DUX BRITANNIARUM... ONE SCOTTI AND HIS DOGS. (BEING THE SECOND PART!)

In this, the second chapter in Brother Beddwhettur's account of the epic clash of arms, between the nobles of Alt Clut and the raiders of the Scotti lord, Donnchadh Lothmhor, we are transported upon the crest of a dramatic wave of events to the final climactic moments of this bloody and fearful encounter...

Thus the Summer of Scotti raiding came to a close, with their defeat to the Lord Cadwallon. The Knotty Dunfleece were returned to their owners and Donnchadh would spend the Winter brooding and planning further raids for the following Spring. Cadwallon's warband suffered 12 casualties in total, 6 Elite and 6 Levy, while the Scotti lost 7 Warriors, 2 Skirmishers, 2 Light Cavalry and all of their Noble Raider Cavalry. Shauhan the Shepherd would live to shepherd another day and Cadwallon would have to face the fury of King Iorwryth for leading the Levy into battle without his consent. Next year, however, the nobles of Alt Clut would be prepared to face the Scotti raiders with or without the authority of the King!

If you've arrived here and not read Part 1 yet... CLICK HERE

DUX BRITANNIARUM... ONE SCOTTI AND HIS DOGS. (BEING THE FIRST PART!)

Octobris 513 AD... Donnchadh, War Lord of Dal Riatta and his merciless warband of raiders are returning home after another devastating foray into the Brythonic lands of Alt Clut...

The following is an extract from the Hen Ogledd Chronicles, The Life and Times of King Iorwryth the Furtive, written and beautifully illustrated, with engravings of almost photographic quality, by the 6th century monk, Brother Beddwhettur, a close and confidential adviser to the kings of Alt Clut...

And so the crucial moments of this savage encounter are about to be unleashed... will Donnchadh and his wild Scotti warriors prevail, or will the stout and doughty men of Alt Clut hold fast and prevent the enemy from escaping with their flock of stolen Knotty Dunfleece?

See Part 2 for the answers to this question and much much more... CLICK HERE

DUX BRITANNIARUM... THE HENN OGLEDD CHRONICLES...

INTRODVCTION

It's been a couple of years since I last looked at Dux Britanniarum, having made the decision to use Clash of Spears to tell my stories of life in early 6th century Dun Rheged instead. However, I recently discovered a series of videos on YouTube, by the Crusty Colonel, portraying battles between Saxons and Scoti, using Dux Britanniarum and, having seen what an excellent set of combat rules they actually are, I've decided to retrace my steps and give these Too Fat Lardies! rules another look...

BACKGROUND AND DRAMATIS PERSONAE...

Throughout the summer of the year 513AD, Donnchadh Luthmhor of the Scotti tribe has been incessantly leading raids into Alt Clut, from across the border in Dal Riata. Now, in the month of Octobris, his warband are joyfully heading back towards the safety of their homeland with a looted flock of Knotty Dunfleece, a sheep well known for its tasty hogget and luxuriously thick and oily wool.

With Iorwryth, King of Alt Clut, close to death, the Brythonic nobles have remained transfixed, reluctant to commit the King's forces to battle without his personal leadership, as the Scotti rampage and pillage at will across the land, leaving the poor downtrodden peasantry to suffer untold terror and hardship at the hands of a cruel and invidious enemy.

Leaders and Nobles of Dal Riata...

Donnchadh Luthmhor is a warlord of Dal Riata, he is 33 years old, with a mediocre physique, which some, if they have had enough of life, may describe as short and wiry. He is known throughout Henn Ogledd as Donnchadh the Victorious, a soubriquet gained from the numerous battlefield triumphs he has gained over his many years of command. Donnchadh is famous for his thrifty character, which constantly drives him into ever more daring raids to add to his personal wealth. Donnchadh has come a long way since he was born, the son of a Tech, on the tiny island of Innis Mhearnaig, with nothing more than a roof over his head and a small hand cart, used by his father to harvest cow dung, which he dried and sold to their fellow islanders for fuel, making enough profit to purchase their first and only boat. One Spring evening, many years ago, Donnchadh stole the boat and made his way to Dun Add, where he eventually became a warrior in the army of the Great King.

