2
Black Monarch’s Charge
After a quarter of a century of peace between the Dwarf kingdom and Black Monarch the expiration of the Treaty had come. The dwarves, humiliated after a series of losses due to a war found between many aggressors, had given startling benefits to the men of Black Monarch, mostly in trade of raw materials, arms and armour at prices that were an embarrassment to the proud Dwarf Lords, to avoid a lengthy and costly prolonged war. Now at peace with all their neighbours the dwarves feel as the accord had come to an end that it was time to renegotiate better terms more favourable and fitting their industrious, haughty and warlike race.
The Black Monarch seeing no reason to change such a clear benefit to himself and to his people saw to it they received a clear message. Shaving the beards of the ambassadors of the Dwarf Lords he sent them stripped of their fine robes and equipment and retuned to their lands in rags.
In answer to this the dwarves cut diplomatic ties but more importantly the trade into the Realm of the Black Monarch. All his lieges in their realm were subsequently removed from the kingdom with their own goods but not any goods they had purchased while there.
Retaliation came quickly and the Black Monarch sent a force of light cavalry to burn and destroy while his main army proceeded toward the dwarf realm. The light cavalry was surprised by a dwarven field army and fled to speed word to the Black Monarch of their approach. Upon hearing this news he sped ahead of the knights of his army and caught the dwarves out army unawares such was his haste and destroyed a great deal of them and sent most fleeing.
The dwarf lords upon hearing of this disaster quickly sent a second force to regroup the scattered army and then to meet the Monarch’s approaching army. The Monarch, a clever and war-wise leader heard word of this second force soon after they left their great walled valley and raced ahead with his army of knights to meet them before they could gather a large force. Having defeated the first army with ease and not having fought the dwarves in almost three decades the Black Monarch feared nothing.
Having no cavalry of their own the dwarves had developed war wagons of many designs. The Monarch had never fought or seen these wagons before and upon hearing his enemy army was mostly wagons had little concern. Unbeknownst to the Black Monarch their strongest battles of war wagons had left in force led by four of the eight great Dwarf Lords to meet the Monarch’s army. They too had scouts on the prowl and heard his infantry, particularly their archers were days behind the force of knights so they devised a stratagem of their own.
The Dragon Lords catching the dwarf army sat on the great plain along the dwarf realms boundary the Monarch’s lands. Still hoping to be able to surprise the force of dwarves and therefore to renew the treaty to his terms the Black Monarch ordered his men forward.
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