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2. The Battle of North Hampton

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Post by Atlantica/FEU Wed Oct 21, 2015 6:53 am

2. The Battle of North Hampton Mountainfortress

The Thracians were victorious in Port Eagle, which would become a bridgehead for their campaign against the Second Empire. Under the command of Alexander III, the Thracians have planned to make a rapid offensive while their adversaries are getting ready for the war - if everything went as planned, they'd be reaching Nova Roma sometime around next April.

However, to the Thracians' adversary are 40,000 Neo-Roman soldiers upon North Hampton - hardened through military campaigns against the Celibraeans, they were given the duty to defend Rome's name against the Thracians. Joining the combat-hardened soldiers are the Timurian soldiers of the West Timurian Union - warlike, offensive soldiers that had once proven to be worthy foes of the Second Empire.

Now, in September 1586, the Thracians meet their adversary upon the mountainous city of North Hampton. Once again, the West and the East, the abilities of two military commanders, the fates of two 'sons of Rome' collide. Will the Thracians break through the city like they did on Port Eagle, or will they be held down by the Neo-Romans and the Timurians?

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Post by Thrace Mon Oct 26, 2015 8:25 am

After more weeks of continuous marching, the Holy Imperial Army finally met a substantial enemy force. Here, in New Hampton, the Thracian forces with their allies are trying to destroy the enemies, and to deal yet another defeat to the Neo-Romans. A Thracian victory here would allow the Thracians to have their forces as a pretty deep spearhead in Neo-Roman territory before the inevitable fall of winter.


The Thracians arrived at New Hampton tired, in a morning filled with a deep mist. Ignoring the opposition of some of the generals, Alexander III didn't allow his troops any breaks, trying to finish this as soon as possible. The mist was covering their view of the battlefield, so the Thracians had to use the information they had from enemies to estimate he true look of the mountainous terrain were they were going to fight.

Once again ignoring the advices of some of his generals,including Prince Charles and Duke Michael, Alexander III ordered the Thracians to slowly take their positions, believing that the enemies won't leave their positions, and that they will wait for them near the city.

Slowly but surely, the Thracians were building their line. The center was held by Legio I Veranium, Legio V Daciae, Legio VII Transilvania and Legio IX Centoria The right flank was held by Legio II Odrysia, Legio IV Wallachia, Legio III Moldoviae, Legio X Dalmatiae and the Imperial Knights, mostly made up by foreigners. The left flanks was supposed to be built up by the Moesian Cavalry, the Golfian mercenaries and the Imperial Guard, but unfortunately, the terrain wasn't wide enough to allow that, practically adding the Imperial Guard and the mercenaries to the center, and leaving the Moesians alone. The most prevented Alexander to notice this mistake in his front, but what the consequences of this mistake will be remains to be seen.
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Post by Albiorix Mon Oct 26, 2015 2:39 pm

Duke Ragnus positioned his Second Legion to the right of the Emperor's formation. His Tercios formed their squares at the front and back; the crossbowmen were positioned on the side, towards the middle. His elite cavalry were positioned inside the outward facing "U" the forces were making, pointing towards the flat ground away from the line. Behind the line, he positioned his lighter skirmishing cavalry, and at the very front, he positioned his Hwachas, entrenched into the ground.

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Post by Atlantica/FEU Tue Oct 27, 2015 2:16 am

Meanwhile, upon the towers of North Hampton, General Carl Elbrus looked out towards the mist - where he could hear marching soldiers. A man experienced in the mountainous terrain, he knew that the Thracians cannot use their maneuvers to their advantage: the terrain, consisting of treacherous valleys, steep passages and cliffs, had made it nearly impossible to execute maneuvers properly. As a result, the Thracians were fastened into valleys and passages leading up to North Hampton - just as he had planned.

"Things are going just as planned, huh?" His colleague Phoenix Kalamenko said, also looking out. "The Thracians are in a position where they cannot take the upper hill, forced to look up against this city. Given the terrain, their so-called legions will have to be broken down to get any chance of maneuvering - either way, it's dangerous for them."

