Battle of the Hills (fantasy)

[frigidmagi]

The Battle of the Hills

Kirktail gazed out over the assembled warriors of the Jotunmoot, 800 strong in mail and leather each carrying the axes and tomahawks that marked an adult Jotun male. It was one of the largest gatherings of Jotun in memory and perhaps still not enough.

They had gathered to fight the armies of the Meri High Prince and they were legion. He shook his head and turned striding to his tent, where his father waited. The hide tent was domed shaped and light, the Jotun used them has shelters when traveling. Kirktail ducked inside, where his father attended a stew bubbling in a bronze pot. His father, Enzeha was shorter standing at 8ft 9inches, his mane and beard were gray, his horns and tusk stained with age. His blue eyes were still sharp however and there was nothing wrong with his arm or his mind.

“Did the Nogahen come?” Enzeha asked stirring the pot with a wooden ladle. Kirktail sat slowly, laying first his steel tomahawk to the side and then his axes. He took a deep breath and answered once he was settled.

“They came. Tripped over a group of Meri in the woods below, only a 100 or so of them now.” He said.

“Heh, when I was a boy the Nogahen wouldn’t even consider that a proper raiding party. Their Jarls would have more warriors then entire tribes. Now it’s all they can bring. We were foolish to pick this fight. You remember what that old slave of mine used to say? The Lavidakian?” Enzeha asked.

“There is no gold or silver in Meri, there is only steel.” Kirktail recited.

“Yes, only steel and a lot of it. Damn them all.” His father nodded.



Dan Stewart Marresk leaned on his staff has he looked over his men setting up camp. Sheepskin tents were being set up in rows and cooking fire areas cleaned out. A full 2400 men, solders of Meri, were gathered to finish the war with the Trolls. Rob Daniels Delavan, head officer of the army approached, his scale mail armor making a stark contrast with Dan Stewart’s black robe with white bordered sleeves. Rob Daniels carried his helmet in the crook of his arm, his sword sheathed and his shield tied to his back. It was clear he had just returned.

“We caught a tribe of them attempting to sneak through the forest. Had a brief engagement, they didn’t stay to play, I figure maybe 80 of them at most got into the hills.” Rob Daniels said.
“How many are up there you think?”

“500, 600, maybe a little more. It’ll be about two thirds to three quarters of their total warriors up there. We don’t even have to win really, just hurt them badly and they’re be crippled has a people. You think that will be enough?” The solder asked.

“I don’t know. We still don’t even know why they started this war in the first place. Maybe with the fighting in the south they thought we were weakened and easy prey. Maybe they needed new hunting grounds. Either way the High Prince cannot allow his followers to be slain or enslaved.” Dan Stewart answered.

“HA! The Princes would kill anyone fool enough to allow that. Still I wish we could have more men, they are good fighters for all that they are lousy solders.” Rob Daniels said.

“I believe by tomorrow we will be wishing for a lot of things.”
Dan Stewart said watching the sun set behind the pass the army would have to march through tomorrow.



“The Meri surprised us, they were laying in wait for us the scum,“ The Nogahen chief snarled. His tusk were capped with gold and his horns with bronze, his chain mail had looted coins woven into it. Kirktail wondered how the Meri could have missed so easy a target. Frankly Kirktail doubted that it had been a deliberate ambush. If it had the Meri would have killed all the Nogahen, but he nodded anyways. Politics…

“The Meri are full of low cunning, unbefitting warriors,” Kirktail said his tone pleasant has if agreeing.
“They will have a trap for tomorrow. We should go farther into the hills.”

“If we go up into the higher hills, we will lose the winter hunting grounds. Will we run from humans to starve in the highlands? Have the Jotun fallen so low? No, we will fight here, tomorrow. They must come up the pass and we will be waiting. There are not many of them, perhaps a thousand or a little more, their war in the south has bled them. We will kill this army and send their heads back to their High Prince and he will not dare contest us again.” Kirktail declared loudly. He knew that other chiefs were clustered just out of sight listening in. If he lost the Nogahen chief, many others would not stay. He drew himself up, he stood at 9 and a half feet tall, larger than the Nogahen chief by an easy 9 inches. He glared down forcing the chieftain to bend to his will.

“I will wait one day.” Came the reply.
“One day is all Jotunmoot needs. Come, rest your warriors at our fires, we have meat cooking, eat and ready yourselves, tomorrow is a day of glory.” Kirktail advised, giving the chief a friendly slap on the shoulder has he walked off. His father joined him in the shadows has he left the Nagohen warriors behind.

“Good work boy and don’t worry, the Meri don’t dawdle, damn quick little bastards.” He said has they watched the sun set behind the pass, painting the stone walls red. He prayed it wasn’t an omen.


