Dream of Legends fie-2

by Stephen Zimmer

  Other cavalry were attired very similarly to the veiled spearmen, wearing the litham veil-turbans, and carrying hide shields and bamboo lances, to go along with their straight swords and tapering daggers. Some of these wore a type of armor constructed of sheets of felt, with colored sashes wound around their waists, with others clad in simple, blanket-like garments, wrapped around their long tunics and cotton trousers.

  A third throng of cavalry bore elongated lances with hafts of bamboo, as well as long maces and swords. Quilted, padded armor, or jubbahs, protected their bodies, and a similar fashion of soft armor was used on their horses as well. They wore their turbans in a different fashion from the fundamentalist elite, with a length of cloth hanging down in front.

  The main cavalry forces were rounded out by a fourth group, a few hundred in number, who were singularly unusual amongst all of the rest. Their mounts were a very sturdy breed of steppe pony, creatures imbued with considerable stamina, as well as a particularly advantageous ability to endure periods of minimal sustenance that would rapidly debilitate larger breeds of warhorses. The stalwart horses’ tails were tied in knots, with a leather collar ornamented with pierced bronze medallions, from which dangled a horsehair neck tassel in a bronze holder.

  The warriors astride the ponies carried smoothly recurved composite bows, kept in bowcases hanging off their belts at their side. They also bore maces, single-edged sabers, and small round shields that hung from long guige straps about the neck. The riders were positioned farther forward on their mounts than most cavalrymen, utilizing shorter stirrups to situate themselves at the horse’s shoulders, as opposed to the backs of the animals.

  Simple iron helms were hidden beneath silk and felt coverings, with an upturned leather plate at the front, and the brim lined with fur. The riders’ hair hung long down their backs in braided fashions. They wore cuirasses of a lamellar construct that was, in turn, laced into a jacket of felt placed over their colored tunics, and had high, soft leather boots encasing their lower legs and feet.

  Riding upon camels and mules, in a condensed disposition near the center and rear of the broad ranks, were a large corps of drummers. The drums themselves were made of stretched hide, spanning various sizes of green and gold cases. The smaller drums were double-ended, sitting horizontal in front of the mounted drummers in such a manner that they could strike them at each end.

  Others were enormous constructs, several yards in circumference, which resounded with deep, resonant booms upon being hit. The drummers were dark-skinned men, whose facial features were hidden behind the wrappings of their litham veil-turbans. They kept a tight formation, executing a deep, rhythmic cadence, as the huge ranks of the Andamoorans steadily marched across the plain and toward the field of battle.

  Close to the rear of the Andamooran ranks was Abu Yaqub Battuta himself, the exalted, powerful Emir of Andamoor. He was second only in influence to the Great Emir of the Faithful, Yusuf Ibn Tumart, and rode upon a magnificent white stallion. His standard, a particularly ornate, red banner, carried high next to him by a dedicated bearer.

  His elite bodyguard, a force that was five hundred strong, and which carried a most fearsome reputation, surrounded him. These ebony-skinned warriors from the Sunlands wore sleeveless padded armor over their mail, sittiing astride exquisite mounts.

  Strangest of all to Saxan eyes that day were the mounts of a huge number of warriors, many of the litham-wearing variety, who came to fight not as cavalry, but as infantry. Held in reserve, the warriors sat upon the hump-backed forms of camels, animals utterly foreign to the Saxans, and quite bizarre to their eyes.

  As the Saxan defenders looked on, several openings suddenly formed in the wall of spearmen, at the forefront of the square Andamooran formation.

  The singular group of horsemen riding the steppe ponies, bearing the curved, composite bows, emerged into the open before the massive Andamooran force. Their mounts moved with a grace that evidenced considerable swiftness and dexterity, breaking into a fluid stream that surged towards the Saxan lines along their right flank.

  “The bells of your churches will be the lamps that light our temples!” cried a fierce-looking horse archer, riding at the lead of the forward-most element of the galloping horsemen.

