The Battle of Patrizzi Part 1

 The battle of Patrizzi

On the 32^nd day of the 7^th month of 2492 by the imperial calender, along the coast of North Tilea, “The Grand Raid from the Sea” or “Il Mare Cattivo” as the Viadasans still call it, began. Norse long boats were seen beached along the beaches north of Viadaza and the ogre mercenaries in the city's employ were sent out to meet them. Norse raiders that far south were rare, but not unheard of at the time, and any hopes that they could be paid off were dashed when they started raiding villages.

Like many other cities in the north of Tilea, Viadaza had been overrun by vampires at the beginning of the century. Many of the structures, begin made of old stone, had remained intact after the siege to recapture the city, as had the tunnels and catacombs. Thus it had taken much longer the purge the taint from the city than the smaller villages and towns around it. Even nearly 90 years later, older citizens still triple locked their doors and windows for fear of ghouls. Much of the population were the descendants of rural folk who had arrived after the city as retaken, with a significant minority of dwarves looking for new businesses opportunities and a family of elves who had taken up residence in one of the estates.

The battle was fought in and around the village of Petrizzi. The ogre force came across the Northmen as they were looting the village the ogres, as well as the village militia and some soldiers from the city readied to fight. A small seasonal river ran through the village and through the forces of both sides. The battle was also a scene of great betrayal. Almost one third of the ogre force was made up of ogres from the band of Capitan Hawks and they were missing and eventually would appear on the side of the chaos raiders. The battle was a confused mess, with forces arrayed as they arrived rather than in a planned order of battle.

The village of Patrizzi in happer times.

Valac sat atop his mighty steed Bune and watched as his forces began to form their line amongst the smouldering buildings of the village they had half finished plundering. Some of his marauders and riders had yet to return from their raiding and it looked now like they would not arrive until after that battle. It was no matter.

He was satisfied to note that the hell cannon was rumbling to a position behind his line, its baleful influence causing the marauders nearby to jostle uncomfortably. It had taken a great effort and no small number of lives to get that thing onto his ship, and he hoped it would be of use in the fight.

The two heads of Bune had begun snapping at each other, but stopped once Valac muttered a threat while still looking at the filed of battle. He had turned his gaze towards the distance and could see the clouds of dust and the burly shapes of the ogres as they approached. Valac was elated at the prospect of fighting ogres. They would provide more of a challenge and much more glory than some peasant militia. “And anyway” he thought as he looked down as Capitan Hawks and his band moving up, “I have Ogres of my own.”

The battle started with the village militia, a small group of hand gunners and a group of bulls lead by Gorr Dinramzy facing a major part of the chaos forces including a group of Khorne warriors, knights of Nurgle and the helcannon. The militia archers were joined by Calarion the mage. In the centre near the old watermill. In the centre Big Mahk and Kortor Pounder, as well as their irongut body guards, Peatapum's pet giant, the dwarves sent by Kagg Agrilzhuf and the leadbelchers advanced. Across from them were a large group of Tzeench chaos warriors, Valac on his monstrous dragon, Bune, the marauders of Nurgle lead by Gamygyn, some leadbelchers and Capitan Hawks and his ironguts as well as his standard bearer, Bob. On the right side of the battlefield, in amongst the village of Prtrizzi were 2 groups of Peatapum's bulls, one of which was lead by Peatapum himself, a small group of knights lead by Elesando Contti and a band of villagers with swords, who had somehow come to be lead by Kunn Agrilzhuf, son of Kagg. The only enemy in the whole village were 3 of Hawks's bulls, who soon began to back off and head towards the rest of their kin. The were also many of Peatapum's goblinoid servants scattered across the battlefield, but no one really paid them any attention.

At the start of the battle things looked good for the defenders of Patrizzi. The bow fire from the archers and Calarion's fire magic brought down many of the fanatical Khorne worshipers. The ogres moved forward boldly, while the enemy ogres in the village fell back. The Nurgle knights charged the bulls in the fields, but only bought down 1 and the bulls held, though they could not hurt the repugnant riders of Nurgle.

The archers begin shooting down the Khorne warriors.

The bulls and Gorr Dinramzy struggle against the knights of Nurgle.

Captain Hawks and his bodyguard turned towards the village to cut off the advancing bulls there while the rest of the chaos army moved up the centre. A near miss from the helcannon and the blast of the leadbelchers brought down 1 of the ironguts accompanying the twins, Big Makh and Kortor Pounder. Valac magically boosted the armour of all his nearby allies, but the magical feedback wounded his rival, the Nurgle sorcerer, Gamygyn.

The ogre line crashes into the chaos forces.

Around this time the Giant charged in to Valac while the ironguts hammered into Gamygen and his marauders. The bowmen and Calaron continued to strike down the khorne worshippers as they approached, there were less than half of them now. The defenders in the village struggled to make there way through the village and get to the centre of the battlefield. The ironguts smashed half the marauders and drove the rest off, though another ogre perished in the process. Meanwhile the giant struggled with the chaos dragon, being wounded in the process, before turning and fleeing the terrible beast and outpacing it by a good margin. The Nurgle knights in the fields slew another 2 ogres to the cost of only 1 knight and then chased down the remainder and Gorr Dinramzy.

The giant realises his mistake and runs for it.

The way now clear for them the knights now charged into the hand gunners who did not event have time to fire a shot before the knights hit them, half were killed by the impact and the remaining 5 turned and fled, while he knights looked to the militia archers nearby. The Khorne warriors continued their advance, arrows protruding from their flesh and armour. The rest of the chaos and ogre forces moved around the middle, and the battle was now swinging like a great wheel with the watermill in the centre. Valac on his dragon flew behind the dwarfs and Bune unleashed a terrible breath of chaos though only 1 of the sturdy fellows succumbed. A direct hit by the helcannon and another blast from the leadbelchers saw all but 1 of the ironguts with the twins fall.

 

The Iron Guts are in trouble.