Assailing the Shire

[Gurth Ironclaw]

From the Blue Mountains there was a roar and sudden movement as around 2,000 Dwarves swarmed forth from the mountains down towards the Shire. They reached the Hobbits homeland quickly and met little resistance as the hobbits scurried away from their homes unsure of exactly what was going on. The dwarves had strict orders not to kill any hobbits unless attacked first. However, as the Dwarven hoard swarmed forth they burned and pillaged all they could awaiting resistance.

[Samwise Gamgee]

Samwise was at his home when messangers arrived from the Tower Hills and the West Farthing of the Shire, telling that dwarves from the Blue Mountains came, plundering and burning all in their way through the Shire. By the time the messangers arrived the dwarves probably already have reached the hobbit town of Michel Delving. The army of the Tower Hills has already been gathering, waiting to join the main army of the Shire. Samwise reacted immediately, gathering the troops of the West Farthing, East Farthing, North Farthing and South Farthing by blowing horns and setting fire signals.

With 2.400 hobbits Samwise moved out, joining the 600 Tower Hills soldiers and then heading for Michel Delving. It was a sunny day, as mostly in the Shire, only a few clouds were seen on the otherwhise blue sky. When they reached the plundering dwarves, Sam and a hand full of guards stepped forth, leaving the army behind, speaking to the leader of the dwarves. "Why have you come to these lands, pillaging and burning everything in your way that belongs to my people?" he asked, wondering what the reason was to attack a land like the Shire that has lived in peace for such a long time with none war at all.


The Army

Total: 3000

The Tower Hills: 600
The North Farthing: 200
The South Farthing: 550
The West Farthing: 850
The East Farthing: 700
The Old Forest: 100

Light hobbit Cavalry on Ponies: 800
Light hobbit Infantry: 800
Heavy hobbit Infantry: 400
Hobbit Archers: 1.000


Defences of The Shire and the Tower Hills

The Tower Hills: The cities of the Tower Hills are all in the east of the mountain ridge, so they are protected from attacks coming from the west. Undertowers is the only town that would be an easy target, but to prevent this the inhabitants have built a tall wall around it and high towers to get a better view. The White Towers and Elostirion are located up on the mountains, tough to reack for enemies.

The Shire: In the West and Northwest the Shire is protected by the Far Downs and the Emyn Uial, so it is hard to take from that side. The Eastern Border is the Brandywine, and there's only one bridge armies would be able to use. In the South and North it is an open land with nothing hindering great armies to move in and out of the Shire.


Maps of The Shire and the Tower Hills

www.ninecompanions.net/middleearthmaps/shire.jpg

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[Gurth Ironclaw]

The leader of the band of Dwarves name was Thor. He stepped forward with a throwing axe in hand, along with a torch. " When there is war all around why should your puny little country not be effected. However, since i see that you are the leader of these hobbits. " He said with a laugh as he looked at the hobbit army. Even though they outnumbered the dwarves the dwarves were stronger, better fighters and the hobbits didn't stand a chance. " However, i was to offer you terms. If you throw down your weapons and serve my Master Gurth Ironclaw, Master of the Dwarves then no more harm shall come to you and your country. " He said calmly awaiting the answer. The broad shields of the dwarves were raised and waiting.

[Samwise Gamgee]

Samwise listened to the Dwarf Lord with raised eyebrows. "So you attack this land just because there is another war going on? Why should we hobbits give in to your terms, and so prove that we are worth nothing in a war, you underestimate us by far, dear master dwarf." He answered him at last. "We will not agree to your terms and be under the ruleship of Gurth Ironclaw, rather will we fight and die than to give in to you." he said, and so declared waras te dwarves would not give in either. The hobbits had their pride and would do anything to defend their land. The hobbit army stood strong on their places, ready to drive the dwarves back to where they came from.

