Battle of Rochdale
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The Battle of Rochdale was the first open field battle of the Third Crusade fought in 10th of the Grand Harvest, 1640, outside near the road of Adelburg. The Crusader forces being led by King Aurelius I of Renatus, King Otto II of Haense, King Frederick of Marna, and the Norlandic forces being commanded by Prince Jevan Ruric, Lord Adalwulf Horen, Ser Jory Ash. This battle would be known as the first battle of the Third Crusade.
Prelude
News of multiple victories in the South against the Santegians had raised the morale of the Crusaders, many who fought in the Battle of the Bloody Road, and the people whom had yet to see battle and had joined the army to answer the High Pontiff's call for Crusade. As the men of Hanese, Marna, and Renatus rallied in Adelsburg the men began to prepare for an offensive.
Battle
The Crusader men gathered their weapons and mounted their horses as they began to march until they reached the forest near Adelburg forming a shield wall as reports of Norlandic forces were up ahead. As the Crusaders slowly marched their way uphill the Blood Dragons of Renatus and the scarlet soldiers of Romstun charged forward slamming into the Norlandic shield wall forcing the Norlandic soldiers to flee into the forest, where the bulk of the Norlandic army stood, as they began to see the rest of the Crusaders beginning to charge uphill the Norlandic men stood strong, fighting off a wave of Romstun and Renatus soldiers, only to see more waves incoming, Jevan Ruric knew it was pointless to waist the lives of his men in such a hopeless battle, he ordered his men to retreat futher back into the forest. During the retreat to the forest, many Norlandic men were cut off or began fleeing as the Crusaders began to cut down the stragglers while in the forest a small division of Norlandic soldiers stood in a shield wall in a hope to cover their comrades retreat, it took only a few seconds for the Crusader army to kill them off, the remaining Norlanders retreated out of the forest, quickly marching back to their capital Vjorhelm.
Aftermath
The Crusaders came out victorious, destroying many of Norland's forces thus leading to King Javier of Norland abdicating passing it down to Prince Jevan. Leo I, King of Santegia and the High Pontiff Everard IV agree upon peace terms, thus resulting in the Kingdom of Santegia joining Canonism and the Crusade against Norland. As the army slowly marched their way towards Vjorhelm, the leaders of the Crusade began to plan their attack on the eventual Siege of Vjorhelm. ---
