The Battle of the Fearless Forty

The Battle of the Fearless Forty took place on the 21st of Kadern, 1444, over the possession of the Andolfort. The defense was led by Rastos Ovanson, with 400 Skothik defenders, and the attack was led by Kylon Ludan and Aldo Kreuzzig, with forty Skothik turncoats, an eight-person strike team, and 5000 soldiers. After a fifteen minute siege and four hours of combat, the battle was won and the fort was claimed by the Ludanian Army.

### Background

The Andolfort has been a position of great contention between Skothika and Ludania for over three hundred years. The fort was originally the capital of Andolska in the 11th century, and became a valuable holdfast against both Skoths and Gallocans for the early Ludanian Empire. It was taken by the Skoths in 1235, and retaken by the Ludanians later that same year. Then, in the war of 1412, the Skoths took it again. Henry VII mounted a catastrophic counterattack, losing Ludania ~12,000 troops (3/4 of his army) over the course of a five-day siege, which ended in a full retreat.

It has been a source of Skothik pride and Ludanian shame for the past thirty-two years, and in an attempt to retake the fort and bolster his personal reputation, Kylon Ludan and Aldo Kreuzzig decided they would take the fort with only 5000 men and a small strike team on the inside. Kylon hired the empire's newest Knight Errant and his allies, The Fifth Order, to scale the Shieldcrest mountains and infiltrate the fort the night before the attack.

The invasion was unsanctioned, and Kylon Ludan organized it without the blessing of his father, Emperor Henry VII, or the Pontufex of the Church of the Everlasting Flame. Aldo Kreuzzig, fully invested in Kylon's plan, took 5000 of his father's men from Larchemotte and marched up the Andol river to the Andolfort.

### Events

While Aldo marched his troops up the pass as quickly and quietly as possible, Kylon led his strike team around the back of the Shieldcrest mountains, through the Howling Gate. After a grueling climb up the eastern side, they descended the west side in the dead of night. His strike team split into smaller groups; Bhaegar Alastor, Bran Robards, and Theodoric DaCavalier disabled the onagers and took out the watch along the wall; Kylon and Stevyn Havens went to the officer's barracks and assassinated them; Bjorn Vangard organized a splinter group of rebels within the Skoth's ranks; Caerbannog ran through the village, disguised as a nude drunkard to distract the guard; Wilhelm kept watch.

After their sabotage was complete, and dawn had just broken, the barracks rose to the alarm bell. The Fifth Order, Kylon, and the forty Skothik rebels moved to defend the gate, keeping it open until Aldo's men could arrive and take the fort. The forty-eight men held off the 460 Skoths, taking no casualties and killing over twenty assailants. Aldo Kreuzzig's cavalry finally arrived, riding through the gate behind them, followed by the Ludanian Infantry. A few hours of fighting later, the Ludanians lowered the Skothik flag and raised Kylon's personal banner, claiming the fort as their own.

### Result

After the battle, the Ludanians began work on fortifying the northern wall, and plundered the military part of the fort. The civilians living within were sent to Andolvanger, less than two miles away, and were told they could keep as many of their possessions as they could carry on their backs. The Fearless Forty Skoths were granted amnesty, and a place in the Ludanian Army, and the Fifth Order was rewarded greatly for their bravery and skill.

The Skoths surrendered after receiving a combined 295 casualties and wounded. The Ludanians took only 18 casualties, with an additional 34 soldiers wounded.

### Important People

* Kylon Ludan: Organized the attack of the fort and took out the officers, sewing chaos in the Skoths
* Aldo Kreuzzig: Led the infantry and cavalry against the wall of the fort
* Bhaegar Alastor: Helmed the defense of the gate and took out the majority of the watchmen on the wall
* Stevyn Havens: Killed the majority of the officers, handing their bodies from the ramparts
* Bjorn Vangard: Convinced the Fearless Forty to join the Ludanians, barricaded and delayed the Skoth's defense
* Finngar of Jelska: Organized the Fearless Forty's assembly
* Caerbannog: Diverted the attention of the guard from the other saboteurs
* Bran Robards: Disabled the onagers, held the gate against the Skoths
* Theodoric DaCavalier: Held the gate alongside Bhaegar, took out the watchmen