The Battle of the Broken City
INTRODUCTION
In the late third period, as the Age of Freedom dawned over Min'usu'une, a final struggle broke out between two of the declining empires of the period- The Kingdom of Ithrium and the Meluhur dwarves of the Battlewrath Empire. Over the course of forty years, tensions had begun to build between the two middle dwelling peoples, but when the Kingdom of Archia rose to prominence of power following their finding of Trouffenese Steel, their existence in the valley region of Battlewrath became threatened. The King of Ithrium, Suillop III, reached out to Lord Dallin, king of the dwarves, to join forces against the Archians, but was swiftly declined. Distress grew in the capital of Ithrium, and a revolt had to be quashed, alerting all their enemies to their instability.
WAR BEGINS
In a move which shocked the known world, Lord Dallin marched onto the fields of Battlewrath, followed by eight thousand of his elite dwarven axemen. The terrible force decimated the region, burning and looting towns along their way to the capital. Caught off guard, and having just expended much of his force to the border towns, King Suillop fled to neighboring Tsonlar for refuge, where he was imprisoned for crimes against the state. Hearing of the King's capture, Dallin increased the speed to reach the capital, expecting it to be empty.
An Unexpected Defense
Upon reaching the capital fortress, the dwarves were greeted with a singular figure: an young female drow. As they approached she plunged a single red flag into the ground, with the words 'Never Surrender' written on its face. Knowing the fortress would not now be easily taken, Dallin pushed his weary and worn men to begin an assualt.
The Terrible Battle
Morale should have been low inside the castle, but the young drow general, Lyrein, managed to rally the small force of three hundred to rise in the hopeless situation. Knowing a siege would be their downfall, Lyrein immediately led a sortie of defenders out of the keep and met with the massive dwarven force: two hundred castle guards and a hundred of her blood warriors. A tragic battle ensued, lasting through the night. In the end, the defenders threw off the assault, at the loss of their entire sortie. Lyrein, her drows, and her defenders all fell in battle. But Dallin had lost six thousand warriors, and completely shocked at the defeat, retreated back to his castle of Meluhur and never was seen again. Legends say that Lyrein herself killed the king in battle, and his forces scattered before her, but no real evidence can show what happened that fateful night. Even though the shocking victory sparked hope throughout the falling empire, Ithrium fell just six years after to the Kingdom of Archia. They had no leader, and their entire military had been decimated.
The Conflict
Outcome
The Battle destabilized both nations to the brink of collapse, allowing the Archian Kingdom to engulf much of the territory in the midlands of Battlewrath.
Historical Significance
Legacy
The Battle of the Broken City lives on as one of the most historically relevant defenses of the third period. The outrageous defeat of King Dallin set the stage for the dominance of the Archian Kingdom after they conquered the Ithrium Empire less than a decade later. Many defenders of castles and guards tell legends of this battle to inspire courage within their men and women, showing that even the most unlikely odds can be defeated with much hope behind a defense. Of all the battles in the bloody third period, this battle ranks in one of the most memorable and retold.
In Literature
Many books have been written studying the incredible defeat of King Dallin's far superior troop. Having both skill and numbered advantage, there was no way the invading dwarves should have lost such an easy assault sortie. One theory takes from the legend that Lyrein was actually a warrior goddess from heaven, called to defend the Ithrium Empire. If Lyrein was a goddess, it was the will of the heavens for Ithrium to live on another ten years. Many call this absurd, but no better explination can be found as to why such a young and inexperienced drow captain was able to rally three hundred to surprising and unlikely victory.
Lyrein Swiftblade was a fairly irrelevant Captain of the Ithrium army, posted at the borders of Tsonlar. While quashing an assualt from rogue pirates at Ingerford, Lyrein was hastily recalled to the Capital of the Empire. Legends say that upon her arrival, she told the King to flee to Tsonlar because of how obviously desperate the situation had become. After the peasant rebellion was thrown down, Lyrein was the only commanding officer remaining in the shrinking borders of the Empire. In the final days of the empire, she became recognized as the regent, and with her trusty longsword and glaive, she led a small group of defenders in the capital of the land. Many people in the common lands of Battlewrath, in both Tsonlar and Archia, regard Lyrein as a goddess, a mage of Loscin sent to protect the Ithrium people from a terrible fate at the hands of Lord Dallin. The merciful have shunned such human-worshipping, but the high regard for her as a warrior and leader has not and will not cease.
Conflict Type
Battle
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
Atember 45 3700
Ending Date
Firsteli 11 3701
Conflict Result
The Failing Kingdoms of Meleuhur and Ithrium collapsed because of the military casualties caused.
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