Siege of the Vatrad-vi Giren (/vatrad-vɪ gɪren/)
Vatrad-vi Giren (Horned Apex) is the summit of a mountain in the Nrakha of the Oske lia Vøn. This summit had a great view of the island and had a Raxarian outpost stationed here. There were usually around 45 Raxarians here but this number often fluctuated. Their task was to watch over the southern part of the island and to cover the nearby mountain pass during the War for Adremesis. Valerik was among this group, though he was just Kíliaotevarsin at the time.
For the first decade or so of the war, this outpost was not heavily attacked. Straggler Void Beasts would find their way up the mountainside but the outpost was never completely swarmed. One day, however, that streak ended. The Battle for the Losyex Ølæm had heavy losses and many Raxarians had to fall back, and most of them were wounded. Before the battle, the outpost was reinforced for this exact reason, with almost 100 Raxarians stationed here, over twice as much as normal.
The majority of the Raxarians sent to reinforce were removed to go elsewhere once it was over but many of them stayed due to the expectation that Krel'Outama would attack here soon. And they were right. While the battle was won, despite the losses, Vatrad-vi Giren allowed the safe escape for many Raxarians which angered Krel more than just the loss of the battle. He couldn't finish off the weakened and take the outpost. So, this was his next target; that outpost must fall.
The Conflict
Prelude
The Vatrad-vi Giren pass was one of the best escape routes for any retreating Raxarian. Although it was one of the furthest points from Udødliå, it had the most direct and safe route back due to it's seclusion in the mountains and various Raxarians stationed along the route. After the loss at the Battle for the Losyex Ølæm, Krel'Outama needed to get rid of the outpost so no more wounded Raxarians could escape freely.
Deployment
Even after many of the reinforcements left Vatrad-vi Giren, there were still more Raxarians there than usual with 52. The outpost did have a minor infirmary but it did not have much capacity and was mostly used to care for those that could not get back to Udødliå. Some of the Raxarians here did boost the number a little, by 5 out of 12, bringing the count up to 57.
Krel on the other hand had near limitless numbers at all times. He surrounded the outpost in a wide radius to repel any further reinforcements and bled in forces to the pass while the outpost could not defend it.
Battlefield
The Vatrad-vi Giren is the summit of a mountain in the Nrakha of the Oske lia Vøn. The outpost stretched a fair distance down the mountain onto a relatively enclosed plateau that provided lots of natural cover. The entrance to the pass was through one side of the mountains where it goes underground. With the surrounding Void Beasts, there is not much room to go so the majority of the fighting stayed within the outpost itself.
The Engagement
The Raxarians in the outpost kept catching Void Beasts that had found their way inside. Killing them swiftly, they thought little of it as it is a relatively normal occurrence but now this was happening far too often to be normal. The outpost was put on alert and were prepared for an attack. They called for some reinforcements, just in case. Within an hour of that call, the Void Beasts came.
Almost literally pouring down the cliffsides, they enveloped the outpost. Hundreds of them dived down the side, swarming the Raxarians quickly. The requested reinforcements were cut off though, a large portion of Void Beasts had made their way deep into the pass and were effortlessly making their way through. The band of Raxarians sent to the outpost were ambushed and swamped. None survived.
The outpost now had no help and no time to call for additional reinforcements. They were on their own now. The Raxarians had already prepared for this moment, following Valerik's word, moving the wounded deeper inside and blocking any primary ways into the outpost. This was done to bottleneck the Void Beasts, forcing them to take alternative routes which helped to take some of the strain off of the fighting. The Void Beast border stayed there, sometimes a few left to attack the outpost but the border remained mostly untouched throughout. This border was retained to starve the outpost of both supplies and reinforcements. Ultimately, it did work, despite the outpost being self-sufficient, it can be difficult to utilise this advantage while under constant attack.
Valerik knew this wouldn't last forever. As time went on, supplies were becoming more and more limited, he and his brothers were becoming more and more wounded, space was becoming more and more restricted. He needed a plan to either fight back, escape, or die trying. By this point they had lost 14 Raxarians and had been cornered to a cave; it had been hollowed out previously for additional storage but had a secret entrance to a sort of panic room if the need arose. Those wounded so badly that they could not fight were sent in there until they could recover. The rest of the Raxarians stayed in the storage room and defended the entrance. There was only one way in so they only needed to worry about one exit. The storage room they were in obviously had a stockpile of supplies but this could only last so long. While they were in there, they were able to get a chance to call for help, detailing the situation. They did receive a response and a large force was on the way. They were told however that the outpost is a lost cause and should be abandoned. It was safer this way than to stay there and risk the lives of any Raxarian that stands to protect it.