The morning came, the men ate breakfast gulping it down with grim faces before donning their armor and picking up their shields. They assembled into a column, 200 men wide, 12 ranks deep. They arranged themselves by squad. Rob Daniels moved through the ranks checking gear formally, despite the fact that the squad leaders would have already checked their men twice before he arrived.

He stopped before one young man with a pale face and wide blue eyes. He tilted his head for a second.
“Your first battle son?” He asked.
“Yes Sir.”
“No worries son, just stick with your squad mates and follow your squad leaders lead and you’ll get through.” Rob Daniels said nodding to the young man’s squad leader, a grizzled veteran, who had fought Trolls before.

He reached the head of the column where Dan Stewart waited. He turned and addressed the men loudly, knowing the men in the front ranks would pass the words back.

“Men, Solders of Meri! Today we fight, we fight Trolls. Do not expect mercy if we lose, Trolls take no solder prisoner. They have swept down from their hills and burned towns and farms where we have lived for generations, killing and slaving. They have battled us against us and have lost again and again. Today, we finish this and end their raiding once and for all. Up there are their winter grounds, without them they must surrender or die! Through that pass men and we got them by the balls!” He declared to the roar of his men, many of them were native to the region, many of them could tell many tales of family and friends lost to Trollish axes.

“Forward march.” Rob Daniels told his trumpeter has he mounted his horse and pulled aside to watch his men begin their march into battle.



Kirktail watched the warriors gather into a rough, jagged line of 8 to 9 feet tall chain mailed and leather armored death. Enzeha stood close to him wearing his own armor and his silver torque, he whispered to his son.

“We don’t need to win, just hurt them so bad they can’t advance any further.” He said.
“We can’t tell them that though.” Kirktail replied has he stepped forward. He stood where the whole line could see him, has the warriors jostled for position closer to the front.

“Warriors of Jotun! Today is the day we end this. For too long the Meri have crept closer to our homelands, to long have they dared build their towns in the very shadows of our hills. Taunting us with their very presence. When we struck out has was our right, they hunted us like beast. They burned our hunting grounds to starve us, they ambushed us in our sleep, they pollute the old watering holes. No More! Today their army comes, full of pride of the victories won in the soft south. They think to take our winter grounds to force us to come begging to them. Instead we will show them why any Jotun is the match for any 4 of their puny fighters!” He cried and the warriors roared back him.



The column entered the pass the command was passed and it reformed itself into a wedge. The men advanced with their long swords out and shields out. The Trolls were in a rough and jagged line at the far end of the pass. They howled and roared at the advancing solders, shaking axes and tomahawks. Squad leaders barked orders and encouragement has they marched closer and closer.

Has they got closer groups of Trolls would rush out from the line, howling and screaming and throw their tomahawks. The troops ducked behind their shields, the ranks behind them lifting their shields up to provide overhead cover. Despite this men went down screaming, tomahawk heads embedded in their legs or arms. The column continued forward, picking up speed. Finally they came to close and the Troll line burst apart into frenzied charge. Has one the formation of Meri solders lunged forward with a deep yell slamming into grips with their foes. The Meri fought in squads, ganging up on their targets, the Trolls fought has single warriors, alone.



Kirktail leveled a kick at the fighter in front of him, his foot caught his target in the lower ribs bowling him over. He tried to move forward to exploit the hole in the Meri line and claim his kill, only to have 3 Meri solders close up between him and his target. Howling with rage he swung him ax downward slamming the closest one down to his knees. The solder to Kirktail’s right swung his shield right into his ribs, Kirktail grunted as the steel rim crunched into his side, breaking a pair of ribs, embedding chain mail into his skin. With a short grunt of pain Kirktail lashed out with his ax killing the man who hit him with his shield. The dead man’s squad mate, drove his sword deep into Kirktail’s side in return.

Kirktail lurched back falling onto his rear has he stared into the blue eyes of the young solder who had stabbed him. The human’s lips were drawn back exposing his small, blunt teeth.
“Bastard!” screeched the human, the cry almost lost in the din of the battle has men and Jotun fought and died screaming. The human, almost a boy really Kirktail thought absently lunged forward sword up high for a killing slash. Kirktail gathered his strength, had a brief moment of surprise when he realized he had dropped his ax and lashed out with his fist instead.

The huge hand, easily the size of the human solders face, smashed into the solder’s jaw, spinning him around and dropping him like a stone. Kirktail wavered for a moment, his wound was deep he realized.
A trio of Meri solders rushed forward intent on hacking him down, Kirktail sighed knowing he couldn’t hold them off with no weapons. Has they closed to an arm’s reached distanced a large shape hurled pass him. Enzeha exploded into the humans wielding two axes in concert.

