Battle of the Winter's Coast

Belligerents	Commanders and Leaders	Strength
Kome	Prime Chancellor Ruziliou Alergious , General Malkeras, Chancellor Statkem.	An estimated 50,000 troops. armored infantry, Archers, and elite mages.
Kingdom of the Lands of Winter	Various leaders, including powerful Drow commanders and the legendary frost serpent Hrimnir, which served as a guardian of the kingdom.	Drow archers, towering frost giants, and spectral beings.

Belligerents	Casualties	Outcome
Kome	Devastating losses, with the entire force decimated, including the death of Prime Chancellor Ruziliou.	A catastrophic defeat for Kome . The entire campaign ended in failure, marking the death of the Prime Chancellor and the destruction of Kome’s invading army.
Kingdom of the Lands of Winter	substantial losses among the Drow and Frost giants.	The Kingdom of the Lands of Winter maintained its sovereignty and reinforced its reputation as an unyielding and mysterious realm.

An Account from the Last Winter Ledger

The year was 425 SC, and the snows of the northern reaches were thicker and colder than any in memory. Prime Chancellor Ruziliou Alergious Squarilious, the ambitious leader of Kome , stood on the edge of victory and hubris. His belief that his will mirrored that of Malfeeta, the god of progress, pushed him to lead the greatest army Kome had ever seen into the heart of the Kingdom of the Lands of Winter. It was said he sought not just conquest, but to root out and destroy those who defied the march of Kome’s civilization—monsters, dissidents, and spirits that lurked beyond the mountains.

The Great March

Ruziliou's forces, a legion of 50,000 strong, moved like an iron tide across the icy expanse. Formations were meticulous, with squadrons of heavily armored Iron Phalanxes at the forefront, shields and spears glistening with frost. Behind them marched Archers of the Storm, named for their ability to release a volley so dense that it blotted out the sky. Interspersed were the Mages, their red cloaks billowing, ready to unleash flames upon the unrelenting cold.

The strategy was clear: use brute force to carve through the icy plains, secure the coast, and establish Kome’s dominance over the untamable north. Scouts reported that the Drow defenders were smaller in number, a ragtag assembly of archers, frost giants, and even spectral beings summoned by the icy winds. Ruziliou’s confidence grew; he believed this battle would secure his legacy as the hand of Malfeeta himself.

The First Clash

The advance was slow, each step met with the groan of ice and the howl of wind. The Iron Phalanxes moved in perfect unison, their shields locking together in an impenetrable wall, while the Pyrestone Mages lit the night with bursts of fire to drive back the relentless chill. It was near the rocky protrusions of the Winter’s Coast that the first clash erupted.

The defenders struck under the cover of blinding snow. The Drow archers, their skin the color of midnight, released arrows laced with frost poison that seeped through the smallest openings in Kome’s armor. A roar shattered the stillness as frost giants, towering figures carved from ice and stone, surged forward with tree-trunk clubs, smashing the Iron Phalanxes apart.

The Defensive Maneuver

Ruziliou ordered a defensive maneuver. The Pyrestone Mages ignited the ground, creating a halo of fire to keep the frost giants at bay. The Archers of the Storm took their positions, sending a rain of arrows that cracked against the icy hides of their enemies.

Despite their discipline, the Kome forces found themselves ensnared. Whispers of ancient magic, older than the stones of Kome, filled the air. The spectral beings, blue and translucent, descended like wraiths, piercing the ranks with a cold that froze blood mid-flow. The Mages fought to keep their flames alive, their powers faltering as frost coated their brows and lashes.

Ruziliou’s Last Stand

Ruziliou, clad in his gilded plate and crimson cloak, charged into the fray on his war steed, Malfaron. His presence was both a rallying cry and a final gambit. “Onward, for the will of Malfeeta! For Kome’s eternal order!” he roared, his voice defying the gale. Spears met the thick hides of frost giants, splintering with each impact, while Ruziliou’s sword, Eversharp, sang as it cut through the icy defenders.

But the battle was already lost. From the craggy cliffs, a monstrous sound resonated—the arrival of Hrimnir, the fabled frost serpent said to guard the Winter Lands. Its scales glistened with the cold of millennia, and its breath sent waves of freezing air that crystallized everything it touched. Ruziliou’s steed reared in terror, throwing him to the ground. He rose to his feet, eyes wide, as Hrimnir descended, its maw open and vast as the sky.

The Collapse

The defensive circle broke, panic spreading like wildfire. The Iron Phalanxes scattered, abandoning their locked formations. The Pyrestone Mages fell silent, their fires quenched by sheets of ice. The Archers of the Storm ran out of arrows, their quivers echoing empty taps. Ruziliou watched as his army, once the pride of Kome, was dismantled before him.

His final words, whispered under the din of slaughter, were said to be, “Malfeeta, my ambition has betrayed me.” Hrimnir lunged, and with a crash that shook the coast, the Prime Chancellor met his end. The remaining forces who survived the serpent’s wrath fled, crossing back over the mountains with stories of death and ruin.

Aftermath

The Battle of the Winter's Coast was a catastrophe that echoed through Kome’s halls for decades. The once-mighty legion lay shattered beneath the frost, and Ruziliou’s name, once spoken with reverence, became synonymous with folly. The Kingdom of the Lands of Winter remained untouchable, a reminder that even Kome's greatest strength could not bend the will of a land ruled by ancient, untamed magic.

Battle of the Winter's Coast