Goths Vs Picts

Newly crowned king of the Goths, 16-year-old Athanaric, was eager to make a name for himself, and decided that a raid into the territory of the Picts would be the way to do it.

King Athanaric planned to push across the bridge and raid deep into the heartland of his victims, but Pictish King Morial was given warning of the attack, and gathered forces of his own near the border. (The pics above show the terrain around the crossing point selected by King Athanaric, and King Morial - in his chariot - rallying his defenders).

With the invaders taking their time to reach the crossing point - perhaps delayed by the adverse weather conditions - King Morial had plenty of time to move his forces into position for an ambush. The druids had promised that an attack against the invaders would be successful, and King Morial sought to put that promise to the test.

Their visibility diminished by the dark, cloudy sky and driving rain, the Goths were unaware of the presence of the Pict defenders until they had entered the woodland beyond the bridge. The bolts of the Pict crossbowmen gathered beyond the wood may not have found their mark with the first volley, but the Goth horsemen at the front of the column realized that if they didn't close quickly with their enemy, they would be shot at again very quickly. Pressing forward along the road with all haste, the Goths failed to notice the Picts hiding in the woods on either side of the road - until too late.

While the front units charged forward and were met by more bolts and the sight of a full Pict warband waiting to greet them, the Goths in the rear were attacked from both sides of the road. King Atharnaric himself was the first Goth to fall - dropped by an arrow that pierced his throat. The Goths fought desperately, but attacked from three sides, there was little they could do.

Eventually, a small group of survivors was able to escape back over the bridge, just in time to warn their supporting foot troops not to venture across the bridge. All hope of victory extinguished, the remaining Goths chose to cut their losses and return home to select a new king.

The dice gods were definitely on the side of the Picts in this one - the Goths had some terrible rolls. While the rain pretty much eliminated the effects of missile fire, the Pict Crossbowmen were still able to do enough to unsettle Goth morale, and with the rest of their troops also chipping in, the team performance took the day.

Of course, the Pict druids claimed credit for the Goths run of bad luck, and the decisive victory achieved by King Morial, who now advances to the next round of the "2016 Barbarian World" Tournament, where he will face the winner of the clash between Queen Antibrote's Amazons and Queen Brietta MacDwyai's Britons. (First time ever I will have had two female generals facing off against each other!).

Hopefully, that will happen next weekend!

On a final note, I'm finally getting enough terrain together to put together a cluttered battlefield full of scenery. I just need to remember to take photos at the appropriate times. I missed some real beauts once the action got up close and personal, because I was too engrossed in the action to think about the camera!