“Get him back! Get Kirktail back!” The old Warrior roared. The hands of loyal warriors grabbed Kirktail pulling him back, Kirktail fought them striving to remain at his fathers side, but the blood loss was to great, his own warriors over powered him bearing him to safety.



Rob Daniels surveyed the chaos of the battlefield. The Troll line had folded on the Meri wedge, both sides fought back and forth, seeking a breach in the lines. Rob Daniels looked to the forward right of the wedge, just behind the point. He saw a large and powerful troll being carried off and an old troll stepping forward to hold back his troops. Right behind the old troll was a chief, with coins woven into his mail. That had to be an important tribal leader. Rob Daniels nodded to himself and looked down at his body guard, 25 veterans solders, he leapt off his horse and charged toward the embattled right, his body guard running full out behind.

The old troll fought with twin axes, he was good, maiming or killing with almost every swing, driving back the troops. Rob came toward the troll from the left, charging with sword point held low. The old troll sensed him coming and spun to met him left axe leading. Rob Daniels slammed his shield into the ax, feeling the power of the blow has it pushed him to the side, the ax was still knocked wide however. And Rob ignoring his aching shoulder drove into the opening, his sword point lancing upward into the old trolls belly. The Steel blade punched through the iron chain mail and tore through the old Troll’s body. Rob Daniels moved back wrenching his sword from the dieing Troll’s body. The old troll fell forward with a vast groan.

Rob Daniels did not have long to enjoy victory, the gaudily dressed chief surged forward his ax slamming into Rob Daniels barely interposed shield knocking him into a short flight onto his back. The Chief howled throwing his arms wide, stopping for a an instant to long. The first squad of Rob Daniels bodyguard swarmed the Troll chief with howls of their own. The chief went down under the weight of 5 armored men who stabbed at his body liked maniacs.

For a brief instant a gap opened and Rob Daniels knew it. Getting up he heaved his aching body forward, his bodyguard surrounding him and moving forward pulling other troops forward in their wake. The gap was forced wider, the Troll line was broken in half.

Pushing forward the solders of the Meri Union pushed the two segments further and further apart, trapping one group of 200 trolls against the walls of the pass. Not a single one of the those trolls lived to see the end of the battle. The remaining trolls numbered perhaps 300, with their line broken and flanked the jarls and chiefs took has many of their warriors has they could and attempted to escape, a third of them were killed in the escape attempt. The pass was Meri now, at the cost of 1100 Meri lives and 600 troll ones.

Rob Daniels sat on a conivent rock has a doctor wrapped his
ribs and splinted his shield arm, broken by the gaudily dressed chief. Dan Stewart stood nearby a pack on his shoulders, staff in hand.
“So what are you going to do?” Rob Daniels asked.

“I am to find them and convince them to stop, while they are still enough of them to make a people and before they bleed the north holdlands white and dry. You have maybe a 1000 men left and command the single largest army north of the central holdlands. Continuing this fight is pointless for all involved.” Dan Stewart replied.

“Will you be able to find them?” Rob Daniels asked. Dan Stewart looked distant for a moment, then he nodded.
“I will and keep your solders, I will not be able to protect them and myself.” He answered, walking off toward the forest.


Kirktail lay back, every breath agony. The skald, the last of his kind for weeks walk, had informed him that his lung was pierced. Luckily he could survive if he remained still, no one said it wouldn’t hurt in the meantime however. His warriors had hidden him in a small vale in a camouflaged domed hide tent. They treated the wound, a stab 3 inches long on his body, with herbs and feed him soup laced with other herbs.

Outside they stood guard, a single one inside with him. Against Meri and Jotuns from other tribes who would seek his death for their own gain. His ears heard a sound, a cries and a thuds, swiftly cut off. The entrance flap lifted and a robed human carrying a staff stepped in, his single remaining guard snarled and threw his tomahawk, it spun toward the unarmored human’s head.

The human just raised his hand, seemingly drawing the tomahawk toward his grip, the tomahawk head was embedded in a chunk of ice, held calmly in the human’s hand. Kirktail’s eyes went wide and he groaned in horror at this supernatural feat. His guard, driven to panic launched himself barehanded at the human.

The human gave a lazy wave of that same hand and his guard dropped to the ground in mid leap soundly asleep. Crossing over to the bedridden Kirktail the human squatted down laying his staff, which up close Kirktail could see was glowing, across his knees. The human sighed and said.
“We need to talk.”


Arthur’s Notes: This story takes place in the same world has the Duel, only 300 years earlier and further west and north. Jotun is the name used by the trolls to refer to themselves.

[speaker-to-trolls]

I liked it. I hope we'll be seeing more stories from this world.

[Lindar]

I liked how you closed, and left us waiting to know what it is they have to talk about.*will be waiting to find out*