but many because of a growing feeling of "togetherness" and sympathy for their bástárnôz brothers. It had almost been twenty years since Hêruwulfáz had claimed the title as Druhtênoz Theudónóm Aláizôm, and the fruits of his work was beginning to show, as his subjects started to identify themselves as Swêbóz and not their previous tribal belonging. Hêruwulfáz's hair had become grey, but his body was as strong as ever and his mind was dangerously sharp as he broke camp and marched east.

For the great adventure east, a 22.000 men strong army had been raised. Many of the younger generations joined the army, as well as veterans from the Belgae campaigns. When they passed through the lands of the Silengôz, many youths of the Silengii joined the army, born right before their tribe's incorporation in the Swêbóz kingdom and now followed Hêruwulfáz's standard.

East of Silengôzlándám laid Lugouw, home of the Lugii federation. The lugii tribes had, just like the Swêbóz, been united in recent years but were much more unstable. Their king Cocolitanos, although a a strong leader, was constantly at edge with his half-brother Rhesus, who commanded the Lugiian army. The plan had been to make a hasty march through Lugouw, and continue for Bástárnôzlándám but the scouts' reports soon indicated that something was wrong in the land of the Lugii

"Rhesus and the royal army is no where near Carrodonum, it's virtually unguarded", said the scouts. Carrodonum was the capital of the Lugiians, and Hêruwulfáz knew, because he had once long ago met both Cocolitanos and his half-brother Rhesus, that this was a golden opportunity for expanding his kingdom. When scouts in the south had sighted Rhesus in battle with the celtae in Coutinoe, Hêruwulfáz immediately redirected the army's path for Carrodonum. With Rhesus and the royal army miles away from Carrodonum, Hêruwulfáz could take the city completely by surprise and set the perfect ambush for Rhesus when he returned...if he returned! Hêruwulfáz called to a quick council of war, preparations was made and Carrodonum was besieged...

[Olaf Blackeyes]

I sense an epic ambush in the works.

[SwissBarbar]

great chapter I hope you took my char also with you

[Tolg]

I should have payed closer attention to the AAR section. Now, Segmer has lost the chance to vote for a massacre among the bastards that took his eye...



Nice chapter(s) and Thengoz though.

[Tyrfingr]

I should have payed closer attention to the AAR section. Now, Segmer has lost the chance to vote for a massacre among the bastards that took his eye...



Nice chapter(s) and Thengoz though.

Don't you worry, a new thengoz will be up either this weekend or the coming monday, as I already have enough material for two (or even three) chapters.

[Tyrfingr]

~ Chapter V ~

(255BC)

Blitz

The attack on Carrodonum was swift and ruthless. The 22.000 strong army of the Swêbóz had surrounded the entire city and there was no way for King Cocolitanos to send a distress call for his brother, and even if he did manage to sneak a messenger out no one could know if Rhesus would answer. Rhesus could just as easily ignore the call for help and with the royal army retake Carrodonum and crown himself king. Time was short Hêruwulfáz had already set his plan in motion.

In the morning, Hêruwulfáz sounded the attack and the Swêbóz ran for the walls. Veteran archers of the Belgae campaign sent volley after volley over the walls, forming an curtain of nails which kept the Lugiians away from their defenses. This tactic had proved effective against the Nervae and Bellovacae and would surely do its work against the Lugii. With the lugiians taking cover, Hêruwulfáz ordered the men forward and the walls was soon breached.

As the Swêbóz poured through the breaches, Cocolitanos led his lugiian warriors straight into the fray. Cocolitanos had just been a small boy when Hêruwulfáz had met him, and now when the two warriors stood almost face to face, he could see what a strong man Cocolitanos had grew up to be. Too bad he had to die, Hêruwulfáz thought to himself as he fought his way through several lugiians and with one swing with the sword sewered Cocolitanos' head from his body. War did not know any mercy.

Slowly, the lugiians retreated for the center of Carrodonum, having decide to make a final staunch defense outside the Royal Halls. The final stand of the Lugii was heroic, but foolish as the Swêbóz spears and javelins soon found their targets and one day, Carrodonum had fallen to Hêruwulfáz. The casualties had been light, barely a thousand dead or injured, and so the city was spared unnecessary bloodshed and plundering. Hêruwulfáz was both satisfied with the low casualties and eager to continue east, so a loyal puppet was installed as king and the army was soon on the march again. This time, they would not stop until they reached Bástárnôzlándám.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

HOW THE **** DO YOU PEOPLE TAKE THE SUPER INDIES OUT SO ****ING EASILY!?!?!?!?!!?!
These ****s give me nothing but hell.

