The Siege of Narvalrast

Military action

In the aftermath of the last birth of a revermaug, there was a burst of activity as the defenders of Palerock waited for the surge of Riftspawn that was sure to follow. This preparation, drilling, and waiting continued for years, but there was nothing but silence from the Riftlands. After 5 years of waiting, there were some wondering if the surge wasn't coming at all. At the Narvalrast, the central garrison separating the inner and outer perimeter, the sizable detachment there was reduced to focus on resource gathering and scouting, leaving just 100 veteran soldiers to hold the garrison. It was then, at long last, that the hoard of riftspawn made their move. Hundreds upon hundreds of lesser spawn swarmed the outer perimeter, slaughtering the isolated groups of prospectors, scouts, and mining parties. One mining party managed to flee to the Narvalrast, giving the garrison enough time to make basic preparations. Over the next 4 days, the garrison held back thousands of riftspawn, slowly being whittled down. A rider was sent to Palerock, and when reinforcements arrived on the fourth day, they found a scene of raw carnage. Most of the garrison had been reduced to rubble, and bodies covered the grounds in and around the fortress. Sitting unconscious atop a gigantic insectoid creature was Dukhan Nullmind, the despot in command of the garrison and the sole survivor of the siege. The incursion beaten back, the commander returned to Palerock as a hero, more than qualified to become the new Exemplar of War. After 20 days, the day of Dukhan's inauguration came, but the hero was nowhere to be found. He, along with the bodies of some of his men, had disappeared, and haven't been seen since.