The Conflict
Prelude
The city of Sumarqu - which was highly valued for controlling trade down the Azimun River and its bountiful agricultural land - became a point of contention between two young kings. Nugalalutila is the seventh Sarisi of his dynasty. He hadn’t been on the throne long and was eager to prove himself. The same was true for Mar-Yun-Nirga, the recently crowned Hammasu of Mesitum. Mar-Yun-Nirga’s father had wrested control of Sumarqu about ten years prior from Kalumak. To avenge Kalumak’s loss, Nugalalutila was determined to reclaim the city. A shadowy organization assassinated their predecessors within the span of a couple years, intent on destabilizing the region. In the third year of Nugalalutila’s reign and the fifth year of Mar-Yun-Nirga’s reign, the former marched north toward Sumarqu. He marched because he recieved a scathing provocation from his rival, mocking that the Sarisi's father had lost Sumarqu.
Nugalalutila’s army approached from the south on the Azimun’s western bank. To reach the city, his army either needed to cross the Azimun and march east or ford the Garru and march west. He needed to be cautious since Mar-Yun-Nirga’s forces could have easily outflanked him. The Sarisi divided his army, taking part of it toward the outskirts. Meanwhile, the rest of the infantry marched through the fields closer to the city. Mesitu warriors waited in the palms. They surprised the Kalu, but were driven back. Afterward, they set fire to the dates and destroyed the crops. Mar-Yun-Nirga took the bait and rode out of the city with his chariots to meet Nugalalutila.
The battlefield was dominated by the rivers Azimun and Garru. Sumarqu stood near the confluence of the two rivers. The land was crisscrossed with the irrigation ditches, causing grieve for the hundreds of men marching through. Orchards filled with date palms and fig trees lined the confluence. Further out were grain and vegetable fields, which surrounded the city in all directions. Beyond that were scrublands and flat desert plain.
The battle took place in the height of summer, so the sun’s rays beat down on all involved. There were barely any clouds in the sky since the battle took place in a desert environment.
Outside the city, the chariots met on the most open ground as possible; both sides were supported by archers and small contingents. The Kalu chariots appeared to have been defeated and fled the field. Driven on by a need to ride down their foes, Mar-Yun-Nirga’s chariots followed. Unknown to them, they rode into an ambush. Arrows rained down on them, and runners rushed forward and pulled the riders from their vehicles. One particularly brutal engagement took place around a wide irrigation field dividing two date groves. Numerous men died, hacked to pieces or shot full of arrows in the water or between the trees.
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