The Battle of Neanderbach Pass

The day broke over the mountains of Saladric in all its crimson glory. A fitting dawn to what would be a day of slaughter. In between two high peaks lay a flat plateau, perhaps a mile wide, with a road that leads across. This is Neanderbach Pass, and it is the only passage between the kingdoms of Arktolan and Paertin. On opposite sides of the plateau were the campfires of two great armies, looking like constellations from high above. The two kingdoms had declared war on each other over a trade dispute, and now it was going to come down to bloodshed of warriors to settle the score.

The Arktolan centaur cavalry were the first to waken. Donning their heavy armor was no easy task, and Arktolan men helped their comrades with the more difficult pieces. When completed, a Centaurian Cavalry officer cut an imposing sight. His helmet was conical and fit down over their large ears. A massive breastplate that was often inscribed with their house honors was burnished bright enough to blind enemy eyes. The back plates and mail horse skirt provided their flank with protection from enemy swords and spears. Their primary weapon was a massive lance, carried on the right side. Its long tip was blunted at the end, designed to crush the enemy and toss him aside, rather than allow the body to be stuck on the end. On the left a massive kite shield, elongated and held at an angle, protected his flank.

The rest of the Arktolan's were dressed nearly as heavily. Human Pikemen followed the Cavalry out of camp. Their short conical helmets held a long nose guard that prevented injury to their face. Heavy chestplates protected these men, embossed with the symbol of Arktolan, a delicate white rose. Long pikes, fit to stop even an Arktolan Cavalry charge rose from their ranks like the spines of a bristling hedgehog. Behind them were ranks of archers. These men were famous for their skill with the longbow, able to hit any target they aimed at.

The Arktolan commander was a human warrior named Joshua Algoran. He was the seasoned veteran of several skirmishes with their northern neighbor, although nothing of this magnitude. He had accepted the command and was given carte blanch of its disposition. He had pushed for heavy cavalry and today it was about to pay off.

Joshua arranged his forces in a solid line stretching the four hundred yards of passable ground between the mountains. The pike men were solidly entrenched, more than three men deep. Behind them stood the archers, testing out bows and planting arrows in front of them for easy and quick firing. The archers were protected from return fire by large wooden shields mounted in front of them. These shields could be picked up and carried to new positions when needed, although it would put the archer carrying it out of commission until it was properly set again. The cavalry were in the front of the pike men. Joshua planned to start the battle by having a cavalry charge at the Paertin foot. If he did sufficient damage to the lines, then the Paertin would retreat and be harried by the cavalry. If not, the centaurs would return to their lines and either charge again or be withdrawn behind the pikes to await another opportunity.

Across the field, Joshua could see the Paertins arranging their formations. Using a small scope, he could see that the line of men across the way were the lightly armored Paertin pikes. They were famed for having stalled previous charges by Gladrin the Mighty some hundred years before, and holding the forces of Koldan at bay. Behind, crossbows were in a line, he estimated, about three deep. He could not see any of the light cavalry Paertin employed, although he knew there must be some. His scouts had reported a contingent of centaurs when the force had been spotted making for the pass three days ago.

He turned towards his aide and ordered a small force of scouts be sent behind in case the centaurs had been detached ahead of the slower army and had gotten through the pass. His aide ran to carry out his orders while Joshua grunted. Today was about to become very interesting. He ran through the numbers in his head. He had about two thousand cavalry, some four thousand pikes and maybe a thousand to fifteen hundred archers. Make it about seven thousand people under his banner. According to his scouts report, the forces arrayed against him were much larger, with about three thousand cavalry, five thousand pikes, and five thousand crossbow men. The meant the army facing him had about thirteen thousand men. There were nearly two to one odds against him. However, the armor of Paertin soldiers and cavalry tended towards lighter armor, such as leather boiled jerkins rather than chain mail. On a plain, that would favor the Paertins who would be able to run rings around his cavalry. However, here it was a handicap. There was nowhere for them to maneuver, but the pass was absolutely critical for launching attacks. There was no choice for the Paertins but to accept battle here.  

The Arktolan charge was heralded by a flourish of horns. Their notes resounded off the mountains and through the chilly summer day. The Centaur commander started at a walk, moved through a trot into a full gallop, with his men just behind him. It was an awesome sight, over two thousand centaurs charging across the flat, rocky ground. The earth trembled beneath their weight and their fierce warcrys were enough to unsettle even the hardest warrior. The pikes failed to waver however, and the charging cavalry was peppered by the heavy crossbows of the archers. Mayhap a dozen fell to the archers, but the Centaurs were in a blood rage, and they smashed into footmen. Joshua cursed as the entire front line fell to the unforgiving pikes. Even across the battlefield, he could hear the high pitched screams of the wounded under the roar of the fight. However, the charge succeeded in breaking the front lines. Centaurs maneuvered their lances around, knocking into the men. Now utterly disorganized, the horns sounded retreat, and the cavalry disengaged.

"Order the centaurs to regroup and turn around for another charge." Joshua said, his dark face set like iron. An aide gulped and ran towards the returning centaurs, who were being peppered by bolts from the Paertin crossbows. None fell thanks to the heavy armor. From his vantage point, Joshua could see the aide reach the herald of the centaurs, who blew formation call. The cavalry regrouped and reordered their lines. Across the way, the Paertin pikes reformed their lines in anticipation of another charge.