[Tyrfingr]

~ Chapter VI ~

(255BC-254BC)

Rhesus' Fall

Winter had come to Lugouw, and although the Swêbóz were used to cold, many of the captains had grown comfortable in Carrodonum and there was still no sign of Rhesus and the royal Lugiian army, so Hêruwulfáz ordered the army to stay in Carrodonum. The winter months came and went, still with no sign of Rhesus. Then, just as the spring was turning into summer, a ragged band of broken soldiers showed up in Carrodonum. The men were surprised and shocked to find their capital in the hands of their neighbors, but they were mostly relieved, having survived the long march from Coutinoe. The men, who numbered perhaps only five hundred and many scarred for life, were easily gathered by the Swêbóz and their captain brought in front of Hêruwulfáz. The captain's dialect suggested a non-lugiian origian, possibly that of the Silengôz, and he spoke with a calm voice of his endeavors in the south:

"Rhesus and the Royal Army marched into Coutinoe a year ago, numbering over 30.000 men, accompanied by a large baggage train and many wives and children. I was captain over the Gaizoz Alje, the "foreign spears" and the mainstay of our army. Rhesus had once again argued with King Cocolitanos, and there were rumors that he sought to conquer Coutinoe to create his own kingdom where he would not have to deal with his brother.

"However, the bastards of Coutinoe thought otherwise and would not submit to Rhesus' will and thus they mustered their army to meet us. From their capital of Lucarottea came an army that was as great as ours, if not greater. Rhesus however, seeking glory on the battlefield, saw this as a great opportunity to in one blow eradicate the entire enemy army. On a grassy plain, the battlelines were made and by the gods, they stretched over the entire horizon."

"The clash of the lines were furious, with many instant deaths on both sides. The Gaizoz Alje did their part, and we held the line for hours as the lugiians and celtae wrestled over the control of the flanks. In our army marched several thousands of Boii celtae, and it was them who broke the lines first. Some of the celtae of Coutinoe fought naked, causing great unease amongst the Boii celtae, and soon the right flank fell. Rhesus, who had stood by with his entire cavalry, now charged into the collapsing right flank in a desperate attempt to save it. I had just skewered a celtae like a rabbit as I turned to the right, just to see Rhesus being pulled down from his horse and stabbed many times through the chest. The fall of Rhesus sent a shock wave through the entire army, and many of the lesser men began to run."

"I still had control over the Gaizoz Alje, and we fought like madmen against the celtae, who all knew that victory was within their grasps. One after one, our men either fell or ran. The difference was none, as the enemy cavalry hunted them down and sent them to the afterlife." The hopelessness of our situation soon became clear, but I ordered the Gaizoz Alje to make a final stand, either to find a path off the battlefield or die fighting. I had gathered the men for a final push, when I was knocked unconscious and for a long time, my mind was blank.

"I awoke several hours later in a daze, surrounded by the corpses of my fallen comrades. For some reason, the gods had spared me and I had been chosen to live one more day. I did not know this before long afterwards, but apparently the celtae had found the baggage train and were more satisfied of robbing the train and raping the women and children, than plundering dead men. I was not the only one who had survived the battle, but I was one of the few that could stand up up. I made it off the field and into the woods where I joined this band of survivors. Being the only captain of the group, I took command and marched the group homeward. Many died from their wounds the first days, and the heavy snow took it's toll as well. Of the 30.000 men strong army that had left Lugouw, only five hundred had followed me home."

Hêruwulfáz listened to the captain, and he believed him, Rhesus was dead and Carrodonum was safe. Scouts returning the following week confirmed the captain's story, Rhesus's body had been seen paraded in Lucarottea and the road to Bástárnôzlándám was open! The survivors of the Lugiian army had been treated with great respect and their loyalty was now with the Swêbóz. After all and although not truly kin, the cultural differences between the Swêbóz and the Lugiians had never been that great and the two people would in time inseparable.

Hêruwulfáz had waited too long now, and the army finally broke camp for Bástárnôzlándám. Trumpets sounded, men shouted and sang and the earth shook as the great Swêbóz army marched to free their kin from the scythians!

[SwissBarbar]

Grrreeaaaaaaatttt

[Tyrfingr]

~ Chapter VII ~

(254BC-253BC)

Arrows Fly

And so, Hêruwulfáz and the Swêbóz army finally stood in the doorway into Bástárnôzlándám. The army, who numbered nearly 18.000 after leaving a strong garrison in Carrodonum, had marched through the various mountain passes of Coutinoe and stood silent and gazed over the land in the horizon. Here and there, villages and farmland could be seen, and the land was truly paradise, had it not been for the scythians. As they passed the villages, the cruelty of the scythians could be seen - burned out houses, slaughtered cattle, emaciated villagers and arrows! The arrows were everywhere, and gave the Swêbóz a hint of what's to come. Hádáhárjáz the Bástárnôz, who had joined the army, wept before the sight of what had become of his homeland and his hate of the scythians grew even greater. The hate steadily grew within the entire army, and soon, the men was more part of an bloodthirsty mob than an organized army. As the headquarter of the scythians were sighted, Hêruwulfáz gathered his men and held a speech of hate and fury to his men:

"We stand in the land of our kin, the bástárnôz. Their wives have been raped, their cattle and lifestock has been taken, their idols has been cast aside! The bástárnôz are kin to us, separated only by the dark forests but not in mind - we speak the same tongue and we worship the same gods! The scythians has robbed our kin of their freedom and insulted them, and so they have insulted all germans! Before life, nothing but darkness existed. I say we send these foul beasts back into the darkness from whence they belong! TO WAR!

