Siege of Cotte's Hold
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| Siege of Cotte's Hold | |||||||||
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| Part of the Sunnish War | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Army of the Blazing Banners
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Loyalist Army | ||||||||
| Commanders | |||||||||
| Lord Armyn Maigher
Druenna Pike Ruvick Greymaille Donagal Misgor |
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The Siege of Cotte's Hold, and the Battle of Cotte's Hold was a clash between the combined Blazing Banners and Rorkish army and the forces of the hedgehog House of Aster and remnants of the squirrel House of Dreyling. It resulted in a decisive defeat for the loyalists, and the fall of Cotte's Hold and surrounding lands to the invaders.
History
Prelude
After the fall of the Oaken Keep, Lord Armyn Maigher's Isling army was in high spirits and eager for another victory over the Sunnish, but were faced instead with an overlong march through the Middenland. Plagued with foul weather and constant harrying by Twyne and Aster marauders, the soldiers' morale dwindled as the week following their victory wore on and the memory with it.
With the arrival of pledged swords of the House of Pike at week's end, however, Armyn Maigher's next step could finally be taken: a direct siege and assault on the Aster family stronghold at Cotte's Hold.
With the Aster cat in the bag, dominion over the Sunnish midden would almost perfectly guaranteed.
A victory and an uplift in morale necessary for further endeavors in the balance, Armyn consulted with the Grayling and ordered the army west toward Cotte's Wood with Lady Druenna Pike at its head and Sera Ganset advising.
Siege and battle
The principal defect of Cotte's Hold lay not in its construction but in its protected location: so protected was the fortress by the surrounding hills that the distance view to the fore was poor.
This called back to the castle's defensive purpose as a sheltered holdfast, but proved to be a major fault in the following battle.
The clash of Isling and Sunnish forces commenced in the morning with a steady barrage from Maigher ballistae and catapults coupled with bowfire.
With the help of advisory Islish familiar with the tactics of the Asters, the Pikes devised a scheme demanding only a fraction of their forces in a frontal assault in an attempt to draw out the defenders whilst the majority of the besiegers lay in wait behind the foothills.
The plan succeeded with ease, and by day's end the Battle of Cotte's Hold was finished and the Asters with it.
Now, Lord Maigher turned his eyes south.
Participants
Blazing Banners
- Sera Bernadette Blood
- Tefril, page.
- Druenna Pike, commander of Pike swords.
- Sera Ganset, Pike swords.
- Epvrit, page.
- Sire Ruvick Greymaille
- Foyle, page
- Sera Donagal Misgor
- Hefrin, page.
- Captain Worthy
- Captain Syfe
- Lieutenant Kerke
- Munceny
- Dridd (killed)
- Toothy
- Weltch
- Cawn
Loyalist Army
- Sire Fendric Aster (fled)
- Sire Owyn Aster (fled)
- Sire Rommis Beclare (captured)
- Sire Spencel Twyne (captured)
- Sire Woedel Flaury (captured)
- Captain Curladoon (Killed)
- Captain Lynch (fled)
- Boxwood (killed)