The second and third charges had similar results to the first one. Joshua's face had congealed into a flinty mask as he ordered the charges to continue. Already the centaurs looked ragged from their efforts. He had started the battle with about two thousand of them.  Now he was down to five hundred. Yet their courage did not falter as they gathered themselves for a final charge over the bodies of their dead and wounded brethren. The men in his lines seemed to strain forward from their lines. Their friends were dying across the way, and they were being held back from the charge. They desperately wanted to shield their brave comrades, but Joshua's orders had them standing firm. A lone horn from the herald sounded the fourth charge and five hundred charged back across the ground at the haggard Paertin lines. The centaurs hit the line once more, and the pikes stood fast. Barely a third of the centaurs returned back to the Arktolan lines.

"Order the pikes and archers to advance." Joshua told an aid, who ran off to the respective commanders. Bellows of leather lung sergeants could be heard as the humans, chafing at being held back so long began a slow march across the battlefield. A single line of bowmen carried the large wood shields in front of them while the ranks behind pulled tight their strings. They were eager to show the Paertin crossbow men what they could do. Across the field, horns sounded and the Paertins reformed their lines and began to advance on their own. Slowly the two forces drew nearer to each other. The longbow men reached their range and began firing upon the enemy, downing the front ranks with incredible skill. Few if any arrows were wasted in their shots, and enemy soldiers sleeted from the front ranks. Cries of surprise and dismay could be heard from the Paertin ranks, which bolstered the courage of the Arktolans. Crossbow bolts began thudding into the front lines of the Arktolans, piercing mail and plate armor alike. Then the Paertins gave a massive bellow and charged across the remaining ground. "Hold your ground!" Joshua bellowed. His order was picked up and passed along the ranks. Quickly the Arkolans planted their pikes to meet the infantry charge of the Paertin while longbows and crossbowmen exchanged arrows. The front ranks of the Paertin smashed into the Arkolan ranks. Pikes halted the initial charge, and the Arkolans began pushing forward. The Paertins dug in stubbornly and fought back. For two hours, they bloody tug of war continued. Then a scout ran up to Joshua and whispered in his ear. "Sir, the Paertin cavalry has been spotted behind us. They will be here in less than an hour sir!"

Joshua quickly took stock of his situation. His pikes were hopelessly entangled with the enemy's men and could not break free. His archers were likewise engaged in dueling with the enemy's infernal crossbows, although he believed they were gaining ground. His archers were exchanging three shots for his enemy's one. His cavalry was shattered, but perhaps the remaining hundred or so could stall the enemy's men until he had routed the army here. He turned quickly towards his aide. "Find the commander of the cavalry and order him to hold the edge of the plateau. That will give him the high ground. Pull three hundred archers from the rear of the lines and have them go with him. Tell them they must hold off the cavalry for at least another hour." Aides bolted from his side as they ran to deliver his message. He prayed it would be enough.

He could see the archers duel was going well for his men, already more than half of the enemy crossbow men were out of action for only a handful of wounded on his side. That was ideal. What was not ideal was how his line was starting to buckle in the middle. If they broke through, the battle was all over. He rushed down to the line, pulling out his sword. "You will hold!" he bellowed, plowing in through the back of his own men. A pike jabbed at him and he grabbed the edge and pulled. The man gave a surprised grunt before he was stabbed with Joshua's sword. Another man howled, "I'll have your head!" Joshua ducked his wild stab. "Yours first." He grunted, swinging. The head bounced away and he turned towards a third man trying to get him with a sword. He exchanged blows before getting under the guard and stabbing the man in the chest. He keeled over and Joshua stepped over the body.

A half hour passed, and the Arktolan line held. Suddenly, Joshua felt a slackening in the battle. Pulling his sword free of a Paertin soldier, he pushed back through his own lines and ascended a hill top nearby. He was surprised to see the Paertin army in full retreat. Only a handful of soldiers still resisted. Joshua quickly gave the order to break off pursuit, and the men watched as the last Paertin vanished over the other side of the hill. Leaving a small group behind to ensure that it wasn't a feint, Joshua took his remaining men and rushed back towards the camp. His men double-timed it through the forest of tents they had erected only last evening and came to the far edge of the plateau to the remnants of a great fight. Enemy cavalry and his own were lying intermingled on the steep slope. Many of the enemy shapes were filled with arrows, and among them were the bodies of his archers. Having shot their limit, they had charged behind the centaur cavalry into the enemy body. Through their sacrifice, they had slain every foeman.

"Collect our dead." Joshua said harshly. "Bury them intermingled so none may tell who rests where. Burn the enemy dead." Aides hurried off to obey. The battle for the pass was over. The Arktolans had won a great victory at a terrible price. Of the seven thousand that had started the day, over two thousand were confirmed dead, and four thousand wounded. His entire cavalry force was wiped out. There were maybe four hundred survivors, but the severity of their wounds meant that they all might die anyway. Of his four thousand pikemen, he had lost only a thousand, with another four hundred seriously wounded. He lost all three hundred archers he had sent with the cavalry, and an additional forty to wounds received. If the Paertins had had more men or had tried to push him back, Joshua doubted whether he would have held the battlefield.

His shoulders sagged as he turned towards the setting sun that evening. As its crimson light touched his face, he said a silent prayer for the dead. This had been a great day for the Arkolans, after all.