[Gurth Ironclaw]

He Dwarf smiled for this is what he wished to hear for he was in the mood for killing. " Very well. " He said as he turned his back and took a step before spinning around and throwing his axe and having it strike a hobbit right in the face, killing him instantly. " LET LOOSE! " He yelled as the crossbowmen in the back placed their crossbows over the shield wall and fired forth into the hobbit army and Thor stepped behind the wall as well. " Advance! " He yelled as the shield wall began to move forward as the crossbows reloaded and continued to fire behind them.

[Samwise Gamgee]

As te dwarf spoke and turned around, Samwise retreated into the group of hobbits, giving orders while Thor threw his axe into one hobbit`s head. "1000 of you, stay here with me and fight. The others, retreat into houses and holes nearby and hold them, let no dwarf pass by, but shoot and slay them down." Sam ordered, and as the dwarves begin to shoot at them, Sam yelled "Shields!" And the hobbits liftet their strong shields to protect themselves from the arrows. Yet, some arrows got through and killed and hurt some hobbits. Sam ordered to shoot back, far beind, not at the shields of the dwarves, but so they would hit. The hidden dwarves in the houses shot out at the dwarf army as well, and hid behind te walls so that the dwarves would not be able to shoot back at them.

[Gurth Ironclaw]

The arrows of the hobbits mostly glanced off of the shields and armor of the dwarves. However, a few found a glitch in he armor and shield wall and laid a dwarf to the ground. However, for the Hobbits that stood waiting for the advancement they were surely doomed. The shield wall reached them and out came strong axes and spears which smoot many of the shields and slew hobbits left and right. The hobbits were no were close to as experiances as the Dwarven army. The axemen smashed through the hobbit line slaying any hobbit that stood in their path. The crossbowmen lit fire to their crossbows and fired towards the homes, catching them ablaze so the smoke blocked the line of fire for the hobbits inside and flushed many out to be slain by the strong axe wielding dwarves.

As this battle was fought another battalion of Dwarves had made their way from the Mountains. There was around 750 of them and they were mounted. Not on horseback, nay they could not master a horse, but in wagons driven by smaller horses. Around 120 of these wagons now made their way to the battlefield to give the dwarves more of an advange. A few of the wagons carried devices, crafted in the darkness of the Mountains to destroy anything in their path. However, mostly the wagons carried archers and short-swordsmen. But they would mostly be used to run down the slow short little hobbits.

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Merry was among the fighters. He was wearing his armor and bore his sword.

He took up the fight against the dwarfs axes. His sword killing as it had not done in a long time.

[Gurth Ironclaw]

Thor noticed that a certain hobbit was fight much better than the rest of them and decided to go for him himself. He ran over to him, using his shield to smash away three hobbits on his way to Merry. When he reached him he brought his axe down towards the little creature, as by now the Dwarven hoard had swept away a good portion of the 1,000 hobbits that were standing before them and could hear the neighing of the horses that pulled their chariot/wagons.

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Merry managed to move and the axe missed him by inches.
He quickly turned and aimed a blow with the sword at the dwarves arm.

[Gurth Ironclaw]

The dwarf was extremely fast and quickly countered and rose his heave shield and stopped the blow from his enemy. He quickly ducked down and rolled behind Merry and rose his axe to strike down upon his back.

The rest of the Dwarves by this time had pushed through the hobbit line and had set many homes ablaze with arrows. The dust from the chariots was now visible as the hobbits defeat would be soon.

[Samwise Gamgee]

As the dwarfs began to shoot with fire arrows at the hobbit holes and houses to smoke the hobbits inside out, Sam ordered all hobbits to stay inside those houses and holes as long as they only could, because it was safer to shoot the army of dwarfs from this place. Although, the hobbits in burning buildings were to leave instantly and join the fighting force of hobbits, where they were needed as well.

