Battle of Vorkallic Pass
Battle in Northeast Tarien
Perhaps the most famous battle in the conflict surrounding the original Window of Fire, the Battle of Vorkallic Pass pitted the forces Khardin against the Orkish tribes united under the warlord, Grat the Undefeatable. The battle, famous for both the enfilading tactics taken by the Khadra, catching the Orks in crossbow fire from behind the cover of pines along the southeastern shore of the Perlinkook River while raining stones down upon them from fortifications hastily erected atop the cliffs along the northwestern edge of the river. The battle, which lasted three days as Orks first advanced up Vorkallic Pass toward the Khadric stronghold, only to be pushed back by a wall of steel shields and pikes, proved bloody on both sides, with nearly half of the defending Khadra - almost two thousand - left dead on the field of the battle.
The Orks, who originally outnumbered the Khadra five-to-one fell at a similar rate - with over ten thousand dead. With over half of the warriors from the Orkish Hills dead, the Orks fully routed after the death of Grat, late on the third day. Leaderless, the Orkish tribes never recovered and were finished as a coherent force for the remainder of the war. In addition to the innovative tactics deployed by the Khadara, including their use of a shield wall and the invention of a large, boulder throwing sling that the Khadra called a trebuchet, the battle significantly changed the trajectory of the broader conflict. Without Orkish forces to their north, the Soulmeliti were able to concentrate their efforts in the south, ultimately breaking the siege of Naz'Asketon and eventually expelling the Elynthi from completely from the Soulmeliti Forests.
Belligerents
Khadra
Strength
4,000
20,000
Casualties
2,000
10,000
Objectives
Defense of Khardin
The sacking of Khardin