"Well, should we begin opening hell for the Thracians?" General Elbrus asked. "The Thracians are exhausted, in a disadvantageous formation: if not now, they'll regroup and recover, bringing their speartip against us."

"Fine," Phoenix Kalamenko responded, getting ready to go down from the tower. "I'll get our Chasseurs throughout the valley to open fire. Since you'll hear gunfire, you can perhaps use your weapons to really decimate their numbers. I'll be going."

Shortly after Phoenix descended from the tower, Carl heard a horn blowing - a deep, vibrating sound echoing through the valleys, enough for anyone in the area to hear. A few seconds later, he heard shots being fired, followed by screams and more gunfire. As he imagined, his colleague Phoenix was leading the Timurian Chasseurs - almost 10,000 combat-hardened light infantry troops meant to take down enemies with surprise - into battle against the Thracians. As gunfire continued, he assumed that the Thracians - attempting to breach through passages and take down the Chasseurs - were just dying out, as he recalled the existence of some archers among the Chasseurs.

But this was only a part of the beginning.

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Post by EagleofGolfia Tue Oct 27, 2015 3:04 am

A scout reported to the Emperor: "Me lord, we're being ambushed by the Timurian Chasseurs, our men are dropping fast like flies! We must order the retreat!"

"WE SHALL NEVER RETREAT, YOU HEAR ME?! Don't you worry, I already expected that they would use this maneuver against us. That's why I already positioned the Warrior Clergy and Witch Hunters in a ambushing maneuver as well. Watch...." the Emperor told his dukes and the scout around him.

Suddenly from nowhere, the Warrior Clergy and Witch Hunters charged the Timurians and they caught them completely off-guard while they were firing down on the main line of Golfians and Thracians. The Timurians didn't have the time to aim their projectile weaponry on the incoming fanatic religious soldiers, and they were suffering massive casualties as they couldn't match their excellency in combat. The Warrior Clergy (armed with two-handed maces) and the Witch Hunters (armed with rapiers and pistols) were holding off the Timurians while screaming their famous chant: "NONE SHALL SURVIVE!" The Witch Hunters also used acidic Holy water on the unfortunate Timurians' eyes, and if succesfull, blinding them before delivering the final slash!

One Timurian captain ordered: "Retreate ma brodders, Retreate into the mountainze, ze ist zooo powerfulls! Let's zhow zhem our newze surprizez!" So the Timurians lured the crazy, fanatical soldiers deeper into the mountains.
"NONE SHALL SURV........" said a warrior priest before being shot down from a Timurian Chasseur! Suddenly the fanatics were peppered with Arrows, bolts and crappy bullets fired from the Timurians, and they were standing on each side of the mountanious wall.
"MUAHUAHUAHAUAHAUAH, DIE YOU GOLFIANZE PIEZEZ OFZE ZHIIIIIIIIIZZZTHSTHS!!!!!!!!!! ZHOOOOOOT ZEEEEEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Damn, IT'S A TRAP! Retreat or we will face our doom here!" May the Gods forgive us!" So they sounded the horns and the fanatics finally retreated and failed to destroy the chasseurs completely...

Meanwhile, the Emperor was waiting for this moment to happen: "Now men, get yourselves through that valley while those fanatics are holding them off for you, NOW!"

Now than ever, the horde of Thracians and their foreign allies half-sprinted through the valley while they still had the chance to do so.

"Gentlemen, I propose that while Duke Ragnus is ordering to fire his Hwachas, the 64-pounder artillery must destroys those walls as fast as possible if we wish to avoid a meatgrind-fest at the walls. We need more men to help the horses pulling those heavy "babes", especially in this kind of rugged terrain"! The Emperor was also wondering if the Easterners were preparing more "surprises" for them...

