Battle of Uxcelesch Plain

Military: Battle

The calamitous Battle of Uxcelesch Plain marked the start of the Long War, notable players including the Imperator-- Shoka of the House of Baden Hill, Xoffe of Castelan Ward, and Khidz Toryx--general of the Akroni army mustered to stop the Larani. The battle ended with the Larani army functionally destroyed, and the Akroni army reduced to 1000.

The Battle of Uxcelesch Plain came as a result of the Baron of Uxcelesch appealing to the Akroni for protection against the Larani, in exchange for dominance over the Aphes Valley. While control of the valley wasn't the Baron's to give, the Akroni accepted anyway, spending the remainder of 649 mustering an army 20000 strong, led by Khidz Toryx, a famous general in the Western reaches of the Confederacy. 

In response to Akroni mustering, the new Imperator Shokta of the House of Baden Hill, seeking to legitimize her rule, came to the aid of Xoffe, the Lati who had started the whole mess. Laran's feudal system makes mustering far slower, so Shokta sent out the order to gather at Castelan Ward, and marched off with the Penad (Imperial) Guard, to hopefully save Xoffe. The Penad Guard were notable as a Cohort composed entirely of Lati, taken as tribute from the Okosovai and other major Houses, and trained in the use of enchanted armour, longsword, and shields. They were easily the best fighting force in the entire Empire. 

The Battle came close to two months after Shokta and the Penad Guard arrived. It began with the Larani on a hill, a kilometer out from the city. The Penad Guard were positioned in the center, with six squads on the front line and four in reserve. The Castelan Cohort was held entirely in reserve, with the peasant levies arrayed on the flanks. A few of the peasants could use bows, so were placed behind the Larani front. 

The Akroni arrived in formation, with their cavalry at the wings, spearmen in the side, and swordsmen in the center. Toryx was famous among the Larani for his use of Siege engines in battle, and those were brought behind along with the archers. They attacked without stopping to rest, as Toryx had heard rumours that the city was close to falling. 

The initial phase of the battle saw the Akroni advance slowly, peppered by archers and the occasional bolt of Lati magic. Those came from Xoffe, who despite having Castelan Ward and several honorifics awarded by high Lati, had never fought in actual conflict. The archers soon ran out of ammo, around when Akroni archers fired in turn. The Siege engines Toryx was so proud of saw little use, as a well-placed lightning bolt from Shokta reduced them to splinters, along with part of the infantry backline and most of the archers. 

Buoyed by this little victory, the peasants charged the far larger Akroni line. About half were reigned in by Xoffe and returned to the line, but most clashed against the Akroni and were slaughtered. Reduced by a third of their fighting force, Shokta took full control of the battle, allowing the Lati in the Penad Guard to fire off their limited ranged abilities. A few volleys of fire destroyed an Akroni regiment, but their slow march did not stop. 

When the Akroni were five minutes from reaching the Larani, the Akroni cavalry came forth to harass the backline. They did not make it very far, as Shokta's magic reduced most to ash. The rest fled back to the Akroni supply chain. At this point night had fallen, and the infantry finally clashed in hand-to-hand combat. The soldiers of the Castelan Cohort and the reserve Penad Guard were deployed to bolster faltering peasant regiments, but it did little. Most of the peasants had fled or been slaughtered by midnight. 

The Castelan Cohort fared significantly better painting cohesion until mid-morning, but they too died to Akroni blades. The Lati kept on fighting, excepting Xoffe who fled back to Laran after most of the Castelan Cohort had fallen. They continued for another three days, killing the Akroni soldiers through a mixture of blade, magic, and exhaustion. However, their cohesion was broken by the fourth midnight, and they were picked off slowly after that. All it took was a lucky strike to the back, through a gap in the armour, and the Lati was dead. Shokta died last, reportedly charging her way through the Akroni lines, taking no care to parry or block attacks. Bleeding from a thousand cuts, they pulled Khidz Toryx off their horse and quite literally ripped his head apart. It was at that point that she realized she was dead, falling to the ground. 

The Battle would have monumental effects, beginning a conflict between the Larani and the Akroni that would last over three centuries. Another Imperator was dead, the new Imperator rising from the Okosovai to take the seat. She immediately committed to the Aphes Valley, meeting the growing Akroni army. The Baron of Uxcelesch would come to regret his decision, as the war would result in his city being burned to the ground by the Larani siege master Ersu Xas in 659 YS. Reportedly he was kept alive by the siege master as a plaything to torture and feed off of, but that remains speculation, as Xas was killed during a coup in 672, and their possessions were split between the apprentices and offspring responsible.