Siege of Summershaw

The Conflict

Prelude

Balcoth the Conqueror's army ascended from the south, his eyes firmly set upon the Gray Mountains, his ambitions to their north and the desolate Fodorwaith and the Kingdom of Greater Anghor.
Elasha the elvish warrior of Mirkwood, respected by King Thranduil himself, spied the army's movements, birthing from the dark fortress of Gol Guldur and bleeding the Anduin Vales, a beast methodically devouring all resources in its path. Easterlings mixed with orc-kind, and perhaps most disconcerting, the Circle of Dragons cult, lead by the wicked Talwart, and his desire to resurrect the ancient wyrms of Middle Earth, all joined, driven by the shadow and a lust to destroy all in their path.
Only the small town of Summershaw, situated just south of the Gray Mountains, and its strong ancient bridge over the mighty River Taurduin, stood before the mountain passes leading into Anghor.
Elasha befriended the Wandering Minstrels, and with the help of the the many Free Folk encounter about their travels, set about arming and training the town to meet force with force and hopefully use the bridge as a bulwark against the fury of the enemy.

Deployment

by JJ Sinisi - Dungeondraft

On the morning of April 10th, after the Minstrels had performed one last sweep of Summershaw, ensuring the last of the villagers had left, Balcoth's Army appeared. Their vanguard having already ravished the outskirts of the small town, the main contingent now strode in, bristling with armor, spears, swords, beasts of all kinds, and snarling forces of darkness.
They brave villagers and combatants defending the bridge arrayed themselves accordingly. Hearty fighters upfront, those who had taken to the time to train with sword and shield, Sawen's Smiling Hawks those veterans of the revolt from up north, hired mercenaries, all of them crowding the mouth of the bridge, choking off any perceived quick entry into the towers beyond. A smaller squad of Ivory Congregation manned the battlements, flame wizards and cousins of the feared Circle of Dragons, and finally of course the rabble of the villagers, lacking training but not bravery, scattered throughout the bridge's long spans, ready to engage in the enemies worst horrors.

The Engagement

A bloody affair, far below the bridge's reach, the raging waters of Taurduin devoured as many lifeless bodies as the dueling magical flames of the two army's wizards. Though valiantly defended against numerous waves of goblin hordes, the first ramparts were finally breached, and the defenders fell back into the first tower. There they were met promptly by the screams of their allies, trapped in the cells just beyond the front portcullises. A mix of heroes attacked, freeing their allies, but not before the horde, now accompanied by fully armored Easterling knights overwhelmed the tower.

Demise of The Forsaken

by Ilker Serdar Yildiz

The mighty doors, now misted in poisonous green gas, fell from their hinges, just as The Minstrels freed the last trapped allies. Enemies poured forth, scrambling over their dead in a frantic scramble to sink their rusted swords deep into the flesh of any Free Folk they could find. The Forsaken, four elves honor bound to do well in the world despite their names and titles having been stripped for their past sins, stepped into the breach.
The last moments Vandre of the Minstrels remembers of these brave heroes was the repeated twang of their elvish bows, the stoic screams of their battle commands, and their cries of desperation willing their protectorate to hurry to freedom.

The Turn

But Even as the last span fell to the marauders, and two giant waveryns rose from the battle's din and assaulted the men on the bridge, the battle somehow, someway, shifted in the Free Folk's favor. Armored knights feel in heaps of gleaming metal, and Goblin and Orc bodies stacked so high their feral companions could do little to avoid the slick under-footing of their brethren's lifeblood.

Conflict Type

Siege

Start Date

April 10, 2946

Ending Date

April 11, 2946