The Ambush in the Mountains

 

The ambush in the mountains

The survivors of Udolpho, both soldiers and citizens had fled north east as the town had fallen. Their newly appointed leader, The lady angelica had decided that they would head out through the mountain passes, gathering supplies and reinforcements from the scattered guardposts that dotted the narrow paths, before turning southeast and making for Toscania or even Ravola. At the same time she had sent messengers out ahead to warn these cities of what had happened. The caravan was long and slow and the mountains dangerous. At the edge of the foothills near Toscania the caravan was horrified to spot foul ratmen emerging from the morning mists of the mountain. Quickly the soldiers moved to the front, while the rest of the caravan made haste behind them. Angelica gathered her knights and prayed that any help from Ravola would be quick in arriving.

Snikrit cackled madly to himself, as was his habit, as he watched his minions forming up amongst the broken hills. From his perch on top of the screaming bell he could see the panicking humans in distance, those with armour were rushing to form up units, while the miserable peasants were rushing to get away. “Fools” he though, “all will soon be mine”

The Tileans were spread out in their order of march with Angelica, her knights and a gun they had dragged all the way from Udolpho at the head of the column, the infantry in the center and another war-machine of questionable quality and handgunners at the back. The Skaven had massed their swarms in the center with the monstrous rat-ogers attacking the rear of the column and the strange warpstone powered contraptions attacking the front.

Angelica was joined by the wizard Hilbert as she turned and moved to head off the ratmen's great wheel which was hissing clouds of foul smoke and grinding towards them. However, for some reason, the wizard raced off on his own and was almost immediately pelted with stones from a gang of ratmen and tumbled from his horse.

In the center and on the infantry advanced towards each other, with the ratmen's mad war-machines generally malfunctioning and doing little. At the read of the column the firepower of the Tileans blasted apart some of the giant rat beasts that approached, but the rest grew ever closer.

 

What followed was a brutal fight that turned about the center. Near the front of the column Angelica and her knights eventually smashed apart the giant wheel, countless rats escaping from it as it collapsed while the monstrous rat-ogres and crazed hooded rat monks overran the handgunners and war-machines at the rear. In the center the men and rats hacked at each other falling in droves while the blasts from the ratmen's terrible machines felled scores of both. All the while the warrior priest Simon, who lead the infantry was in the thick of it, his booming voice rallying the men around him and boosting the will to keep fighting. All the while there was no sign of the any help from Ravola.

 

Eventually the men lead by Simon made it to the great bell on which Snikrit was perched and set about smashing it. Simon doing much of the work with his great hammer. Even as the number of men dwindled and the rats gathered about them they pressed on and eventually the contraption collapsed and Snikrit plummeted into the melee below and was lost from sight.

The battle was now almost at an end when over the hills a force of horsemen from Ravola was seen riding hard. As they grew near their captain rode up to Lady Angelica and introduced himself. “I am Captain McCoy, we have come to escort you the rest of the way in safety.” She did not bother with a reply instead just looked on as the battle came to an end, the survivors pulling back towards their own positions.

The battle had been hard and there was massive casualties on both sides. Simon the warrior priest had been wounded and his unconscious form was carried from the field. The wizard Hilbert seemed mostly fine, despite his pummeling. The front and center of the column of refugees had been protected and no ratmen had got through, but the rear, which contained many carts of supplies and those belongings people had carried all the way from Udolpho had been smashed apart and thoroughly looted. The people may have escaped but now they truly had nothing left except what they were carrying.