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Post by Atlantica/FEU Wed Oct 28, 2015 1:08 am

While the Timurian Chasseurs were in action throughout the area, General Carl Elbrus and the Imperial Army noticed the Thracians coming in to storm the city. From the distance, he could already see entrenched Thracian hwachas, cavalry preparing for a charge and Thracian Legions in narrow formations before the gates of North Hampton. He also caught sight of an aged man surrounded by heavily-armed guards - he was facing the Alexander III, the Thracian Emperor that had killed his soldiers - including his own son - in Port Eagle.

As he saw the Thracians, he knew what he had to do: lead his combat-hardened soldiers in a quest to defend North Hampton and delay the Thracian offensive towards Nova Roma. They might've been victorious in Port Eagle, but even with the Thracian Emperor at their command, they weren't going past North Hampton without going past him. They will be made to fight him.

Once again looking at the Thracian formations, General Elbrus shouted, "Fire!"

As soon as he shouted his commands, several horns blew - sounding similar to the deep, vibrating horns of the Timurians, but a bit higher in tone - as cannons started to rip the skies. Traditionally, the artillery forces were supposed to fire upon the Thracian Legions, decimating their numbers as much as possible. But instead, Carl Elbrus chose another way: carefully avoiding where the Timurian Chasseurs were, he fired upon the rocky walls that had formed the valleys into North Hampton, creating a significantly large rockslide towards the Thracians.

The terrain was on his side - that was an advantage for North Hampton.

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Post by Thrace Thu Oct 29, 2015 7:21 am

The rockiside successfully managed to weaken the Thracian front even more. Without any of the higher ranked Thracians noticing, the scouts that were supposed to facilitate the communication between the center and the left flank were killed by the rocks, paving the road for what was about to happen.

Unaware of all of these, Alexander fully realized that because of the mist, they were clearly at disadvantage. The Thracians had to advance and maintain their momentum, if they wanted to have a chance to win. The terrain and the weather may be on the enemy's side, but the experiments Thracians soldiers might be just enough to turn the balance in the Holy Empire's favor.

"This is insane.. attacking with no artillery support?", the red eyed Prince said, after receiving the orders from his father."We have no choice. We have to stop the enemy artillery before it provokes more damage.", Princess Julia said, calm as ever. Charles hated to admit it, but she was right. They had to advance, but it was just feeling... wrong.

The right Thracian flank advanced, with the powerful tercios making their way towards the enemy, supported by light cavalry units. Without realizing, weakened their front once again, basically spiliting their flanks from the center.
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Post by Atlantica/FEU Fri Oct 30, 2015 6:15 am

General Carl Elbrus' first artillery charges worked just as planned - the rockslide had basically divided the Thracian forces in half, almost evening out the numerical disadvantage North Hampton had. Now, the Thracians were falling into his trap - Thracian formations were splitting up, apparently to flank the city. If things went just as planned, Alexander III will be walking before the barrels of North Hampton's guns.

Nevertheless, the Thracians attempted a full attack against North Hampton - with their hwachas and cannons, they pounded the city's walls, at an attempt to decimate the city's defensive forces. Tercios moved to their positions and attempted a charge against the city's walls, only to face the Imperial Army preventing them from getting past the walls. The light cavalry moved quickly, finding the defensive forces' weak spots and charging at them, but they had failed to get past the walls at the face of artillery fire.

North Hampton, on the other hand, was striking back: artillery and gunfire continued back and forth the walls, extending a war of the West and the East. Meanwhile, Timurian Chasseurs - about a quarter of them returned near North Hampton to participate in the city's defense roles - joined in the fight, again shooting down Thracian soldiers with alarming speed. For a better rate-of-fire, the Timurians resorted to using arrows - sure, they didn't go much further than matchlocks, but range was more of a minor problem in the mountainous terrain.

"Should we attempt a kill on the Thracian commanders?" Asked one of the Timurian Chasseurs, who had remained inside the city's walls. "If we can inflict significant damage upon their commanders, the Thracians will be like a snake without a head."

