As remembered by Baron Diamond
On August 1st, 997: The Aspis invaded the Realms. My first notebook, relatively new, only recorded one line, “Banecroft falls to the Aspis.” I failed to mark it in the public document of Baronial History: http://banecroft.knotaffront.com/history/index.php?year=997 But that was a grave oversight, back when I was not the chronicler I endeavor to be now. An oversight I will now correct. Forgive errors, memories a quarter century old are all I have to go on. But first let me set the scene. Back then, nations did not co-operate so well as we do now. Our widely understood but never explicitly codified understanding of working together against the constant threats that nip at civilization’s throat was a lot more fragile back then.
We learned that the Aspis, possibly empowered with Fae magics and definitely directed by their god Rexan, were marching an army north from their lands in the far south to invade the Realms entire. The varied nations of these Realms converged and mustered in the Borderlands, the Aspis’s first target. An election was held to choose a general, and Sir McKrie was our choice that day. The first test of strength was to decide the fate of the Borderlands, a powerful faction in that era. That day they were the second most numerous Realms nation on the field. We had to hold two different strongpoints, and the loss of either inevitably meant the fall of that nation. We did our utmost, but we had yet to learn the tactics which worked on the combination of arms and powers which the Aspis employed. Massed pikes were made for meat grinding the doorways of strong points, and their healers employed “Dissention Bolts” which would control the mind of any hero they touched and turn them instantly against us. One of the strongpoints fell, and the land overrun with Aspis. The Borderlands army were understandably shocked and angry, and they elected to fall out of the army to see what could be done, covertly or magically, for their occupied home.
They were sorely missed as the Aspis army marched north to threaten Chimeron. This large land had three strong points (one of which was Darkvale) which must be held. Even worse, the Aspis simultaneously threatened Banecroft, so our much-reduced coalition army had to be split into four parts. Someone briefly raised the idea of concentrating our army by failing to defend one of those two nations, but as the idea of such a sacrifice was an anathema to many, and the rest could not agree on which nation to sacrifice, I led a portion of the army to defend Banecroft. I did not lack for support, as the smaller nations of the Realms were sympathetic to my plight. Unfortunately, I made two errors, one strategic and one tactical. I could have got away with one of those errors, but both were together were fatal.
Lord Voltric, mage leader of Thorn Valley, vouchsafed to me that his Intervention allowed him to completely and perfectly protect one single point from being overwhelmed. As we had only one to defend, he suggested it was most efficient that we use it here. Unfortunately, he told me this after we had already split the army and irrevocably marched to our strong points. Had I known he had that before it was too late, I would have accepted only him and his offer but left behind the rest of the portion of the army currently with me to defend Chimeron. I hoped we could yet save this resource to help the next land, and I told him to cast his spell only if the battle went against us. We would try to win through force of arms first. That was the strategic error.
We formed in the gateway of Banecroft tower, our line centered on Sir Pyr Thalax, me firing my bow over his shoulder. The powerful Aspis army concentrated a thicket of pikes into the gap. Sir Pyr’s shield was the anchor of our line. Their pikemen were vulnerable to our arrows, but their snake skins were armored enough to keep that from being decisive. Too late, I realized that the narrow gateway fit their fighting style better than ours. In the open, the pikes could be run down and closed with. But the narrow gateway had a dense hedgehog of pikes towards which a charge was futile. I should have met them in the open field where we could flank them. That was the tactical error, but one which we had all been making up to that point.
The battle was now desperate for us. The Aspis ground forward slowly but implacably. Once I drew my sword to repel an overrun. Then a dissention block rolled underneath Sir Pyr and I. He jumped it, I danced around it, and instantly again drew my sword as he turned on me and we simultaneously yelled, “Did it hit you?” After a beat to realize we were untouched by dissention, we turned back to the common enemy. One of our flanks was now caving in. I called to Lord Voltric to “Cast it!” but I was already too late. Although he had pre-placed the components, he could not even begin as we were overrun. Banecroft fell to the Aspis, and when we slipped free to join the rest of the army, we learned that Chimeron had fallen as well. Meerkat was in Darkvale when it fell, and he relates that “we just didn't have the numbers and spells to carry the day - there wasn't any one thing that did us in. What I remember the most was the chaos of that battle. Our line broke near the end and we were just pockets of combatants in a giant dust cloud.” The Aspis sweep was so far complete. Things looked bleak.
Chimeron and Banecroft stayed with the army. Meerkat remembers two heroes stayed to hopelessly defend Darkvale and were lost to us. We were defending Thorn Valley next, but that may have been a part of defending Blackwood. I believe we had two points to defend, but we had learned the right tactics by now. Lord Voltric may have cast his spell on one of the points, leaving us to concentrate defense on the other point. Even better, we did not fall to the temptation of the fort and met them in the open where we could flank their pikes, or face loose formations were our shield or Florentine bearing warriors could run down their pikes. Thorn Valley was safe. There may have been one more battle, but our revised tactics were correct. No more nations fell to the Aspis that campaign.
While these battles captured the lion’s share of our attention, a handful of clever people learned what had caused the normally isolationist Aspis to bestir themselves to invade us. Their general had won the right to lead the Aspis north through force of arms in a duel. We could gain the right to lead the Aspis on a less invasive course through the same means. After a parley, a few of our champions met theirs in a series of single combats. The Aspis champion was heavily empowered from Rexan and possibly some fey pact, although that was speculation on our part. He was a mighty specimen indeed, with amazingly heavy armor and four arms which wielded two pikes. Of those who failed to defeat this Aspis Champion, Sir Adyan came the closest to victory. His shield allowed him to crowd in close, and he cleaved off a flurry of scales. But the nimble Aspis broke away to wound Sir Adyan’s leg, and then that was over.
However, in that age the mightiest single warrior was Sir Blade (unless you favored Sir Eldritch, not available to us that day). Sir Blade bore in and blocked every move that Aspis made. Sir Blade might have been using an early appearing marn. He was not only able to parry and close, he was also more nimble than his foe. With brutal precision, Sir Blade won the day and could now set policy to the Aspis. The fate of the Borderlands, Chimeron, and Banecroft were in his hands.
Sir Blade returned all those lands from Aspis control, save Darkvale. The Aspis “deserved something for their efforts” according to him. It is possible Sir Blade feared a limit to what he could enforce, that the Aspis might revolt if left with nothing. I thanked him gratefully for Banecroft’s return. There was a condition: ever since, Aspis have been protected by Baronial law, not covered by the “foe of the Realms” clause. I only dimly remember the cool forest and craggy cliff of Darkvale. The heroes of Darkvale, once numerous, had largely retired by this point. Most prominent of Darkvale’s heroes were Sir Quick and Lord Highrider, and I don’t think they were present to complain. The common people of Darkvale were not so lucky. I am told that ten years ago, it came to light that Darkvale commonfolk who escaped the fang or sword were being turned into Aspis. We now have a chance to save what was lost a quarter century ago. This May, we march back to Darkvale. The fate of more than the people of Darkvale is at stake, as this ties into a crisis of the Greater Gods of the Pantheon. A crisis which was much on the mind of the legendary and much missed Sir Vawn, as it was dealing with that crisis which was his last stop before the eternal Summerlands. There are no greater stakes, and the next legend will be written by either our blood or the blood on our swords.