Bone Breakers

BR39
July 685
Taria listened to the reports from her scouts with pleasure. The vile
creatures known as beastmen had been lured away by Tauros force of
archers, but not just those near her undead target. It seemed that he had
somehow managed to lure all of the abominations away to the east. The
dust cloud brought up by this massed movement was visible from her
hidden location but until the reports had come in she just assumed this
was from the archers mounts. Now she had her chance to test out her
magic and those of her allies. The enemy was an affront to nature and it
was time for nature to reclaim their bodies for the circle.
She gave the nod to her officers and the force was quickly
organised and began the march. It would take them less than an hour to
reach the enemy column, and she already felt the rush of battle begin to
fill her body. Around her were the priests, acolytes and guardians of the
combined nature cult, and with them marched the priesthood of the
religion of Ironka. Between them they had spells and incantations that
had been designed specifically for tackling the undead, and now they
would be tested. She also had brought along some of her bonded
animals, among them the bunyips and fire drakes that she had spent
months of meditation to bond.
The force crested the last rise between them and their foe, and
stretched out before her was a seemingly endless line of the undead that
marched in blocks of about a thousand. Their pace never changed, and
they only stopped to allow the beastmen who had charged to the east a
chance to rest. They were still more than a week from the alliance
encampment, but they numbered in the thousands and would not be a
simple enemy to defeat. The column was no more than half a mile from
her force, and she gave the nod for the mounted scouts to head to the
east and west to begin the assault.

Long minutes passed as she watched the horsemen gallop to their

destinations. They soon disappeared from sight, but they had completed
their task. Hundreds of cavalrymen from among the alliance appeared
from among hidden valleys and began the charge towards the leading
block of undead. The hated foe continued its slow march with no interest
in the men who would soon crush into their now exposed flanks. Taria
and her force were now almost within range and the priests began their
prayer and chants ready for the assault, whilst the drakes were urged
forwards to spew their flames unto the enemy.
The cavalry charges hit both flanks almost simultaneously,
smashing through the skeletal ranks like a hammer through dry wood.
Bones were shattered by the hammers wielded by many of the
horsemen, whilst lances impaled multiple foes upon their shafts. The
twin assaults passed through the block in less than a minute and made
long wheels in preparation for their second charge. Few men had fallen
to the foe, who shockingly continued their march as if the cavalry werent
there.
Then it was the priests turn to test their skills. The earth turned to
thick muck beneath the feet of the undead causing them to sink to the
knees in its sticky grip. The nature priests held their holy symbols up and
called upon the nature goddess to unmake these affronts to her design
and many undead fell down as no more than bones once more. Balls of
fire and bolts of lightning were hurled at the foe, and finally the drakes
were let lose. Opening their mouths and spraying the undead with their
liquid fire the drakes caused almost as much damage as the priests
combined. The drakes were called back after no more than a few
minutes, and the priesthood with many of their spells expended began
the retreat.
The final charge of the cavalry was led by the so far untested bison
riders of Pendrak. Their heavy mounts easily crushed the remaining
undead and the two cavalry forces turned their mounts south and began
heading back to the encampment. The rest of the undead column
marched on over the remains of the thousand who had been destroyed,
completely unaware of what had just occurred.