As the wall of dwarven shields reached the hobbits and a fight broke out, Samwise ordered to retreat, away from the sword or ax-reach of the dwarfs. He also has noticed that Meriadoc was fighting the leader of the dwarfs, Thor, and did not want any harm to come to his friend, although he knew Merry was a good fighter. He had fought on the Pelennor fields and was skilled with the blade. Samwise only hoped the dwarfs would underestimate him and all the other hobbits, and take them as completely untrained fighters, although they weren`t. They were trained by the best fighters and warriors in The Shire and the surrounding lands, and knew how to protect themselves and kill others. Also, they knew the landscape where they were fighting as well as their own pocket, far better than any dwarf in the whole of Middle Earth, and so could come up with many deathly ideas how to defeat the dwarfs.

Samwise ordered 500 of his hobbits to cut down some of the huge trees in the Shire, some of them should be made to spikes. Those spikes were then set up at each road so that the wagons of dwarfs that now were coming could not go on further. Those spikes were situated and hidden so perfectly and precisely behind the grassy hills over which the roads led, that the dwarfs on the wagons would only recognize the spikes when it was too late, and their poor animals would crash into them.

At the same time, the other timbers were rolled on top of the hills that surrounded the dwarven army. From there they rolled by themselves, straight toward the enemy troops, and with their great speed, weight and power they would be nearly inescapable and deathly for the dwarven army and kill many of them.

And he came up with another idea. Another 200 hobbits Sam ordered to bind dry hey together to huge balls, and cover them with oil. They as well were brought on top of the hills and then rolled by themselves into the middle of the dwarven army, after being lit by fiery arrows shot by the hobbits.

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Merry had not expected this, he jumped forwards to get away from the blow. He was fast but not quite fast enough, the axe hit his back slightly, but not enough to get through his armor.

He heard Sam call for them to retreat. He started to think of ways to harm his mighty opponent so he could get away. It seemed it would take much to brake him down.

He turned quickly and aimed his next strike towards the dwarfs left leg.

[Gurth Ironclaw]

The dwarf roared in anger because his blow had not killed the little hobbit. As Merry stroke came towards his leg an enemy arrow caught him in the shoulder and caused him to fall back out of the reach of Merry's blade.

The Dwarves watched as hobbits began to move back in retreat and were rather annoyed that their warriors would run from battle. At this same time they began to notice the logs that were being moved towards them and suddenly began to roll over them. Well the Dwarves were to short to jump over the logs. So instead they did their best to avoid them and get low enough so that many logs, as they rolled bounced over their heads or glanced of their shields. Many dwarves however fell to such a tactic, but soon countered it, by forming up about 300 dwarves, with shields in hand and began to quickly move up the hill. The dwarves had also taken measures to move the hobbits from the hills before their charge as they launched huge rubber balloons filled with flaming liquid into the hills hoping to burn away any hobbits that were standing near the brink of the hill to fire arrows at them.

The wagons continued to speed along the path towards the battle. However, they soon noticed hobbits scurrying around laying something on the ground. In a moment they were aware of what was happening. They unleashed a hail of arrows slaying many hobbits that were standing in the open, before stopping the wagons and the short sword men and spearmen jumped out and began to move the barricade, as the arches stepped out of the wagons and hide to the side of them for more cover, firing more and more arrows towards any hobbit that would show himself.

At the same time this was all transpiring, from the blue Mountains a great gate that was newly constructed, only but 13 miles from the outskirts of the shire opened and from this gate ushered an army that made their way towards the Shire. There number was not exact, however, it seemed that the Dwarves had been mustering a huge force in these mountains and the amount of this army was around 8-9000 Dwarves soldiers, armed with heavy army, made with small enough rings so that the hobbit arrows would bounce away from the armor and cause the Dwarf no harm. The army began its march and would catch up with the clearing force in about an hours time as these dwarves had been trained for speed and the distance was not that great. Before the army were sent for-runners upon smaller ponies to alert the clearing force of the armies movement.....

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Merry knew how close he had been to get hit, he used this chanse to retreet. As the dwarf fell he started to move away from him, he decided to find Sam, and hear his plan.
He killed and hurt all the dwarfes that came in his way as he ran back.