  Though the Saxans could not understand the horseman’s foreign tongue, the threat was far from being an undocumented, unknown practice on the part of the Andamoorans. Many who had fought in the long wars between the followers of the Prophet and the followers of Emmanu in Eberia had experienced it fully, in the ebb and flow of churches and temples caught amidst the fierce struggles of that contested land. Church bells that once tolled for the faithful of Emmanu had often ended up as war mementos, converted into lamps in the Temples of the Prophet, which were themselves often constructed right on the sites of the conquered churches.

  Nonetheless, the Saxan warriors could recognize the words as being a taunting boast. The mocking horseman, and those following him, remained just out of Saxan bowshot, though some of the angrier men of the levy just behind the shield wall loosed some futile arrows at the haughty leader, before enduring the stern reprimands of nearby thanes or ceorls.

  Those Saxans familiar with horses marveled at the unison of motion that seemed to blend rider and steed, as the small force of enemy horse-archers streamed down the length of their lines. The horse-archers readied their bows as they reached the area that marked the end of the front line of Andamooran spearmen. They curled about in a tight arc, and returned back down the Saxan lines.

  On the second pass, they notched their arrows, drawing the bowstrings with well-practiced smoothness, and then letting them fly from the saddles of their racing steeds.

  With the arrows flying towards the Saxans, the battle on the Plains of Athelney was underway.

  *

  THE EHRENGARDIANS

  *

  A land of legend, mist, and mountain, rich in ancient forests, and graced with majestic, castle-studded rivers, Ehrengard was the heart of the Sacred Empire.

  Called upon by the authority of the Sacred Emperor, the heralded land had poured forth its might in the service of the Unifier, forging it into the massive right flank of the three principle formations facing the Saxan defenders.

  A fiery people, whose hardiness echoed the rock of the great mountains that rose proudly within their lands, their storied heritage went far before them onto any battlefield in Ave.

  At their roots, they were a people that had tamed a dangerous wilderness. As older tribes had grown into kingdoms, they had demonstrated a courage and resilience that few lands could rival. As the Sacred Empire coalesced, and stability broadened, an aptitude had been shown for trade, learning, politics, and spiritual matters.

  A burgeoning populace, thriving within prosperous trade leagues and urban communes, continually expanded the successes and influence of the Sacred Empire.

  The prosperity also translated into force of arms. The lords of Ehrengard, its margraves, counts, dukes, abbots, and bishops, commanded knightly retinues significantly more numerous in scale than those of Gallea, or even Norengal.

  The Sacred Empire spanned a great number of territories, including a number of powerful duchies, the kingdom of Boehman, a number of cities in the north of Lombar, and even the Kingdom of Paleria. The Sacred Empire had long possessed a formidable level of power, one that had often unnerved the Great Vicars in Liantenum.

  Yet even in spite of the enormous strength available in the Sacred Empire, the mustering of a great military force was not always a certainty in the course of any war. The dukes and lords of Ehrengard often held to their own designs over that of the emperor.

  Serving as Electors for new emperors, they tended to assert themselves much more independently than did the lords of other kingdoms. The climate was constantly changing in the Sacred Empire’s power centers, as the authority of the emperor versus that of the various princes and dukes shifted back and forth.

  A few Sacred Emperors had enjoyed a n
ear unity of authority, while others struggled to the point of outright civil wars to maintain a semblance of preeminence. As such, Ehrengard had never reached the kind of power that a contiguous unity might have brought to it, perhaps even reaching a level that could have rivaled Avanor itself.

  The banners of Duke Manfred of Sachia, displaying two blue axe heads facing outward on a red background, and the ensigns of the powerful Archbishop Rainald of Maizen, were quickly recognized by several of the Saxan leaders on the opposing side of the battlefield. The sight dashed any slim hopes that some Saxans still held concerning the ebb and flow of intentions, loyalties, and acquiescence of the tumultuous Ehrengardian nobility with respect to the emperor.

