Battle of the Loftwood
The Battle of the Loftwood is a major battle which took place in 578 CY between the Archbarony of Ratik and the humanoids of the Bone March. It took place in the edges of the Loftwood.
Background
In 560 CY, the Bone March was invaded by tribes of humanoids, including orcs and gnolls, from the Rakers and Blemu Hills. Its ally Ratik was barely able to defend itself and unable to provide support, and the Great Kingdom of Aerdy, to whom the Bone March nominally owed fealty, was not interested in assisting. In 563 CY, the humanoid tribes subjugated the Bone March and killed its leaders. Ratik responded by making alliance with the Frost Barbarians, the combined force of which was able to make substantial raids against the humanoids of the Bone March.[1]
By 577 CY, continued losses from the campaigns in the Bone March led the the Archbarony of Ratik to suffer a critical shortage of manpower. Archbaron Lexnol III resolved this by hiring mercenaries, recruiting foreign volunteers, and re-assigning rangers from the northern border.[2]
Forces
Ratik's army fielded 2,225 regular infantry, 500 cavalry, four companies of foreign-recruited Volunteer Borderers numbering 900 men, conscript levies and militia numbering 4,000, 600 sylan elves of the northern woods, and 3,000 gnomes of the hills. Dwarves were unable to spare any forces, as the dwerfolk were needed to defend their mountain strongholds. Ratik's forces, thus numbering 11,225, were led by the Marshal of the Archbarony.[2]
The humanoid armies were led primarily by the orc tribe of the Vile Rune, numbering 5,000 orcs. Joining their force were 2,000 goblins, 1,000 norkers and xvarts, and 1,000 hobgoblins, ogrillons, gnolls, and ogres. Nearly 2,000 bandits and brigands were hired as mercenaries. Worg-mounted goblins were used as advance scouts. The horde thus numbered some 11,000 in all.[2]
Preparation
In the summer on 578 CY, a patrol of the Volunteer Borderers discovered that the Vile Rune were heading northward in large numbers toward Ratik. A number of worg-mounted goblins were slain to obtain this intelligence. The Marshal of the Archbarony was thus able to plan an ambush for the enemy.[2]
Battle
The humanoid horde moved north along the fringe of the Loftwood where it butts against the hills. At the northern edge of the forest they encountered the forces of Ratik, who deployed magical illusion to make their numbers appear three times larger. The gnomes concealed themselves in the western hillside flank, while the elves and foresters concealed themselves in the woods on the eastern flank. This created a U-shaped formation intended to serve as an ambush.
However, this ambush was not an immediate victory. The orcs were undeterred by the seeming appearance of a vastly numerically superior enemy, and the bulk of the battle was defined by extremely fierce fighting between masses of troops. Individual fights between champions of both sides also occurred, as well as fights between magic users.
The Ratik flanking units were also particularly vulnerable, and almost routed. At one point, a push of hobgoblins nearly routed Ratik's east flank. It was saved by a group of only 20 foreign volunteers led by the Fruztii hero Queg, who had prepared an elaborate fixed ambush involving rocks, tree trunks, pits, and burning trees. At least 250 hobgoblins were turned back by this effort, half of those wounded or killed. On the western flank, the gnomes were nearly routed by gnolls, bandits, and goblins, but were rescued by a flanking unit of hillrunners, Ratikkan slingers.
An attack on the right of the orc horde, made by elves and foresters, finally began a rout which spread through the entire horde. A mass slaughter of the fleeing horde ensued, in which thousands of orcs, gnolls and other humanoids were killed.[2]
Result
1,000 of the 5,000 orcs of the Vile Rune were defeated. Losses were even more severe among the other humanoids, who lost 50% to 75% of their number. Most of the bandit and brigand mercenaries were killed or captured, with around 1,000 choosing to defect to Ratik's forces after the battle.
Losses on Ratik's side were not severe, amounting to just under one seventh of their number. Accounting for mercenaries who defected to Ratik after the battle, they returned home with effective losses of only one twentieth. Loot gained from the battle was substantial, allowing Archbaron Lexnol to fund new mercenaries.
The battle allowed Ratik to prove that the free town Dekspoint was supplying the Bone March, giving Ratik cause to attempt conquest of the town.
The defeat of the dominant Vile Rune orcs created a political vacuum in the Bone March, allowing the Death Moon orc tribe to move out of the Blemu Hills and secure dominance.[2]
Subsequent battles were less successful. An attempt by the idealistic Archbaron Alain IV in 586 CY to take Spinecastle led to his death at the hands of the Black Moon Gnolls, after he was caught in an ambush. He was succeeded by his wife, leading to internal strife in Ratik involving the nobility and guilds, due to lack of faith in her leadership ability.
References
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
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