Driven by childhood memories of abject poverty, Donnchadh rose through the ranks of the Great King's army, eventually becoming the warlord that he is today. Always by his side, is Donlad, his personal bodyguard and Champion. Like his master, Donlad has risen from lowly origins and his exploits have made him a legend amongst the people of Dal Riatta. Through the long and bitter nights of the northern winter, the small and common folk huddle around their meagre fires and warm their hearts by singing lusty ballads of their mighty hero:

"Let the wind blow high, let the wind blow low,

With dangling bits off to war he goes,

All the lassies say, 'Hello!,

Donlad, where's yer troosers?'"

The most trusted noble in Donnchadh's warband is Amhlaigh, three years older than his Warlord, he is tall and strong, built for war, trustworthy and dependable. Amhlaigh is the very antithesis of Donnchadh, purple born into the noble house of Dun Add, he has always lived a life of luxury and comfort, wanting for nothing, but, desiring little. Despite his lavish and palatial upbringing, he is renowned for his devotion to God, putting Church and faith before all else. He was brought up and educated by the celebrated monk, Brother Grievous, who devoted his entire life to living simply, drinking only water which had been passed by several others and eating nothing but gravel collected from the farmyards of nearby villages. This austere example has greatly influenced Amhlaigh and equipped him well for the arduous life of a raider.

The final noble in Donnchadh's warband is Cailean, tasked with the command of the javelin armed skirmishes, a job he undertakes with a degree of reluctance, preferring to fight alongside the more mettlesome Raiders. He is 24 years old and a man of average build, well suited to the rigours of life leading the skirmishers. As a younger man, he has not, as yet, created a reputation for himself and doubts that he will do so unless he can gain a command with the Raiders. Like Donnchadh, Cailean is a man who desires wealth and his avaricious nature suits the lifestyle he has chosen as a member of a Scotti raiding warband. As a son of a Cenela, Cailean has royal blood flowing through his veins, but, being from a minor kindred branch, he has a long way to go before he can reach the level of command to which he aspires. He is, however, a man of great loyalty and can always be trusted to carry out whatever task he is set by his warlord.

Leaders and Nobles of Alt Clut...

Cadwallon ap Meirion is one of those nobles of Alt Clut who has watched his country ravaged by the Scotti throughout the long hot summer of 613AD. Unable to act without the presence of King Iorwryth, he has lost much to the raiders, but has now decided to act, regardless of the consequences, gathering his fellow nobles around him and calling out the levy to hunt down the raiding Scotti. Cadwallon is 26 years old, a man of medium build and is known as "The Magnificent", owing to his many acts of beneficent donations to the Church. As with all men of power and significance, Cadwallon is not all that he appears to be; our hero is cursed by the sin of lustful covetousness and the wives of many men, regardless of rank or status, have been the target of his lecherous attentions. Cadwallon comes from an ancient family of Honestiore.

Cadwallon's Champion is Serwan ap Ris, a veteran of many wars against Irish raiders, Scotti and the pagan Picts. He is 34 years of age, but has retained his warrior like qualities in spite of numerous battle injuries suffered over the years. His loyalty to Cadwallon is unswerving and some of those injuries were inflicted when Serwan placed himself between his Lord and an assailant.

Cadwallon's chief noble is Cynrig ap Enniaurn, 28 summers old, tall and strong and blessed with a purple born heritage, stretching back far into the mists of time, long before the Romans set foot in Britannia. This noble lord possess the most refined manners, being cultured and highly educated, yet he is capable of fraternizing comfortably with the lowliest of warriors, sharing their privations and hardships during the most trying of campaigns. Cynrig is famed throughout the land as a prodigious athlete, capable of the most extraordinary feats of strength and agility. With such a noble patrimony, Cynrig does have claims to the highest rank in the land and there are many who surround the king who neither like nor trust his motives and would not be saddened to see him fall in battle.

