The Burning of the Forest

All around them, the forest became alive - blackened flames licking up morphing bark. The sky was choked with the scent of brimstone, and the echoes of the hundreds who were put to the sword before them reverberated through the air, overwhelming the cackling of warped fire and the howling of the damned.
The Knights of Armais attempted to shield themselves from the flames, but the forest became alive around them. Even as trees were consumed in the inferno, their trunks began to bend, flowing as if made from molasses, but with the speed of a diving shrike. Footmen unfortunate enough to be caught in the tendrils screamed as the trees themselves invaded their bodies, thorns ripping them apart from the inside as runners and vines bound them to the ground, and their fates sealed as even the ground conspired against them - opening up like a demonic maw to consume them.
There was no where to go. They were trapped in the hell of their own making.

The Burning of the Forest was a battle between the archmagus Marhas Dasev and the forces of the Armaian 1st Crusade, commanded by Sir Brightley of Armais. This battle is attributed to the current state of the The Forest of Dasev and laid the foundation of several theories and conspiracies, including the xenophobic stances that would eventually mold The Louthian Empire and the disasters that destroyed it. 
Considered an apocryphal tale by the wider world, the Burning of the Forest is kept alive by travelers who hear of the stories of the Forest, by mothers warning their children of the Forest's specters and ghosts, and by royal scribes that study the Forest's composition for a hint of the truth. Anecdotal evidence of the events that occurred during the Burning of the Forest are maintained by the scribes of the Mithambian and Saini royal courts.

The Conflict

Prelude

The ruling council of the Duchy of Armais was alerted to the presence of "witches" that resided deep within the Forest, with evidence pointing to the creation of a new village solely comprised of these mysterious and threatening creatures. Sir Brightley of Armais was tasked with the formation, training, and eventual deployment of a crusade of unblemished warriors to burn the corruption out of the Forest, and to find the one responsible for this state of affairs.
To this end, Brightley came into possession of a [Fate scroll. Using a sample of Marhas' blood which was acquired by scouts deployed a month earlier, Brightley was able to discern the "fate" of Marhas, with the scroll revealing the Forest wreathed in black flames. Interpreting this as a sign of cleansing fire and victory, Brightley rallied his forces, and they marched forth.

Deployment

Footsoldiers were deployed ahead of the primary fighting columns, utilizing axes to chop down trees, and fire to flush out or exterminate the wildlife. Any sense of tactical deployment was foregone, as it was believed that said "witches" would not be able to take on a Knight in hand to hand combat.
At night, the entire Crusade was bivouacked at a clearing, with enlisted soldiers patrolling the perimeter of the camp. Resting soldiers and Knights were enjoying mead and meat at the campfires, having obtained said meat from the earlier slaughter of the wildlife. A few bodies of captured scholars were hung on the trees, with passing soldiers and knights spitting on them and desecrating their corpses.

Battlefield

The battlefield was the clearing of the camp where the 1st Armaian Crusade had stopped. There was little in the way of natural cover, and the only shelters available were tents erected for the crusade to rest in, and to keep their supplies sheltered from the elements.

Conditions

The night of the battle was described as clear, but ominously silent. The creatures that moved in the dark had either hidden themselves away, or had fled the premises earlier.

The Engagement

The first signs of trouble were noted when Marhas Dasev flew into the middle of the camp, and transformed mid-landing. Standing in the midst of the flames of the largest campfire, Marhas leveled a flat, dull glare at the assembled soldiers, who were caught off guard and gawking at him.
Wordlessly, Marhas conjured up black flames of his own, and ignited the closest ammunition depot to him. The explosion rocked through the forest, with the shrapnel making quick work of the lightly armored infantry and tied horses. A few armored Knights were thrown clear by the explosion, their bodies crumpling as they collided with trees or each other. A general alarm was raised, but none were able to approach Marhas, with the full fury of his power keeping them at bay.
Undeterred by "unholy miasma", Brightley cleared the distance, and engaged Marhas in hand-to-hand combat. Marhas was struck by Brightley's gauntlet, and was staggered - enough for others to surround him. Picking him up by the throat, Brightley declared Marhas a criminal and heretic, and that he was to be dragged back to Armais to face judgement and cleansing.
In what has been interpreted as a final act of defiance, Marhas was able to slip out of Brightley's hold, and took Brightley's dagger. Recognizing the Fate scroll on Brightley's belt, Marhas snarled, and plunged the dagger into his heart, spilling blackened blood all over the ground. Before others could account for what happened, the orange flames that lit the campsite began to morph, and the forest around them followed in kind.
The sky above was an ominous red as the forest itself turned on Brightley and his troops. Knights were crushed by tree trunks, horses strangled by vines and runners, and soldiers impaled and their insides bursting with thorns. Brightley himself put up a good fight, utilizing his martial skills to keep the threats at bay to himself, until he was knocked down from behind by a "rejuvenated" Marhas. Marhas took this opportunity to crush Brightley's skull underneath his feet, and he ground the paste into the earth, before releasing a working powerful enough to be felt all over Vinesia.

Aftermath

The sheer energy of expression that Marhas poured into the forest via his blood altered the forest, with the forest slowly becoming alive and inimical to those that did not possess a hint of the ethereal within their veins. Over the course of a year, those who were unable to utilize an ethereal expression were expelled or murdered by the forest. This effect persists to the modern day.
With the destruction of over half of its standing knights, the Duchy of Armais was left open to assault. Within a few months' time, the city-state of Armais was overtaken by orc marauders of the Umbral River, and its inhabitants slaughtered.

Historical Significance

Legacy

The Forest of Dasev remains named after the archmagus who sacrificed himself to stop the crusaders in their tracks. The Library of the Forest maintains a record of the battle as recorded by observers, and the ruined standard and armor of the 1st Crusade is kept in the Library's inner storage as a testament to the power of the ethereal, and to the folly of men to attempt to suppress it.

Conflict Type

Battle

Battlefield Type

Land

Conflict Result

The 1st Armaian Crusade was destroyed

Location

The Forest of Dasev

Belligerents

Marhas Dasev

Led by

• Marhas Dasev

The Armaian 1st Crusade

Strength

• Marhas Dasev

• 55 Armaian Knights
• 20 Armaian Cavalry
• 85 foot soldiers

Casualties

• Marhas Dasev

• Brightley of Armais
• 55 Armaian Knights
• 20 Armaian Cavalry
• 85 foot soldiers

Objectives

• Stopping and defeating the 1st Armaian Crusade group
• Protecting his students and their knowledge from extermination

• The extermination of the "heretics" that resided within the Forest
• The destruction of the Forest
• The capture of Marhas Dasev for the crimes of conspiracy and the instruction of heretical knowledge