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BATTLE OF FIONA'S BRIDGE

FORCES:

Astantine Empire (56300)
General Anhalier of the Blue
6000 Vidanyas (Heavy infantry)
2000 Light infantry and Pikemen
--Amplar Dalimic
3800 Light cavalry, melee
9500 Heavy cavalry, melee
--Amplar Gisteave
10000 Heavy infantry
10000 Heavy Armoured Pikemen
10000 Light infantry, melee
--Amplar Lismir
5000 Archers & Skirmishers

Southland Alliance (59600)
--Prince Recient III til Inioch
12400 Light infantry, slings and melee
2000 Light cavalry, bows
--Prince Galgaliel til Lykeles
5000 Heavy infantry
10500 Archers
2800 Skirmishers, javelins, slings, and clubs
--General Geofridus of Makandia
14000 Heavy infantry, pikes
2000 Archers
--The Late King Gemmes of Trysei
5500 Heavy infantry
7000 Light infantry
6000 Light cavalry, bows
2000 Heavy cavalry
3000 Archers

CIRCUMSTANCE:
	Although the Southland Alliance had a slight superiority of numbers, the majority of its troops were poorly-trained conscripts at this points of the war, the army was divided into four different leaders of four different nations, much of the equipment was low-quality battlefield salvage from the previous travesty at Achamad, and morale was astonishingly low.  It was the last stand before the Astantine Empire invaded the last of the unconquered, intact Southland nations, Trysei.  The battle never even saw Fiona's Bridge; the bridge was two week's journey away.  Although General Anhalier won the battle, it broke the back of his army and the guerrilla warfare orchestrated by Prince Recient III shattered the remainder while they journeyed to Fiona's Bridge.  At Fiona's Bridge itself, Prince Recient had gathered enough of the scattered Southland troops to field an army against the remnants of Anhalier's, and the Southland victory was a sound one.

SETUP:
	The Southland alliance set up to the east, with their backs to the Sweet River Green.  To the west, on the burnt farmlands, General Anhalier amassed his army.  Light forest lay to the north, and it densened on the slope of a large hill, where Geofridus fortified.  A lower, smaller hill sat 500-600m to the south, where most of the other armies set up.  Further to the south were open plains, where both sides sent most of their cavalry.

	Within the Southland army, there were extensive disputes between the separate commanders; specifically, between the good friends Prince Recient and Prince Galgaliel being tactically opposed by King Gemmes.  General Geofridus declined to participate in pre-battle planning, and instead set up his troops north of the rest, just at the foot of the forested hill, and did not coordinate at all with the other commanders.   Geofridus immediately began having his men clear the trees out and set up light wooden fortifications along some of the slopes, further segregating himself from the other Southland commanders.  Geofridus set most of his pikemen along the fortifications.  His troops were the most professional and veteran out of any contingent; most of them were survivors of the Burning of Achemidiah, and his journal indicates that he was certain the greener troops and willful princes of the other Southland nations would be routed on the field, and he would be the last one remaining among his nested ranks of pikemen, successfully holding off the enemy for as many days as possible while the King Dagoriaj of Makandia marched his army north to reinforce and relieve his general.  The pikemen were ranking in semicircles around the hill, giving a strong westerly defense, a weak southerly defense, and an open east.  The smaller contingent of archers was left in the hands of a trusted and resourceful lieutenant (with no further orders than to 'prevent a northern flank to the best of your ability, and failing that, give adequate warning of the failure.'), who took them through the northern light forest.

General Anhalier took the northern flank on the Astantine side, opposing Geofridus's position.  He most likely took this position because he had met Geofridus on the field of battle once before, and having seen his tactics firsthand, felt confident in being able to subjugate his opposite number.  Anhalier, due to his tenuous position on the Council, needed strong victories for public support.  Unaware of the dissonance between the Southland commanders but aware of the light fortifications and defensive demeanor, he counted on severing Geofridus' pikemen and the forested hill that they rested on from the rest of the Allied armies to demoralize and remove support from them, whereupon Amplar Gisteave's prodigious numbers of heavy infantry could rout the recruits.  Anhalier set his numerically inferior 6000 heavy infantry in ranks from north to south, with a refused north flank.  His mercenary skirmishers covered the refused flank for the sole purpose of preventing a northern woodland flank.

On a small rise to the east of Anhalier's troops, there was a stone watchtower, which was to be used as a rally point should retreat prove necessary.  Amplar Lismir's archers were set about the watchtower and mostly out of the way of the fighting; a clear example of Astantine's disdain for the practice of archery.