The air was filled the cheers and screams of the Swêbóz army, and the noise of the swords, spears, axes and shields banged together by the 18.000 men echoed in the evening as day turned into night. The scythians had been alerted early by the arrival of the Swêbóz host, and although Hêruwulfáz had no intentions of catching the scythians by surprise, the scythian governor Phidas was terrified to find the Swêbóz so close. Requests for reinforcement has been sent east, but the road to the Scythian capital of Olbia was long and Phidas would have to fight this battle on his own. Phidas had many archers in his 12.000 strong army, and he was confident that the Swêbóz would loose heart in the hail of arrows, just as the bástárnôz had done.

Hêruwulfáz knew the scythian arrows would claim their victims, so to minimize the casualties he had the army charge the camp as soon as the sun had climbed down the sky. Hêruwulfáz led the charge himself, throwing the light foot archers of the scythians at the sides for the youths to slaughter. Suddenly, the armoured mounted guard of Phidas towered up in front of him. These horsemen were armored from tip to toe, armed with long, vicious spears and mounted on huge steeds. The youths, eager and unexperienced, soon followed into the fray only to fall under the hooves of the scythians. The fighting soon turned desperate on both sides, Hêruwulfáz knew he had already lost many men and Phidas, who saw his bodyguard fall one by one, order his men to fire their arrows into the fight, killing Swêbóz and scythian alike.

Phidas pushed harder into the Swêbòz lines as soldiers on both sides started to fall in great numbers, whereas arrows merely bounced of himself and his bodyguard. This push would however separate Phidas from his men, which Hêruwulfáz of course noticed. The Swêbóz swarmed around Phidas and his men, and their mighty steeds where soon felled to the ground and the scythians continued the fight on foot. The heavy armor soon wore them down, and the light Swêbóz Jugunthiz climbed over the scythians, wrestling their swords out of their hands and cutting them down. Hádáhárjáz the Bástárnôz had been struck by two arrows and was fading into darkness when he found himself right behind Phidas, still mounted on his horse. With one last sweep with his terrible blade, Hádáhárjáz chopped the horse hind legs right off, throwing Phidas backwards onto the ground, where he fell and broke his neck in the fall. Hádáhárjáz then fell back on the ground himself, and he would not know anything more.

The fighting lasted all night, and when morning came, the camp had finally been secured. Hêruwulfáz had taken seat in the house of Phidas, contemplating his action the previous night. He was exhausted and had a healer taking care of a wound on his shoulder, caused by a stray arrow that had missed him but ripped up a gash on his left shoulder. But at least he was alive, for there were many of the Swêbóz that had not survived the night. Barely 4.000 of the 18.000 strong army had survived the night unharmed, the rest either wounded or dead.

Many of Hêruwulfáz's bodyguard had fallen, but there were many surviving warriors amongst the Youths that had proven their worth and be let into the bodyguards' unit. Perhaps the greatest casualty among the 7.000 dead Swêbóz were Hádáhárjáz the Bástárnôz. Hêruwulfáz had intended Hádáhárjáz to rule the Bástárnôz as chieftain, for he would have been loyal to the Swêbóz Confederation. Now, the Bástárnôz would be directly under Swêbóz rule, a bold decision that only time would later prove correct but for the moment it was unsure if all the bástárnôz would accept Hêruwulfáz as king.

Most of the scythians had been slaughtered, but almost 2.000 had escaped on horses eastwards to deliver the ill news to their king in Olbia. Hêruwulfáz had none of his soldier chase after, as he not had the men to spare. In the course of a few months, 5.000 of the wounded from the storming of the scythian camp would recover, leaving another 2.000 crippled for life. The final toll on the Swêbóz had been 7.000 dead and 2.000 crippled beyond possibility to fight again. The dead were gathered on a large pyre, brothers in arms lying side by side and by the flames sent to the sky were the gods live. Bástárnôzlándám had been freed from the scythians and incorporated into the Swêbóz Confederation.

~

[Note from the author: The battle against the sarmatians were a close one, and I nearly lost it a couple of times due to the ridiculous thick armor of the FM bodyguard. I chose to role-play the high casualties as 50% dead and 50% injured, as I retrained the units with high casualties.

[SwissBarbar]

Really awesome work!

[Tolg]

Really awesome work!

Indeed, both the chapter and by the Sarmatae. Nomads FTW.



Edit: (I hope Segmer didn't hear me just now ^^)

[HunGeneral]

Truly great events I must say. Another great victory won - and the Sauromatae just confirmed what I always said: if you fight the nomads be prepeared for the worst..

I wonder whats happening north..

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Hmm i wonder if i should have my character die in a fight like this??