  Manfred’s family line, the Uelf, had long fostered coalitions that frustrated the plans of the current imperial family, the Staffes, which was now manifested in the person of the current emperor, Heinrich VIII. Archbishop Rainald himself, in his younger days, had lent great ecclesiastical authority to the powers countering the emperor, nearly having toppled the Staffes line in the process.

  Ominously for the Saxans, their proudly waving banners and ensigns were now seen within the same host that included the presence of powers more traditionally loyal to the Staffes line. These included the Duke of Schueva, the Margrave of Holsheim, the Duke of Thurgian, the Bishop Thangbrand of Augenberg, and the King of Boehm.

  Seen all together, the sight sent an unmistakable, daunting message to the Saxans who were more astute about Ehrengard’s power structures. The enormous force represented an Ehrengard that was standing in full strength behind Heinrich VIII, whose designs toward Saxany were now conjoined to those of the Unifier.

  The center and left portions of Ehrengard’s host were teeming with several thousand spearmen, mixed in with several contingents of archers and crossbowmen. Equipped simply, with just conical helms and long shields, their short cloaks billowed and whipped about, caught in the morning’s alternating breezes and gusts as they tramped solidly towards the Saxan lines.

  A number of banners marked the origins of many of the units, and it could be discerned that the Duchies of Baraban, Thurgian, Sachia, and the Margraviate of Holsheim had provided a great portion of the foot soldiers within the Ehrengardian forces.

  The concentrated units of archers amongst them were easy to identify, as they were wearing distinctive, kettle-shaped helms. With a little scrutiny, the positions of the crossbowmen could also be ascertained, as they strode forward carrying their heavy weapons in both hands, telltale hooks hanging down from their belts for reloading the weapons.

  The right side of the host of Ehrengard, where the striking part of an Ehrengardian force was often deployed, was the area that attracted the most attention and dread from the watching Saxan defenders.

  A deadly forest of elongated spears seemed to crawl across the grassland, covering it like a dark tide sweeping menacingly towards the Saxan ranks. In the midst of this huge formation flew ebon banners, and within each was woven the image of a single, red blade. Many thousands marched proudly and boldly under the black and red ensigns, at the forefront of the right flank of the hosts of Ehrengard.

  These were the Halmlander, greatly feared and despised far beyond the lands of the Sacred Empire.

  Though nominally from the lands of the Duchy of Baraban, the Halmlander were a storied mercenary company, whose skill was more than equal to the high cost that it took to bring them into a war. Many infamous mercenary captains had led their great companies, serving under many kings over the years.

  The legendary exploits of Mercad, serving a Norengal monarch, and Adoc, for a Gallean king, were two such examples. Now, a grizzled, brutal man named Gerhoch had come at the behest, and generous pay, of the Sacred Emperor, bringing his foreboding, ravenous horde along with him.

  Overflowing in ferocity, and maintaining discipline in battle, the Halmlander’s mere presence had been enough to scatter more than one significant enemy force. Those that they fought knew fully well the dire consequences to villages and towns should the defenders fail to stop them. Even so, many forces had willfully chosen not to oppose the living plague, while knowing that the malignant horde would ravage their lands nonetheless.

  Without ties to homes of their own, the Halmlander gave great advantage to those who sought their services. Unlike regular levies, and those contingents under feudal obligations, the Halmlander could be kept for overly extended periods in the field, as long as wages were paid when promised. Their home was wherever they were, and a king who had coffers full enough could depend on the Halmlander from the start to the finish of an entire campaign.

  The mercenaries were men who had fled from the law, fortune seekers, heretical clergymen, disloyal knights, and other rootless men who found a haven in concentrating together as one force. Together, all past histories no longer mattered, and they could enthusiastically indulge in bloodlust and rapaciousness.

  They were men that needed to be constantly employed in a state of war. If they were not being used, they often turned upon the very populaces that they dwelled amongst.

  The history of Gallea, Norengal, Ehrengardian principalities, and many other lands could testify to the horror of the ravenous appetites for blood and violence that the Halmlander possessed. Such was the menace, and chilling deadliness, of the Halmlander.

