The Battle of Church Hill

The next chapter of our Dux Britanniarum campaign sees the wild painted men of the north landing in their small boats on the coast of Caer Colun (East Anglia).

The Romano-British of Denningtonum have been finding it hard enough to fend off the Saxons and now it seems they must secure their homes and wealth against the Picti.

The Saxons are also concerned as they have no wish to share the fertile lands of Caer Colun with another group of migrants. So they call their warriors to arms and advance towards Church Hill on the Denningtonum road.

Big Mac, leader of the Picts, has learned that a wizard in these soft southern lands has created a rusty red Ferrous Fermentation (Iron Brew in the vernacular) that gives unparalleled strength to those that drink it. He is keen to find the creator of said potion and take him and the secret recipe back home where it will give his clan a decisive advantage in the internecine warfare north of the Wall. A little portable loot too would not go amiss.

The Picts drink some of the renowned Ferrous Fermentation and then form a defensive line as Raefwald’s Saxons are moving up through the nearby woods. Big Mac uses his best powers of persuasion to convince the wizard Getafix to travel north with him. Perhaps it is his lack of proper Latin grammar, or perhaps his guttural accent, but Getafix refuses to budge.

Having failed to persuade, the Picts take Getafix, his apprentice and a couple of barrels of potion under armed escort back to the Pictish camp.

As all this is going on the other factions have not been idle. Raefwald’s Saxons carry out some interesting manoeuvres in the woods. Turning some of their men to face the Picts, the others  move towards Church Hill, then pull back, and then advance again.

At the other end of the field Saeberht’s Saxons move through a settlement towards Church Hill. On their way they pick up some loot and do their best to persuade a lady of the parish to join them. Alas she wants nothing to do with them and heads off towards the safety of the church where the Prefect Firmum Coquus is forming his men into shieldwall to fend off the Saxons.

Prefect Prophylaxis leads his men, under their resplendent banners, out of the village of Haydun to meet the various barbarian threats. Caught in the middle, he has Picts and Saxons to his front and yet more Saxons on his right.

Some Pict archers are concealed in woods on Prophylaxis’ left but they do not shoot as the Picts have no wish to engage the Romano-British in a fight.

Not trusting the wild painted northerners, Durex (Prophylaxis’ decurion) leads his men against the Picts with ill intent while Prophylaxis takes his best men to help Coquus defend the church.

Buoyed up from drinking the Ferrous Fermentation, Big Mac’s Picts charge and send Durex’s Romano-British fleeing in terror.

Meanwhile Saeberht’s Saxons throw themselves against Prefect Coquus’s Shieldwall. Both Saeberht and Coquus suffer wounds in the fight but the Saxons are driven from the field.

Finally advancing from the woods, Raefwald’s Saxons charge up Church Hill to engage Prophylaxis. Outnumbered, the Romano-British put up a brave fight but loose their amphora and break.

With all this going on the Picts move to the abandoned Haydun village and begin knocking on doors to see if the inhabitants have anything to contribute to their cause. A good amount of donations are collected and a ‘lady’ of the village, impressed with their fine multi-coloured cloaks, decides to join them.

Although the Romano-British saved the church and defeated Saeberht’s Saxons they did not have a good day. Haydun was plundered and Prophylaxis’ men took severe casualties.

Saeberht’s position as warlord of the East Saxons now looks extremely precarious following his defeat. Raefwald on the other hand is in the ascendency as his scops sing of his victory over the Wealas.

As for the Picts, they feel quite happy. They have Getafix and his magic potion and they also managed to acquire no small amount of loot. Perhaps they will now go back to the harsh north. Or perhaps they will remain in Caer Colun a little longer to see what other delights this soft southern land might offer up to them.