Dunghail had an ambition, having fought against the Roman legions, his experience and qualities had gone un-noticed long enough.
The great Dunghail had a nice ring to it, but for now his attention was on two failing Roman nobles who had decided not to support his ambitions.
As dawn broke Dunghail's warband had tracked the roman nobles to an abandoned villa, Dunghail did not fear the soft roman nobles or their unskilled serfs, he had met them many times in open battle, however holed up behind their stone walls the coming battle would be the first major test of Dunghail's warband.
The great Dunghail, breaker of walls....yes that had a nice ring to it.
The battle started with dunghail splitting his warriors into four units surrounding the villa, to the north, south and east.
The warriors readied themselves to charge through the gates whilst to the west a slightly larger unit readied themselves to climb the walls.
Dunghail had spent the evening before advising his warriors on the correct technique to assail such defences, his years of experience assaulting Roman defences would surely pay benefit in the coming battle, although looking across the field he feared his wise words would be to no avail and it would be left to his retinue to win the day.
To support the warriors Dunghails nobles split themselves into 2 smaller forces, to the south and north and readied themselves to scale the impressive roman defences.
The battle started with the Picts advancing cautiously on all fronts, the warriors closed in on the ruined gates, whilst the pictish nobles advanced on the walled sections.
The Roman forces scurried to man a defence, two large shield wielding units of pedyts stepped forward into the breaches. Dunghail could see amongst the Romans the banners of another foe, some skirmishing saxons had joined the softer Romans, perhaps today would offer a better fight than he thought.
With the pedyts advancing on the gates the warriors continued their advance unleashing a volley of javelins into the pedyts, causing the first casualties amongst the Romans. To the east the pictish warriors sighted some roman archers who unleashed a volley of arrows killing several brave warriors in return.
With the picts halting just short of the gates the pedyts in an unusual display of bravery charged the pictish warriors. To the north of the villa the picts held against the charge, however to the south the pedyts broke and ran down the pictish warband.
At the Eastern gates the pict warriors charged the unit of archers causing heavy casualties and breaking and running them down. The utter destruction of the cream of the roman troops caused a unit of skirmishers and their saxon allies to break.
Seeing the picts closing from the east and west and with the pedyts to the north struggling to hold, the roman nobles seeing their only chance of escape followed the pedyts to the south skirting along the villas southern wall.
With all the warband following Dunghail's instruction, the saxon warband had come into striking range, a simple leap across the roman defences was all that was needed for him to show his worth.
Dunghail leapt at the wall his foot hitting a mossy patch that had been made damp in the morning dew. Slipping back he backed up a few paces before leaping once more at the wall, this time he grasped at the jagged rocks, his fingers gaining a solid purchase, turning he grinned, perhaps a little too soon as the stone he grasped dislodged from the wall sending him tumbling to the ground.
Getting up slightly muddier for his endeavour, and seeing the nobles to the south now engaging the pedyts that had defeated the warriors, Dunghail clambered up the wall, peering over the top, he could see the saxons still in disarray, perhaps there was still time for a great victory, readying his spear he prepared to leap from the wall into battle not noticing his trailing Cape had snagged upon the wall.
As the battle between Dunghail and the wall continued, the unit of nobles to the south dispatched the pedyts pursuing them and catching the fleeing roman nobles, Dunghails banner stepped forward and dispatched one of the former roman lackies and gave the other a mark to remember the encounter, causing the second roman to flee the field.
From his vantage point, now atop the wall, Dunghail could see his plan had been perfectly executed.
Perhaps the Roman lackie would reconsider Dunghails offer to join him.
For now the tale of Dunghail's battle of the wall will be talked about at court, if only he had found a Bard worthy to tell the masses of his legendary and inspiring leadership.