  Bearing their long lances, the foot-soldiers of the Halmlander were spurred forward by the few rogue knights that helped to command their great company. The seemingly innumerable shafts with their deadly points served to create a dense hedge of protection for the force of mounted knights that was coming up just behind them.

  The knights comprising the force located in back of the Halmlander, on the farthest right of the Ehrengardian force, were truly among the most prime warriors in all of Ehrengard.

  The symbols of the Duke of Schueva, from which the imperial Staffes family line had come, the Duke Leopold of Aestrius, and the Duke of Baraban, from whose lands the Halmlander themselves had been hired, were visible on the shields, surcoats, and pennons amongst the great knights.

  Imperial banners, showing a great, black dragon, with wings outstretched wide, set against a field of gold, flew from the contingents from Schueva, as their widely renowned Duke possessed the unique honor to display the imperial ensigns.

  There was a sense of elegance to the attire of these greater knights. A good number of their helms were fashioned with an aesthetic fluting, whose graceful contours beautified a design that carried great practicality, resulting in perhaps the strongest helms found in any realm. Others wore helms with full iron visors affixed to the brow, protecting their entire faces. A few still wore older, conical designs, which had little more than a nasal guard extending down for facial protection.

  Over their mail coats, several knights wore finely fashioned surcoats, complete with “V” shaped necks, and drooping, pendant sleeves. Exquisitely crafted swords rested in gilded sheaths, tied into belts whose ends were split into slits, and then knotted together in a fashion common across the lands of Ehrengard.

  Their shields were largely of the variety prevalent among Ehrengard’s knights. Broad in width, with the two top ends rounded and extending downward, they narrowed gradually into a narrow, curved bottom that evoked a shorter, wider rendition of the elongated kite-shields carried by so many of the foot soldiers.

  Even their robust war stallions carried an elite aura about them, many being covered in quilted trappers, richly colored to match the colors on their riders’ shields and surcoats.

  The majestic appearance of knights was not limited just to those in the rear on the right side of the line, but were spread among the other mounted elite of Ehrengard that followed the masses of infantry in the center and left.

  The imperial dragons flying in the center of the formation heralded the presence of Heinrich VIII’s most powerful Oath Knight, Markward of Augenberg. The powerful, proud form of the great knight sat astride a regal war steed, covered in a spectacular trapper, fash
ioned entirely of glinting chain mail.

  Markward wore a fully encompassing great helm, surrounding his face and all parts of his head with iron, a new style of helm that had just started to be crafted and used. He was surrounded by a host of lower-ranking Oath Knights, all of whom were bonded to Emperor Heinrich.

  Not far from Markward, was the Archbishop Anno of Colgonach, one of the Empire’s greatest ecclesiastical princes. Like Markward, he was also mounted on a great warhorse that was clad in a full mail trapper.

  A distinctive type of leather mitre-cap, with two vertical extensions, curving gradually to rounding summits, one rising in the front and one at the rear of the mitre-cap, crowned his iron great helm. The mitre-cap was snow-white, with curling red patterns interwoven on it. The two facings in the front and rear were curved slightly outward on the edges of the great helm, forming an open space between the two extensions.

  The cap was held in place by a circular base that wrapped tightly around the top of the helm, with a white cloth mantling hanging down in the rear, covering the back of the great helm.

  The Archbishop was a vision very different from that of a humble rural clergyman or monk, the latter two striving to distance themselves from the temporal world. His tall stature was covered from head to foot in a finely fashioned suit of mail, surmounted by a blood-red, sleeveless surcoat that was split up to the waist in the front and back.

  He carried a mace with flanged head that was not intended for any act of faith. One would have presumed that the mace, in a great stretch of the proper intentions, addressed the commonly held belief that the clergy of the Creator should not shed blood. Such a notion was imminently refuted by the presence of a prominent sword, fit with an ornate pommel, resting in a finely-crafted, silver gilt scabbard hanging outside his surcoat at his waist.