"Sure do," General Carl Elbrus responded, getting a Timurian Longbow ready. "I'll be taking out one as well."

Notching an arrow on his longbow, General Elbrus looked out to see a Thracian commander mounted on a white horse - with the mist fading slightly, he could mark out his sword, his relatively decorated armor and helm. Assuming the Thracian commander to be someone of the Imperial House of Verayne, General Elbrus let go of the bow's string, as a black steel arrow pierced through the air and made impact with the commander's torso. He ducked into the wall after he confirmed his hill - the commander was downed from his horse.

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Post by Albiorix Fri Oct 30, 2015 7:13 am

The slow Hwachas were struggling to catch up to the advance of Duke Ragnus' struggling crossbowmen. The Tercios were fighting bravely, trying to keep the heavily armored Imperial Guards away with their pikes while the arquebusiers struggled to reload fast enough.
Ragnus ordered the formation to halt with five drumbeats. Clutching his pendant and yelling, he ordered his light cavalry to equip their shortbows and led them in a line behind the Tercios. The light arrows did little against the Eastern longswordsmen, but they manage to damage the lighter armored musketeers, enabling the crossbowmen to focus their heavy bolts onto the Guards.
The light cavalry were slowly being written down however, the method was only a temporary fix before the Hwachas got here.

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Post by Thrace Fri Oct 30, 2015 12:00 pm

Once the mist finally dispersed, the Thracians finally managed to see their mistakes. Their flanks were clearly separated from their center, with the right flanked being too advanced, and the left flank being to weak. The Neo-Romans took advantage of the hole that was formed between the Imperial Guard units, commanded by the Emperor, and Duke Frederick's troops, attacking and successfully shooting the Emperor with an arrow. Wounded, Alexander III Verayne, the Emperor of the Holy Thracian Empire, and the Lion of the West, fell from his horse.

"The Emperor is dead! Run for you lives! Run!"

Hearing those cowardly shouts, and seeing the enemy getting closer, a large part of the Thracians were about to retreat and run away.  For a moment, the Thracian lines faltered, ready to rout.

"Remain in formation! The Emperor is still alive! Protect him! Hold you ground!"

Riding towards the place where his father had fallen, Charles mobilized the soldiers again, followed by men from his own guard. The Thracians reformed their formations, holding their ground. Some of the Imperial Guards started to carry the unconscious Emperor, Charles quickly spoke to Duke Michael.
"We can't win this battle. This damned mist stopped us from realizing how stupidly we have arranged our troops. We have to retreat for now. I will go forward with my father. The other troops shall retreat in formation. The Imperial Guards will cover the retreat. Understood?", the red eyed Prince said, looking a little worried at his soldiers, that were desperately trying to stop the enemy. Seeing the Thracians falter, the enemies attacked at full strength, slowly but surely pushing the Thracian tercios back.

"Understood, your Majesty.", Duke Michael said. With that, the Battle of New Hampton came to an end. The Thracians retreated in formation, their red flags slowly disappearing from the sight of the Neo-Romans. A crushing defeat for the Holy Thracian Empire. But a defeat that opens the way for many other victories.
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Post by Thrace Fri Oct 30, 2015 12:06 pm

A few hours after the Battle of New Hampton


The wounded Emperor was staying silent on the floor of his tent. His wounds were clean and covered, but the doctors said that he won't live for much longer. The wound and the bloodloss,combined to his old age and exhaustion, were too much for the old Emperor's body to carry. Alexander was still breathing, albeit barely.

The only other two persons in the tent were Prince Charles and Princess Julia. Julia was crying, in silence, her purple eyes covered in tears. Charles was extremely sad, but he couldn't cry. He was the next Emperor. He had to lead his men, and show no kind of weakness.
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Post by EagleofGolfia Fri Oct 30, 2015 12:27 pm

Suddenly the Emperor started to speak again..

