Battle of the Western Plains

The battle of the Western Plains was a battle that took place west of the city of **Ravenyard** in the **Kingdom of Catania** between the wild tribes of Beastfolk, and numerous Catanian Knightly Orders, as well as their peasant auxiliaries.

## Origins

The Western Plains of Tolreiya are considered an untamed wilderness, and within them dwell dozens upon dozens of undocumented beastfolk tribes; minotaurs, gnolls, and many, many other creatures of similar bestial statures. Although these tribes occasionally raided into Catanian lands, they never did so in full force, until now. An absolutely massive force had begun to push into Catania, but fortunately, the local forces of Ravenyard, with nearby villages, and the local Knights of the Flame Order, were able to muster up a sufficiently sized force to meet them in battle.

## Forces

### Catania

Catanian Forces were largely made up of locally armed militia and peasant forces. However, the local Knights of the Flame Order were also present in a sufficiently large enough force, as Ravenyard, being a border town, had come under occasional attacks in the past. Taking command, Sir Gregory Gregoryson deployed the peasants in a broad battle line, with several Trebuchets in the back to provide fire upon the approaching enemy forces.

### Beastfolk Tribes

The Beastfolk Tribes were largely disorganized, deploying themselves in haphazard formations with lesser beastfolk that resembled more humanoid versions of Minotaurs forming the bulk of the army's forces, along with gnolls alongside them. Yet behind these lines were formidable Minotaurs, with enormous axes, and many other monsters; manticores, giants, and more.

## Battle

The Catanian Battle lines assembled, with rows of peasant swordsmen, pikes and archers readying themselves for the battle. A few Trebuchet crews were readied at the back, along with an array of Order of the Flame Knights. When the Beastfolk showed themselves, the battle began quickly, the Trebuchets launching their rocks towards the enemies. Yet the beasts responded, giants hurling enormous stones back at the Catanian forces. Their gnolls and lesser Minotaurs closed in, pushing into the peasant forces. The peasants, while somewhat disciplined and equipped better than their beastfolk counterparts, had much trouble with the physically superior Lesser Minotaurs and Gnolls. But they held their own.

But the peasant lines began to collapse when the Minotaurs waded into battle, slaughtering numerous peasants with each swing of their axes. Things began to turn and change when the Knights joined the fray; led by Sir Gregory, the Knights of the Flame launched numerous decisive, well-executed charge attacks into the flanks of the Beastfolk, as well as into their back lines of archers, and their own giants. Peasant Cavalry with Bows peppered the giants from range, always just out of reach of the great beasts.

The battle was bloody. Eventually, all of the peasants had fled the field. The Knights were all that was left, but many of the beastfolk had fled or died as well, including many of their largest beasts. It wasn't until magic came into the fold that things turned. The Beastfolk Leader, a minotaur with batlike wings, descended upon the remaining Knight forces, with a few more of his own groups of minotaurs, and began to sling dark nature magic, weakening the remaining Knights.

The battle ended when Sir Gregory called for the retreat, just as the enemy Leader impaled him on a spear, killing him the moment his back was turned.

## Conclusion

Catanian forces retreated to Ravenyard, bruised and broken, with the Head of the local Knight Order, Sir Gregory Gregoryson, killed by the Beastfolk. Yet his sacrifice was not forgotten, for his skill in battle and command helped keep the beastfolk back, decimating their forces to the point they were unable to push further into Catanian lands. Although a few of the outermost farms had been burned, it did not have a massive effect on the prosperity of Ravenyard.