[FB] The Battle of Ice River

[Khorne]

While the Long War is mostly remembered as a conflict between Oléon and Corrington - with a later Mardierian Intervention - the Northern Kingdoms were not the only battlefields, as the war coalesced with other simmering ongoing conflicts. Many decades before the start of the Long War, knightly orders and agents of the Faith were already encroaching on Pontilla's territory, seeking to "civilize" the pagan lands and carve out their own monastic state, loyal to Oléon.

Over time the small border skirmishes and taunts turned into a full-fledged war, with several crusades launched into the Grand Duchy - mostly headed by the Oléonder Ordo Poseidonis, the Knights of Poseidon.

The Pontillans managed to hold their ground for a long time, thanks to the employment of inventive tactics and reliance on early gunpowder weaponry.

In 347AE the infamous Battle of Ice River was fought, which is widely regarded as Grand Duke Basil's finest victory. Through clever maneuvering and usage of the terrain, the Pontillan host under the Grand Duke's command managed to lure the battle brothers of the Knights of Poseidon across a frozen-over river. When they realized the danger, many turned around and fled to a safe bank. Others dismounted and foolhardy pressed on under the barrage of ranged weaponry. The few that made it to Pontilla's side were swiftly cut down. However, retreat was becoming impossible as the ice started to give way under the weight of the soldiers and knights and was beginning to crack. Many men drowned or died of frostbite in the aftermath.

The Grand Duke then ordered the heads of fallen enemies or prisoners cut off and mounted on pikes along the banks of the river as a warning and grim symbol of victory. The chronicles of the Knights bestowed him the moniker "the Mad Lord" for this action, which is sometimes erroneously copied as "the Bat Lord", assuming it mistakenly refers to Basil's personal coat of arms.

Sadly for the Pontillans, the hubris of their victory was not to last as they were soundly defeated by Oléon in 349AE. With its army broken and Basil supposedly slain on the battlefield, the rest of the Grand Duchy was subdued and in 352AE officially annexed by Oléon.

However, the Order's control over the country is fickle and Pontillans remain defiant. Remnants of loyalists have fled to the ghastly Darkwood where it is whispered they are regrouping and biding their time. Indeed, patrols have reported rumors of sightings of armed groups adorned with bat-like imagery or claims of dark rituals and others practices the Knights label as "witchcraft" and "heresy".

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Just a general freebuild not really tied to my own Faction, but made to add some more background fluff to the setting. A follow-up to another small world-building MOC and a series of figures.

Like I mentioned on Flickr, the background information for Pontilla in BOBS has sat close to being finished for some time now so we were able to draw upon that to create the Terra Pontilla subfaction for Oléon. The "crusade" aspect - or at least a defining war with Oléon,  and subsequent occupation was also part of the background, so I wanted to create an event from that time frame.

I should clean up the draft, cross the T's and dot the I's and upload a final version to Jameis' Guide, for completeness' sake.

[Dutch Thriceman]

It's a neat Battle Scene, I also appreciate the added backstory / lore given for the setting, good stuff.