Redwall!

I got out my Redwall HOTT armies this afternoon, as they haven't seen the light of day for far too long. I might even do an Army Showcase for them at some point, but for now you  just get a battle report.

They're based on the first book, and are (obviously) Cluny The Scourge's vermin horde vs the heroic defenders of Redwall Abbey. Cluny ended up attacking.

The defenders of Redwall.

Cluny's horde. Quite literally a hordes of hordes.

The horde advanced through two patches of rough going, but were ambushed by militant shrews and the warriors of the Sparra Queen. This broke up and slowed their formation.

Cluny led his lieutenants against Redwall's right flank, with the sinister Shadow sneaking along in his wake. The heroes of Redwall - Matthias, Basil Stag-Hare, Jess, and the Abbey mother, Constance, moved to counter him.

Meanwhile Cluny's hordes pushed forward slowly towards the main Redwall line.

Cluny's archers drove Constance back.

She charged in against them, but was thrown back once more. Redwall's heroes found themselves in a fight with Cluny's lieutenants, and slaughtered them.

Cluny slipped past the heroes, aiming for the Abbey itself.

Constance charged in to stop him, and they became locked in an epic fight.

The other defenders of Redwall now counter-attacked the massed vermin hordes. Slingers stopped them advancing, and a group of defenders fell on the hordes' flank.

Constance was forced back by Cluny, then forced back some more by his archers.

The heroes found themselves facing the sinister Shadow. He put up little fight, but slipped away from them ...

... appearing behind the main line, and threatening the Abbot himself.

Cluny had a clear run at the Abbey and attacked it, but failed to gain entry and retreated.

This allowed the heroes to attack him. Basil Stag-hare and Jess attacked first, but Cluny took them out with his poison-barb tail.

Meanwhile Constance rushed to save the Abbot from The Shadow.

Cluny turned on Matthias, who stood firm on a low hill. Maybe had he not been distracted by the Sparras he might have prevailed ...

... but Matthias slew Cluny, to win the battle for the defenders of Redwall.

Cluny's horde is a tricky army to play, featuring as it does two sneaker elements (one of which never really got into action). But the hordes did a good job of pinning much of Redwall's army, leaving them fighting with their heavy hitters. But hero vs hero fights in HOTT are always risky, and Cluny was able to keep them distracted for much of the battle anyway.

Anyway, as I say, I think one of both of these armies deserves a showcase.