 The final noble who has responded to Cadwallon's call to arms is Brochmail ap Dewydd. At 25 years of age he lacks experience of leadership on the field of battle and so Cadwallon has given him command of the Alt Clut levies. Brochmail is of medium build and a devout follower of the Christian faith. The young noble is an outsider in the Kingdom of Alt Clut, being an exile from the lands of Caer Magnis far to the south. With his dashing good looks and convivial personality, the men of of the levy have taken to their new leader and are sworn to follow him to the very gates of Hell.

And so the characters are ready to take to the stage and the drama is about to begin... read on next time and find out how the first clash between the men of Alt Clut and the Scotti raiders transpires. 

Rheged Beware! The Irish Raiders are Here... Part Two!

 It’s been a bit of a slog getting the rest of my Irish Raider Warband based this week but, finally, the job is done!

Having said that, I think I’ll be going back over some of them at some point, because the edges of some of the bases are looking a little sparsely covered. I decided years ago that I would apply a watery coat of modelling glue over the flock once it had dried, to prevent it wearing away too quickly; if you apply this glue wash too soon the flock appears to contract and leave the edge of the base showing through. The lesson I’ve learned this week, is to be a bit more patient when basing!

However, on with the parade… all the infantry in my warband are from a box of Wargames Atlantic Dark Age Irish Warriors (40 hard plastic figures, although 10 of them are canines for some reason, for just 25 of our Great British Pounds) and the cavalry are metal figures from Footsore Miniatures. Conveniently, Footsore cavalry come in sets of four and are currently £12 a set. I’ve not painted much metal recently and I struggled to get the paint to stay on the horses, but it was worth the effort, and the cost, to get figures that are clearly the real deal!

The main body of the warband are the Raiders. There are three Groups of six Raiders and they differ from Warriors in that they are harder to kill but, are more susceptible to Shock. They require a “6” to die, but gain Shock on a roll of 3, 4 or 5! They will withdraw from the fray when they have more Shock than men remaining in the Group and they have a definite proclivity for looting!

If you’re not keen on skirmishing troops, then this is probably not the army for you! As I mentioned in Part 1, this warband has a Noble specifically included to command the skirmishing infantry and there are two Groups of four javelin armed figures for him to lead. The skirmishers are the same figures as the Raiders but without the shields.

When you’re raiding foreign parts, you sometimes have to improvise and a convenient rock can be just as effective as a pointed stick.

The final Group of infantry are four missile troops armed with slings. You can only make four slingers from the Wargames Atlantic set, so that fits in perfectly for your Irish Dux Britanniarum warband. The slings provided in the box are the best I’ve ever encountered… they look as though they could do some serious damage, being substantial weapons with a hefty lump of rock about to be hurled at the opposition.

At this point, the Irish Raider Warband deviates significantly from their Late Roman and Saxon counterparts with the inclusion of mounted warriors! First up are the Skirmish Cavalry, which essentially operate in the same fashion as the foot skirmishers. They move faster but evade from contact in exactly the same way.

The Warband is completed by a Group of Noble Raider Cavalry, which are Elite troops and, unlike Raider Cavalry, don’t have the option of skirmishing. They lack the hitting power of Shock Cavalry, but they will attempt to exploit weaknesses in their opponent’s morale and will get an extra D6 in close combat for each point of Shock on the enemy Group.

My Noble Raiders are Footsore metal figures, but I decided to give them shields from the Wargames Atlantic box, in the hope that they might look as though they belong to some kind of noble brotherhood; a sort of Irish version of the Knights of the Round Table!

Back at the beginning of this project, I couldn't decide whether to put this warband together or use the figures I had ready to make a Saxon Warband. I’m glad that I made the decision I did and went ahead with the Irishmen, but the Saxons are still waiting in their box and, at some point, that will be my next Dux Britanniarum project.

Rheged Beware... The Irish Raiders Are Here!

 Throughout this past winter, I have embarrassingly succumbed to the temptation of a host of skirmish rules sets, to some degree or other, but, in spite of these enticements, I have managed to press on throughout with my Irish Raider Warband for Dux Britanniarum. The final brush strokes were applied last week and all that remains now is the basing. Rather than present the warband in its entirety, I thought I would split it into two parts; firstly, the command and, secondly, the warriors who follow their lords into battle.

