'1356'
Chapter 9: 'The Legend Grows'
With their string of victories, the legend began to grow and the rebel numbers began to swell too. The Ponies knew it was going to take more than just magic to put down this rebellion. Many come from the region that the Ponies know as 'Southern Chefal'. The Griffons and Mountain Hippogriffs know it as two separate kingdoms: 'Aquila' and 'Falcão'.
These are Italian and Portuguese-speaking Hippogriffs. When the Ponies invaded the two kingdoms, they also took over the cork production in the regions. The farmers advised the Ponies to not use magic to speed up the maturing process of the cork trees. The Ponies ignored them, but the magic had a side-effect. The cork rotted not in years, but days
Arguing and the shifting of the blame led to unrest and distrust which led to rebellion. The Mountain Hippogriffs that harvested the cork turned the axe on the Ponies, and from the rebellion arose a leader in the kingdoms. A Hippogriff Knight named Lady Angelina the Swift. Born into a noble family called 'the Haasts', she is a strong leader and chivalric knight
"Welcome Angelina" said Ghislaine with a big hug
"Lady Irontalon, good to see you" smiled her best friend
Their big and smooth flanks wiggled on contact. Their armor clinked and rattled as they hugged like sisters. Lady Angelina's forces numbered in tens of thousands. A bilingual Mountain Hippogriff of a gyrfalcon mixed with a white mare, her army was a mix of professional soldier-griffs, knights, and civilians from the cork farms she trained into soldiers
"I heard about what they did to the cork trees" said Ghislaine
Angelina sighed "It will take decades for the trees to recover"
A cork axe is 23.6in long with a 7in blade length and a head weighing over a pound, it is paired with a shield called a 'Tabulaccio'. The Mountain Hippogriffs of Aquila are known to be the best armorers and swordsmiths. From a soldier-griff or knight to a trained civilian, in time of war no swordsmith will turn them away from having a high quality blade
Aquilian swordsmiths make a distinctive type of single-handed sword as well as the famous longswords. A single-hand broadsword measures 39.125in long in overall length with 32.25in being the double-edged and 1.87in wide blade. Weighing in at 2lbs and 11oz, it is nimble, beautiful and deadly with it's 'fish tail pommel' making it unique among swords
The 'fish tail pommel' and 'faceted pommel' can be found on the longsword. Like the broadsword, it is sleek and elegant but it can chop off heads and limbs with ease. Forged as an Oakeshott Type XVIIIB, it has an overall length of 47.5in with a 36.5in long and 1.65in wide double-edged blade, this 3.1lbs sword has a 8.5in long grip and 7.5in crossguard
"How many do you offer?" asked Lady Wilhelmina
"12,000, all ready and willing to fight" said Angelina
Other weapons included spears, battle axes of a single-handed variety as they prefer them, flanged maces, and two very special weapons that come from the region: the glaive and the war hammer. Also known as a 'vouge', the glaive is a polearm with a 3.5ft long single-edged blade hafted to a 6ft ash pole, this is a weapon made for the cut-and-thrust
"We will fight at your side" Angelina vowed to them
"And we will fight to the death, no surrender, no retreat"
A 'war hammer', or as it is known by the Griffons as a 'war pick', is an effective weapon designed to penetrate armor. Some are made completely out of steel while others have a wooden haft. They measure 27in long with an 8.5in wide steel head. The hammer is a 1.375in square with a spike on the opposite end called the 'Bec De Corbin' or 'Crow's Beak'
The back spike is found on battle axes to make them effective against plate armor. Like a Griffon or Chefalien single-handed battle axe which can be used for single-handed and two-handed combat, the Aquilian axe made for single-hand combat and a heater shield. It is 23.6in long with a 6.3in blade length and finally a 4in four-sided sharp straight spike
From among the ranks of the rebels came a special group that added more power and punch. While griffon and hippogriff archers use the 'Burgundian Bow' made out of wood such as laburnum which is comparable in draw weight to an Equestrian longbow which is traditionally made of yew, the rebels have crossbow-griffs armed with stirrup crossbows
"Wilhelmina De Faucon" said Angelina with a grin
"I have heard much about you and your friend"
"It is a blessing to have you at our side" said Lady Wilhelmina as they embraced as sisters, one hippogriff to another. Geneve happily accepted one too from the kind and brave mountain hippogriff from Aquila. The soldier-griffs wearing kettle helmets as well as blue and white brigandines with chainmail and plate armor shook taloned paws with their allies
Lady Angelina comes with the blessing of King Alfonso II of Falcão and King Giorgio I of Aquila that the rebels will have the support of both monarchs during the entirety of the conflict. The crossbow-griff became a vital part of a successful attack. Along with the archer-griffs, they made travelling in the woods dangerous for the Pony armies on the march.
The crossbow came in two forms: the 'Goat's Foot' crossbow is a battlefield crossbow with a draw weight of 320 to 500lbs. Battlefield crossbow-griffs will have a shield called a 'pavise' to protect them from archer-ponies. The other is the heavier 'Cranequin' crossbow. With a draw weight of 850lbs, it is a siege crossbow. Now they are ready to go to war.