Battle of Middlefield

General Truk smiled, confident after his success at sacking the town of Middlefield. The siege had taken longer than he had hoped, but at last it was done. Looting and pillaging accomplished. With a fist of goblins led by their mystic shaman, and Truk's own black orcs and awesome giants, the march back to the Orc Nation would be easy. From the advanced reports, the dwarves had been devastating in sacking several northern cities. The cool winds of Fall were coming and it was time to see firsthand what the Dwarven Thunder had done to his homeland. When two units of carrion birds arrived with a warning of an incoming elven army, thoughts of an easy march home quickly disappeared.

A massive force of elves, humans and dwarves under the leadership of William Markinghamshire moved to aid the beleaguered city of Middlefield. It was the Fall of 886 TA, and the loss of crops and farms in the area would mean a long winter for the survivors. As the army crested the hill overlooking the Middlefield valley, the Orc army stood poised on the far hill. William smiled. His forces outnumbered the Orcs by more than 2 to 1. It would be a rout, he thought as he ordered his elven storm riders to take the left flank next to a full brigade of elven spearmen. Next, he alternated units of missile troops and deadly dwarven artillery. Finally, his eagles and two companies of knights took rear guard ready to come where needed on the battlefield.

The battle started with the elves taking a nearby hill whose face was too steep to allow the Orcs a chance to overrun the position. From here, the artillery of the dwarves would pound relentlessly on the Orcs. The elven storm riders swept around the left flank making a charge for the giants and black orcs on the Orc strong flank. The goblins quickly raced into a nearby woods, taking up a defensive position.

General Truk had fought worse odds and won. Quickly, he ordered his black orcs to swing to the east, avoiding the charging wind riders, and make a dash up a small pass towards the wind rider knights stationed there. If he made it to the top of the hill, he could quickly dispatch the dwarven artillery before it became effective. The giants held the rear, attempting to stop the storm riders.

The first battle was decisive, as the giants fell to the storm riders. The battle was not without its casualties as the giant took down numerous elven fighters. In the end, the Orc flank collapsed. Meanwhile, the black orc charge up the hill was foiled once by artillery. Successful on a second attack, the black orcs fell to the wind riders, who swept down from the hill and destroyed the last of them. The undead carrion, attempting to take out the far flank were pinned down by elven bowmen, although several fire throwers were destroyed.

The carrion harassment was insufficient, as the elven spearmen swept into the forest behind the storm riders and broken the goblin infantry. The battle was lost. General Truk and his shaman escaped, followed by several fingers of goblins.

William quickly ordered the bodies burned and the battlefield sanctified. Then, the human army marched to give what aid they could to the broken town on Middlefield. The campaign season had come to an end.