The peoples of the eastern and southern Gulf of Adriac lived in clan based societies, with either a patriarch, or matriarch to lead the clan, called a Thane. The leaders of the clans met each year in one of the villages, which was chosen by the Elder Shaman, the spiritual leader of all the clans. At this meeting the leaders would discuss the years harvest, trading arrangements, and other assorted yearly events. So for the most part, clan life was exceptionally peaceful, that is, until the Lion Throne arrived.
The Lion Throne descended on the southern most clans like shining wall of death, the scattered and for the most part harmless clans had little chance of defending themselves. Each village was given a choice, convert, or be slaughtered. The first three clans decided that they would string their longbows and gather their swords in attempts to defend themselves…needless to say, the next five chose the other option.
It wasn’t until the seventh clan, the clan of Gunter, which in the Clans language meant battle-army. Led by their patriarch Thomas Gunter the Younger, called so due to his relatively young age for a patriarch. The clan had sent scouts ahead to see what kind of enemy they would be facing. The scouting parties had seen the devastation wrought by the Brigade against the first two clans, not staying to witness another annihilation they hurried back to their clan to warn of what was to come. Thomas took his warriors and went out to meet the Brigade on an open field away from his village, a field his men had prepared for battle.
This detachment of the Brigade was led by predecessor of Zalera, the second Deva of the Lion Throne, Aurelius the Merciful as those of the Brigade called him, and Aurelius the Arrogant by those of the Clans. He did just as Thomas’ scouts said he would, he met him in the middle of the field of battle with his personal bodyguard, and with only a small detachment of cavalry to support him, after all, he was only going to battle some poor peasant rabble, what could they possibly do against the might of the cavalry of the Holy Brigade. Thomas met Aurelius with his advisor, Gwythyr, and his best friend and second, Madoc. Aurelius then began to tell Thomas his options.
“Your men are to lay down their arms and pledge their lives in devotion to the almighty Filaharn, or you will all meet your ends here.”
“You had many o’ me countrymen burnt fo’ choosin’ ta live a separate way than ya. How can ya begin ta call yaself merciful?”
“I had no choice, by not converting, they condemned their souls to the eternal abyss, I needed to purge the heresy from them with the holy flames of Filaharn.”
To this remark, Thomas coldly replied, “Ya burnt many o’ me people, so shall ye share their fate…”
Aurelius could only make out “Does this mean that you won’t be conver AAAAHHH!”
Part of the preparations Thomas’ men had laid out was oil. Right in front of where Thomas stood he had oil poured all across the ground, which, according to his scouts, was exactly where the second Deva and his body guards would stand. When Madoc gave a small hand gesture, Thomas’ six best longbowmen launched flaming arrows at the feet of Aurelius, causing him and his bodyguards to ignite into flames.
The fifty riders of the Brigade were stunned at the sight of their leader burning, making them hesitate in their charge, which gave Thomas, Gwythyr and Madoc time to quickly retreated back to their lines., In the normal circumstances, these riders would have easily taken down the one hundred and thirty Adriaci rabble that Thomas had brought to the field, so when they charged, they were expecting an easy victory. Thomas had once again come prepared thanks to the great information provided to him by his scouts.
Once the cavalry were within fifteen feet of his men, Madoc gave the signal and all one hundred and thirty of the men raised ten foot pikes. In three rows they stood, the first row had men kneeling down angling their pikes upward, the second row had men holding their pikes at waist level, straight out, and the back row held their pikes straight out over head. The brigadiers road into a death trap. Scarcely half a dozen remained after the charge, all of which were immediately introduced to a claymore to the skull.
His men then proceeded to return to the village to evacuate it to the next village north up the gulf. He had sent scouts ahead already, with a proposal to the Elder Shaman, a proposal for an emergency Clan meeting, because war was something that could only be declared if every Thane wished it.