The command structure in the Irish Warband is a tad unusual compared to the British and Saxons. The Nobles are made up of a Status III Lord, with his champion of course, a Status II Noble and a Status I Noble, who commands the two groups of skirmishers in the warband.

The Lord of my warband is Donnabhan. He is 36 years old, with an average build. He has a reputation for being cruel and has a Lust for Power. Donnabhan is of the men across the water, an aristocrat born in the lands of the Britons. In wealth, he has a thief’s horde. 

My Status II Noble is Senach. He is 31 years old and also has an average build. He is an honourable man, a son of the sons of Mil Espaine, born from the line of Noah.

My Status I Noble, who commands the warband’s skirmishers, is Rechtabra. He is 21 years old and, yet again, of average build. He has a reputation as a good man and the constitution of an ox. He is a King’s Son and has joined Donnabhan’s warband to gain experience in the ways of the raid.

Finally in the command group is Donnabhan’s fearless Champion, Oengus and, although a champion is not technically a member of the nobility, I like to roll for a couple of their characteristics, just to give them a bit of a personality. He is 22 years old, tall and strong. Armed with sword and blackthorn shillelagh and carrying a shield of the Brethren of Donnabhan, he is clearly a man not to be taken lightly by the champions of the Lords of Rheged. 

So, that is the first part of my Irish Raider Warband. Basing Donnabhan’s warriors continues a pace and they should be ready to make their first public appearance in the very near future.

A Border Watchtower for Dux Britanniarum

 My very understanding and long-suffering wife bought me a watchtower from Warbases for Christmas and I really enjoyed doing a bit of crafting over the festive period to put it together, with a few modifications of my own. 

This is the basic watchtower, with a few modifications… the lower corners have lolly sticks added, just to make them look a little stronger and I thought the soldiers who visited the tower would possibly want to offer a prayer to Mithras, the God of War, so I scratch built a rather ramshackle shrine so that they could do so.

The shrine is built from various spare bits from previous building projects. The columns and the roof are left over parts from a Charlie Foxtrot Eastern Front house I built for Chain of Command games and the shrine itself, I think, is from Wargames Foundry; it had a Roman chap in a toga attached to it so I lopped him off and he will, no doubt, be used in some other future project… waste not want not!

With a bit of tiny scale printing and some very fiddly gluing, I was able to add a mural of Mithras slaying the bull on the back wall. As this was an afterthought, getting the image inserted past the shrine and into its allotted place took more than a fair share of patience.

When the tower was built, I decided that it couldn’t possibly be placed on the table top just as it was; it needed a grander or more imposing setting to make it a more dramatic feature, dominating the surrounding countryside.

The best solution seemed to be to stick it on top of a hill but, as I didn’t have one, I had to set about building one, a project that has taken about a month to complete which certainly puts the creation of the Earth in seven days into context.

I built my hill out of assorted bits of polystyrene, which, thanks to Lockdown, were still littering up my garage after fitting some new kitchen appliances. The polystyrene was covered in Polyfilla and painted in various shades of grey to give it a “rocky outcrop” appearance. The palisade fencing came from Renedra and the gate was scratch built, again, from bits of Charlie Foxtrot Russian housing! A liberal sprinkling of Warlord tufts, a few randomly scattered “boulders” and a stack of amphora from Iron Gate Scenery finished off the job.

What started out as a fairly straightforward model building project has turned out to be something of a marathon, but I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent building my lofty watchtower, even the bits that went wrong, like when I realized that the top layer of my hill was sloping wildly and I needed to add an extra layer to the bottom of it to level it up! I don’t think these watchtowers were ever meant to be permanently garrisoned, rather they were used as a temporary base to scout out enemy raiding parties when they landed nearby for pillage and plunder. My hilltop tower wouldn’t be defendable against a determined and well equipped Saxon or Irish raiding force, but it would give a local scouting party somewhere to shelter and a quick offering to Mithras at the shrine would certainly bolster their courage for the fighting that lay ahead.

The watchtower model is available from Warbases... click the link to get one for yourself...

Watchtower (warbases.co.uk)