The large group of Void Beasts that fed down the pass had made it all the way to Udødliå not long before the reinforcements were summoned. Udødliå was not prepared for an attack since Void Beasts hadn't been able to approach anywhere near the volcano whatsoever. While they were stopped relatively quickly, the pass proved to be a weak point that Krel would likely utilise again and so was guarded fiercely. Once they received the word that the Vatrad-vi Giren outpost was being overrun, they sent about 150 Raxarians down the pass to assist the outpost. Not to save it though, since the pass would be permanently closed once it's inhabitants were safe. If there was no one to protect the outpost, the pass was free game for any Void Beast, and a single one can be a challenge for any Raxarian. Caving in and closing the pass was accepted to be a necessary sacrifice.
Some of the wounded were not getting better and needed medical supplies that they were running dangerously low on. One of the few Justicium Raxarians there was becoming too exhausted and had to rest. Valerik needed to do something, otherwise, he would lose more of his brethren and that was something he could not let happen. He gathered up a few of his brothers that were in the best shape and decided to fight his way out of the storage room. Together, they made some decent progress out and were able to secure a perimeter outside which gave them some more space. Although it was tough, and injuries were received, they held their ground. Once the Void Beasts let up a little bit, Valerik was able to make his way to the infirmary to retrieve supplies, including medicines. A couple of trips were made but he was able to do it with a low profile and avoided engagements. The supplies he retrieved went on to save the lives of 7 Raxarians and kept many others battle-ready, including himself.
The reinforcements arrived at the outpost the next day. They punched straight through the border and hurtled through the pass, annihilating anything in their way. They were able to reach the outpost without much damage but found it in a sorry state. Void Beasts were absolutely everywhere and the outpost had been levelled. The group fought their way through to the storage room with minimal losses, recovering everyone still inside (including the worst wounded) and fought their way back out again. Krel was not oblivious to this, however, and broke the surrounding border. Every Void Beast that had been in the wide circle were now approaching, fast. Time was running out to return to safety and a bold decision had to be made. The Raxarians were being followed ruthlessly throughout the tunnel and many Raxarians were picked off as they were caught up to. A Zysargia Kíliaotevarsin among the reinforcements stopped, telling everyone else to keep going. He wasn't planning on holding them off, but the cave needed to be destroyed. If it wasn't soon, then the Void Beasts could make it all the way to Udødliå which is a risk that cannot be taken. This Kíliaotevarsin began a spell, channelling everything he could into it, purposefully overexerting himself. Once the Void Beasts reached him they mindlessly swamped him, without realising what he was doing. As soon as his focus was lost, the spell backfired as far too much energy had been concentrated and the spell wasn't finished properly. The shockwave shook the very world, a massive burst of energy exploded out of him, shattering the mountain above him and causing a cave in on a colossal scale. Not only did he close the tunnel, he virtually brought down the entire mountain. The entirety of the tunnel from about half way in the direction of the outpost collapsed, destroying every single Void Beast that so happened to be inside. Not only that, but the greatest landslide in history covered the outpost and any Void Beasts left in it. This Kíliaotevarsin single-handedly took out an uncountable number of Void Beasts, at the unfortunate cost of his life. When news of his sacrifice reached Zysargia, he said the Kíliaotevarsin would've become his Dragon Speaker (Zysargia did not have one at the time). Nonetheless, Zysargia granted him the name Yelektagitarzhi (Necessary Sacrifice).
Valerik was also recognised for his leadership during the battle. The arrangement of him and his brothers and his retrieval of medical supplies were crucial for their long term survival and likely saved most, if not all, of their lives. He retained morale and stayed on the front line, and despite suffering some serious injuries, he refused to back down. Valerik's part in the siege saved many lives and this was recognised by Infermius, who offered Valerik (still just Kíliaotevarsin at the time) his name.
Outcome
Many Raxarians were wounded during the fight, on the way there for the reinforcements, and on the way back to safety in Udødliå.
Aftermath
The safest route back to Udødliå was now completely gone and a primary outpost, used to assist the wounded and protect Raxarians on their way through the pass, was now completely lost.
Historical Significance
Legacy
Yelektagitarzhi was remembered well for his actions as so many Raxarians owe their lives to him. Valerik also gained his name and the respect to his leadership from virtually everyone.
Included under Conflict
Conflict Type
Siege
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
24th October, 2451 BFB
Ending Date
12th November, 2451 BFB
Conflict Result
The outpost was lost, however a massive blow was taken to the Void Beasts' numbers.
Belligerents
Defenders of the Vatrad-vi Giren Outpost
Strength
57 Raxarians strong. There were more but they were heavily wounded at the start of the fight, though some recovered enough to take part before the siege ended.
Uncountable number of Void Beasts.
Casualties
19 Raxarians, though some of which were at least partially wounded before engagement.
Practically irrelevant.
Objectives
Outlast the attack until help came or they run out of supplies.
Starve out the outpost and restrict reinforcements but try to kill it's inhabitants.
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