The Battle of the Turnip Fields

The battle of the Turnip Field took place outside Waterdeep on 12th Elient 1376 DR.

It was part of the Orc Horde attack lead by King Obould Many-Arrows

Events of the Battle:

Battle of The Turnip Fields

The Waterdeep forces return to the city.

They are :

Lead by : Open Lord of Waterdeep

Open Lords Personal Guard    - 10 men

The Watch            - 200  men (most still in city, but super tough guys want to go)

The Guards                - 1000 men

Naval Ground Forces (Marines)    - 200 men

The Griffin Cavalry         - 90 men and mounts

The Grey Hands            - 45

Churches of Waterdeep        - 50 clerics (sent from temples and attatched individualy to units as healers)

Mercenaries            - 1000 men (hired from within the city)

Volunteers            - 1000 men (tough guys from within the city who fancy a fight)

Noble Houses Guard        - 500 men (Nobles and their personal guard)

Guild Guards            - 250 men (supplied by the guilds)

Blackstaff Tower Wizards    - 20 men

Watchful Order Wizards        - 50 men

(
1x Walking Statue        - summoned by open lord and sent at the front of the army. 40ft tall (CR 18)(attacks lowbies)

1x Steel Dragon            - 1

Total men : 5000 ish

Orc Horde Forces

KING OBOULD MANY-ARROWS        - Brb5/Fig4 (pp176 of Faerune Campaign Setting)

King Oboulds Elite Guard    - 200 orcs

The Many Arrows Tribe        - 2000 orcs

The Hard Skull Tribe        - 2000 orcs

The Black Bear Tribe        - 1000 human barbarians

The Ice Road Gutters        - 100 frost giants / 10 frost giant jarls (lvl 17!)(throw rocks, 2 x jarl sorcerers)

The Unwashed            - 100 hill giants (CR 7)

The Storm Cursed        - 10 storm giants (CR 13)

Total : 6000 ish, but its the giants that are the real problem

The battle starts with the flying wizards, griffin cavalry and steel dragon flying over
the wall and straffing the front lines of the seige.

The do a lot of damage but are driven back by a huge hail of arrows

This was a diversion though as the north gates have opened and the Waterdeep
Force has sallyed out.

They have enough time to manouver as the horde forms up after scattering somewhat

The Guards form the centre, with mercenaries on the left and volunteers lead by
the watch on the right. Everything else is held in reserve.

The Guards are the first to meet the enemy, thowing aside a line of orc skirmishers.
Then a large force of orcs throw themselves right at the guards. This central
melee will carry on for the entire battle.

The left flank is met by a force of giants coming down from where the ballistas
are held and the mercenaries fall back.

The right flank makes better progress as it plunges into the backage train having
worked its way around via the cover of a gulley.

The left flank is pushed further back so the open lord commits his reserve and the
navy land forces, guild guards and grey hands charge into the fray.

The right flank moves further forward and the Open Lord commits his last troops,
the Noble House Guards to push home the attack.

The flying troops swoop in again to wreck havoc on the enemy.

The left flank holds steady for a while before collapsing. The giants chase
the routing soldiers back to the walls but are in turn pushed back from the
walls by guards on the battlements and the griffin cavalry. A walking statue
is let loose to rid the walls of giants.

The steel dragon strikes at the heart of the orc camp but is badly injured
by magical attacks and returns to the city.

With left flank gone and the giants returning the Open Lord orders the retreat
and the centre falls back to the south to enter the city from the east gate

The right flank is left alone and isolated and has to fight its way back
to the city walls through hordes of orcish archers.

The flying wizard heroicly cover the retreat of the Volunteers and the Watch
as they head south for the east gate and finaly reach safety.