Part 2 - The invasion begins

1 April 1190

With sails fluttering in a freshening breeze Toghrul Khan pointed his fleet towards Marnon and the riches that waited there. Three days later lookouts at Oxleaf Castle looked on in horror as a massive fleet of Turkish ships drew near. Hurried messages for help were dispatched to the Duke of Bentwood in far off Bentwood Castle. The invasion of Marnon had begun.

The fears of the Oxleaf garrison were soon realised as part of the fleet pealed off pulling into Ox Harbour to disgorge Toghrul Khan’s cavalry. The Saracens put an ultimatum to the castle: give up the castle and you can march out unharmed or face our wrath. Perhaps with more bravo than sense the offer was refused and the messenger executed. The enraged Khan ordered the castle to be stormed immediately.

Negotiations in the campaign were done via a Parley Table. This was lifted from the original Marnon Campaign.

The Parley Table was set up in Berthier using Berthier’s random event function. The actual storming combat was conducted using Berthier’s combat resolution function.

The outnumbered, untrained militia were ill prepared. The Saracens penetrated the defences in multiple places with light casualties. As his anger abated after such an easy victory Toghrul Khan considered it prudent to keep the garrison prisoner as a bargaining chip in future negotiations.

The rest of the fleet sailed on to Island Harbour. Even more Saracens under the Khan’s second in command Timur disembarked onto Marnon soil. From the dunes of Melting Sands a patrol of Marnon crossbowmen watched on. Realising that they would be massacred if caught in the open by the hordes of cavalry below, they sought safety by crossing the Ammon Bridge. If they were attacked here they could defend their side of the bridge with concentrated crossbow fire.

However Timur however didn’t force the issue. The crossbowmen soon lost contact with the Saracens as they disappeared inland. Timur orders were to take Gaudy Castle. The castle was soon in his hands as it lay undefended.

In just one week after the invasion had started and the Saracens has succeeded magnificently. They had captured two castles with minimum casualties and now held all southwest Marnon below the Amnon River line under their sway. Toghrul Khan was satisfied. But he now had to defend what he has gained. Light cavalry patrols were sent to the borderlands to detect the inevitable Marian reaction.

A breathless messenger arrived at Bentwood Castle having ridden non-stop across the island. The Saracens has been seen in southwest Marnon, it was the invasion. Bentwood immediately decided to concentrate his forces at Bentwood Castle. Messengers were dispatched to the Military Orders to join him. Once he had more specific intelligence he would lead them forth to drive out the invaders. Prince Henry was instructed to actively seek out the invaders and report to Bentwood on their position and strength.

It was on the 10^th of April that the Military Orders and Prince Henry received their instructions from Bentwood. The Military Orders immediately began the arduous trek around the Sea of Marnon to join up with Bentwood. Prince Henry however chose to ignore Bentwood declaring: “ How dare the usurper give me orders!”

Obedience tests had been set up in Berthier for the Military Orders and Prince Henry. Whenever they received orders from Bentwood they would test to obey or not. In this case Prince Henry chose not to obey, while the Military Order did obey.

The Military Orders had to take the long route around the Sea of Marnon from Flintcastle as mounted troops could not travel through the Crystal Mountains.

It was only now that Bentwood began to think he had might have made a strategic mistake. While it might be good politics to make the Military Orders come to him; he was mobilising on the wrong side of the island and it was taking too long.

Prince Henry formulated a plan in his Castle of Dunes. Crossbowmen from Oxleaf had just arrived with news of the of the Saracen invasion. His ears pricked up at their report - the last Saracens they had seen before losing contact was a small light cavalry unit on the south bank of the Amnon River. Here was a chance for a quick and easy victory, one that would enhance his prestige with the nobility of Marnon.

Prince Henry was soon leading his retinue from the castle, ordering the crossbowmen to follow as quickly as possible. As he drew near the Portston Bridge his scouts reported that Gaudy Castle was now occupied with a somewhat larger force than he had expected. Shaken he cautiously crossed the bridge and prepared to place Gaudy Castle under siege. To retreat now would be cowardly, and anyway the Saracens in Gaudy were no more numerous than his own force.

On the other side of Marnon Bentwood had finally concentrated his counter-invasion force at Bentwood Castle. It was only now that he received the news that the Saracens had captured Gaudy Castle. The direct route to recover Gaudy through the Crystal Mountains was out of the question as his mounted forces could not pass through there. That only left the northerly route. Bentwood would approach Gaudy from the northeast basing his attack on Castle Kilgarren. “Why” he asked himself “did I not mobilise more forward?”

To Prince Henry's surprise the Saracens left the defences of Castle Gaudy and formed up in from of him. The Saracens, having just been re-enforced with Jesugai’s light cavalry, sought to offer battle as they realised they now outnumber Prince Henry.

Jesugai's cavalry was on patrol duty in the Misty Forest when it saw the approach of Prince Henry. Jesugai took an “initiative test” which had been set up in Berthier. The test said to act as the commander in chief would wish so Jesugai joined up with Timur to offer battle.

On the fields of Sheep Meade the first battle of the war was about to begin.

<Prev> <Next>