Clash at the Wolfshill

The **Clash at the Wolfshill** was one of many battles fought in the Third Attack on the Midlands.

##### Prologue

The East-West Wars is the common name for ten wars between the east and west between 921 - 798 BNE. The Easterlings united in the form of the Acradian League and sought to expand their influence and beliefs to the west. Unexpectedly the Westerlings and High Folk managed to make there own alliances to stop the massive and well-organised armies of the east.

Following the Fall of Otterphort in 889 BNE, the Acradian League now had a second approach into the Midlands. From Otterphort the Acradians could pass through Hammergarden and breach the allied heartland in just a few days. Recognising this thread the Westerling armies had to pull back from the east to cover their flank, leaving Phenatorio and the eastern Midlands vulnerable again. After the Acradians failed to expand in the north, they once again focussed on the Midlands. In the spring of 873 BNE three massive armies crossed into the Midlands. Two armies encircled the eastern Midlands and the biggest of the three headed west to try to take the cities of Stormfast and Hemington. In anticipation of war with the East the garrison of the castle of Norpeak had been reinforced years prior, bringing the total defenders to around 2000. When the Acradian legions crossed Hammergarden into the Midlands a further 1000 soldiers were send to defend the northern approach to Stormfast. While the main armies of the Westerlings and Easterlings clashed near the river Bever, around 6000 Acradians marched north to Stormfast.

### Clash at the Wolfshill

House Meradia, the rulers of the Wolfshill and guardians of the northern approach to Stormfast, had prepared for such an attack and had a thousand of its soldiers entrenched in the hills near Estrald. On the small roads of the western Midlands the two legion had to walk in a long stretched line. The legionaries were tired from the long trip into the Midlands. From the hills the Meradians watched as the column marched right into their trap. Lord Meradia had positioned his troops along to forested hills overlooking the road. The road passed between two steep hills, a bottleneck in the landscape which the Meradians would fully exploit.

When the vanguard of the Acradian army had crossed the hill the Meradians rushed from their hiding spots and charged upon the unsuspecting legionnaires. They concentrated their attack on the bottleneck, overwhelmed the soldiers and effectively cut-off the vanguard from the rest of the army. While the vanguard was being butchered on the other side, the remainder of the Acradians tried desperately to break the Meradian line. But fighting uphill with heavy armour, under a constant barrage of missile fire by the Meradians, kept the main body of the army at bay.

Eventually the remainder of the army managed to form up and attack the Meradian line again, but at that point the Meradians had received significant reinforcements and the vanguard was all but lost. Some groups tried to hold out, but with no relief in sight they too would fall to the blades of the Midlanders. Others who found the opportunity to flee, fled into the woods, but were quickly chased down by the Meradians. Their heavy armour slowed them down and they were easy prey for the light armoured Meradians. Knowing that the vanguard had been lost to the attackers and not wanting to risk more lives, the Acradians orderly retreated from the battle.

##### Aftermath

The Acradian vanguard had all but been decimated in the ambush, estimates vary between 1500-2000 casualties against 122 casualties on the Meradian side. A hard blow for the Acradian army in the west and with an undeciding battle at the Bever, the two sides would enter a stalemate. A few months later the Acradians met the Meradians again when they besieged their castle (*Also see: Siege of Norpeak*).