"Julia and Charles, *cough*,

"Father, we're here for you" Julia told him

"My children, *cough*, I need you to do something for me, *cough*

"Anything you want, father" Prince Charles said with a sad face...

I need you two listen to me closely, In my private quarters there's a red notebook, the sides covered in gold. Ask Tatiana about if you can't find it properly, *cough*, as she's the only one who knows about what I'm talking about. Promise me that you shall NEVER show that notebook to anyone, keep this as secret as, *cough*, possible...what I have uncovered, is going to shock this world and, *cough*, the results would be catastrophic if someone got hold of it and the secrets, *cough*, aaaaargh"

The Siblings started to ask: "What are you talking about?! Secret, which one?!....."

"Oh shush for once! *cough*, Now, listen closely to this poem I'm going to say it to you. I'll, only going to say it ONCE, so REMEMBER it and recite it, time to time, *cough*, this one is the key to this secret, here it goes, *cough*

"The Holy Grail 'neath Ancient Rosslyn waits.
Adorned by Master's loving Art She lies.
The Blade and Chalice guarding o'er Her Gates.
She Rests At Last, Beneath Starry Skies..."

The Emperor started to feel that his time was almost over;

"Charles and Julia, during these tough years, you've done me proud and always made every moment I've spent with you, memorable, *cough*, you shall remember that I've always loved you as the way you two are. From the moment you two came out of your beloved mother's belly, you've grown into fine, strong, charismatic individuals, *cough*, that no one else can match. I heard that we may have lost this battle, *cough*, but don't fret, from this defeat, we will only rise stronger than ever before. Stay strong, destroy the Easterners, avenge me and bring full glory to our house!
Good luck finding out this secret, that I've longed yearned to discover for the last 30 yrs. that I've existed on this world, I..." He closed his eyes and finally said his last words...

"I think, *cough*, I-I see your mother, a-a-and my father and mother, smiling a-a-and waiving to me, they want me to enter the-the tunnel of light, *cough*, but....

"Just go father, enter it, it will be a better life for you, rest now, you deserve it..." Prince Julia said...

"Venimus, vidimus, et acquisivimus ..."

Emperor Alexander III, House Verayne's final words before succumbing to bloss loss. The once great Emperor of the Thracian Holy Empire, of the greatest commanders this world has faced left  this world in peace...

Princess Julia kissed the Emperor's forehead and wept in silence...

"The Kiss" music, Sad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB6S3c7f8XA

The Prince however didn't shed a tear, no, his face was covered in the greatest Anger and Hatred one could find in a human. He was now determined now than ever to destroy those dishounrable bunch of pathetic cowards who killed the greatest Emperor known to man, and he would make sure that they would pay dearly for what they've done towards the Greatest Family, House Verayne, THE TRUE LEGITIMATE HEIRS OF ROME!

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Post by Atlantica/FEU Fri Oct 30, 2015 5:28 pm

Looking out towards the now-retreating Thracians, General Carl Elbrus realized that the one he had shot with his black arrow was the Alexander III - a few minutes ago, without him noticing, he had come head-to-head against the Thracian Emperor in battle. Just now, he came to realization of what he had done - possibly killing the Thracian Emperor and saving North Hampton.

"Get a messenger to Nova Roma ready to depart by sundown," commanded General Elbrus, smiling in triumph. "We need to let our Imperator know."

But behind the smile of triumph, General Elbrus had worries and fears - he might've killed the Thracian Emperor and held back the Thracian offensive, but that did not mean that he had ended the war. He knew that the Thracians didn't give up so easily, especially when they were bound to fight to become the 'rightful son of Rome'. In fact, he might've just motivated the Thracians to continue the offensive even further: as he had killed the Emperor, they will most definitely attempt to avenge their Emperor's death.

As the Timurian Chasseurs were returning into the city, General Elbrus walked into his residence to write a message to the Imperator. He knew that this wasn't the end.

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