In the distance came a shrieking cry.  Lentos and the other Zathii infantry looked up to see the arrows fired from the siege tower.  They soon responded with a war horn, casting a deep tone across the shambling footmen.  The auxiliaries had come into range of the Allied archers and crossbowmen; the ranking captains leading Lentos' comrades recognized this and the war horns they blew gave the signal to charge.

What was at first a steady but unorganized patter of marching men turned into a cacophony of charging warriors.  They raised their shields ahead of them to ward off any ranged volleys, though men were felled with arrows anyway.  Each soldier gripped his weapon, be it sword, axe, spear, or club, ready for combat.  The tension was thick as their lines closed on the Allied forces.  Battle cries boomed across the Maw and threatened to deafen the ears of all those in concession.

And then, in a gut-wrenching discord of steel and iron, the two armies clashed.  Some men struck forth with great zeal; the more cunning struck downward, at unprotected legs and thighs.  Few here were new to combat, young or old, and the bestial nature of man sprang forth.

In the ensuing melee which followed, the Zathii displayed great courage, harnessing a bloodlust unseen by the Westerners.  What they lacked in armor and discipline they certainly made up for in brutality and determination.  Pizurk's uruks would find themselves matched in tenacity.  Here, in the center, the fighting was especially chaotic as man and orc came to savage blows.  On the Allies' left flank the Twilight Knights would hold against the charge, but would find themselves engaged in their own bloody struggle as more Zathii poured forth.  The Guards of Roffela managed to remain hidden behind their allies.  On the right, where Bane and his Hoplites stood, the Zathii charge was broken against the phalanx; the tribals failed to break their formation, and those who survived that attempt pulled back in clusters, only coming forth at opportune moments in an attempt to pull away a Hoplite's shield.

The cavalry on both flanks, as soon as they entered missile range, dashed forth towards the Acity Light Cavalry and the Worg Riders.  The speed of their horses no doubt outmatched that of their opponents, and as they came closer they drew their javelins.  They came into range and turned their horses to ride away, as if forming a cantabrian circle, and threw their javelins forward with great strength and precision.  A barrage of these missiles threatened to pierce armor and bring down the Allied cavalry.

[hr]

Torr, although not deployed by Pizurk, led his Wolfguard onto the field anyway.  He remained with the reserve forces, but as the Zathii started to close in Torr moved closed to the archers and crossbowmen.  He watched the battle from atop his mount,, his warriors behind him.  They were excellent horsemen, no doubt, but their true power lay in infantry tactics.  Torr wanted to see where his warriors were most needed, and when the time came they could dismount to fight on foot.  One might call them 'mounted infantry'.

The right flank would hold - Bane's phalanx ensured that.  The left flank would could hold its own as well, though their battle lines did not hold up like the Hoplites' did.  Pizurk's uruks, whether they planned to give ground or not, would find itself forced to give way; they were not losing their battle, but the mass concentration of tribals pushed them back nevertheless.  Only the Allied cavalry faced issue, as the mounted javelin men skirmished against their ranks.