As a preface, this progression is going to be especially lengthy. As such, it will be split into two 5,000 word parts with the wounded and reward rolls performed at the end of the second progression. For now, enjoy the first half of the next major conflict in the Elven Moors!
The past few weeks had seen a rising boom in population for the Altalar City of Merkar'sarh since its liberation at the hands of the combined forces of Altalar insurgents and the Regalian Army. There was a sense of cooperation between the Altalar who owned and ran the city, and the Regalian forces which used it as a central hub in the region for the purpose of organising and planning their next troop movements. Both sides shared a common enemy and a treaty that had been signed months ago by Regalian Generals and the Altalar Princes further North, and were bound by design and in some way, honor, to work towards eradicating the Kathar from the region. This however didn't solve all their issues. While they shared an enemy, the harsh treatment toward the Altalar from Conservative and Jingoist elements in Regalia combined with the general disgust from the Altalar toward anything non-Altalar conjured a silent tension between the two forces. The Imperial Marshal William Howlester shadowed the Regalian Generals in their meeting with the Altalar leadership that evening which indicated the Regalian approach for the next couple of battles. The two Field Marshals governed three Generals each and had both independent operations. Field Marshal Ardige Viduggla would lead an army of 120,000 with Generals Hengest Harhold, Siegfried von Rahm and Thorvald Norrvakt west through the Wolond populated jungles toward the Kathar occupied city of Lurlavan. The Imperial Marshal William Howlester acting as a Field Marshal, would take charge of 120,000 men with Generals Ulric Typhonus, Dietrich von Drachenburg and Dragomir du Brierust and defend Merkar'sarh from a force suspected to be gathering about seven miles south halfway between Merkar'sarh and the much larger city of Nuthotehk.
The meetings lasted roughly an hour before the Generals left the chambers of the Government building in the City to proceed to where their armies were gathered. A quick statistics advisory on the way detailed the current composition of the Regalian Forces. In total, there remained 130,000 of the original 150,000 of the Tenpenny soldiers that had been shipped to the front, and a thankfully bolstering 145,000 Noble Levy troops to increase the numbers to a grand total of 275,000 Pro-Regalian soldiers ready and primed for battle. The Imperial Marshal expressed recognition with the Imperial Court for the families that had bestowed the front more troops, bolstering face and prestige at court for the families who had consistently kept a high number of troops present in the wars, namely Houses: Peirgarten, Ravenstad, Delmotte, von Rahm, Brilonde, von Drachenburg, Eliopolous, Yaotl and von Duerr.
With instructions made clear from that morning's gathering, Field Marshal Ardige Viduggla made his way out of the City of Merkar'sarh alongside his assigned Field Generals, Hengest Harhold, Siegfried von Rahm and the Url, Thorvald Norrvakt. The Field Marshal couldn't shake the air of unease noting the absence of his supporting General the Digmaan Cro-Zzhin Yaotl, who was assigned by the Marshal Cabinet to act as a counter to any Wolond ambush squadrons. The Northern Field Marshal cursed under his breath which was quickly picked up by his Field Commander Vulmar, leaving the ex-Ravenstad concerned as well. As it turned out, the Digmaan had left the city to rendezvous with his own forces elsewhere, citing that he would not be following the commands of Ardige Viduggla, as the Viduggla had attempting to use him and his men as 'cannon fodder' and not for the purpose set out by the Imperial Marshal. Thus, Ardige Viduggla had already lost one of the more crucial elements of his battle plan. The noise from all over the battlements and the gathering forces, albeit loud, didn't do anything to remedy the look of anxiety on the troops faces as they prepared for the arduous task of attempting to maneuver through the thick, dangerous jungles to the west.
The Harhold General was the first to break away from the group of higher ranks and ready himself with his men, numbering 40,000 strong. Of his 40,000, only 10,000 were State Tenpenny troops. The other 30,000 consisted of his 15,000 Harhold levies, 10,000 Peirgarten Levies and 5,000 Ravenstad levies. When inquiring about the change of composition of his overall army numbers, his right hand Field Commander, Rodrigo Peirgarten, explained that the Imperial Marshal forced these troop changes on the Harhold Army personally, citing a risk to the lives of State Troops to a General who had lost thousands of his own loyal bannermen to a much smaller collection of "backward hick Barons" in the Veer. Despite Hengest's displeasure at the news, he reassured his commanding officers that the battle would still be won, as his army had been assigned the Imperial Dragon, which raised morale considerably.
However, things were not quite as well settled within the von Rahm General's ranks which were situated as the left column of the overall 120,000 men force. After approaching his troops, a number of his Field Commanders approached the General citing the General's weak will in ensuring that the Digmaan would be present for this battle and their fear that a great many Regalians would lose their lives to the Wolond that hounded any approach into the jungles. Thankfully for von Rahm, he soon regained control over his ranks thanks to Asher Rhylovhas and Elyon the Witchblood, who eased the situation. The Tenpennies amongst the von Rahm army snorted and mocked the General behind his back for placing an Altalar as one of his major tacticians, while others began to criticise the overall non-human make up of his army. Nevertheless, the 40,000 troop army, consisting of 25,000 Tenpennies, 11,000 von Rahm levies, 2,000 Black levies and 2,000 von Dietricht levies readied themselves for the order to march into the Jungles, which would undoubtedly soon be coming.
Lastly, Field General Thorvald Norrvakt engaged with his army. He strolled the length of the vanguard to examine the troops. At his side were his two more trusted Field Commanders, Henrik Norrvakt and Valtin von Dietrich, both nobility with reasonable experience in battle. Despite the Urls 'affliction', the Norrvakt army was almost entirely Tenpenny soldiers. In total, 35,000 Tenpennies and 5,000 Eliopolous Levies made up the 40,000 troops that comprised the Norrvakt column, which would be positioned on the far right of the overall 120,000 man army, with Harhold sandwiched in the middle. With all forces now convening with their respective Generals, all that was required to proceed was the word of Ardige Viduggla before they could proceed. In the meantime, each of the Generals issued information to their respective Field Commanders to make it known amongst the ranks that should any Allar troops be spotted, they are on the Regalian side of the conflict and not to attack them. Soon enough, the order to march was relayed to the men, and all three armies under Viduggla began their march westwards into the jungle, using the Altalar's mapped road as a guide which should bring them directly outside the main gates of Lurlavan.
Harholds men were the first to begin marching, much to the surprise of the other two Generals. The middle column of the 120,000 force started ahead, carrying all manner of supplies for the siege, with the frontline acting as sappers to help clear a more traversable line for the army through the dense jungle floor. This would have worked for Harhold if it weren't for the fact that his men ultimately were caught up on by Siegfried and Thorvald's armies, which, under the orders of Field Marshal Ardige Viduggla, took up positions to his left and right. After a lengthy dispute with command, the following actions would be taken: Harhold's men, who were escorting supplies via mule and horse, would take the path while the other two armies formed a line to trudge through the jungle to the best of their ability and keep an eye out for Wolond ambushers. Harhold commanded his men to remain in a line formation and also ordered for them to only carry two items each to lighten the load and make advancing easier. The von Rahm General however had his men remain in a phalanx formation, which made trekking through the thick underbrush all that more difficult, for his men and himself, even with gucciano boots. It wasn't much different for the Norrvakt General either. The Url General ordered his men to have their shields prepared for any attack by the Wolond, from the sides or above.
Meanwhile, travelling up the nearby river was the stray General Digmaan Cro-Zzhin upon an Anglian Frigate helmed by the Varran Corsair Kailu Frisque. Acting on the advice of a single Altalar elderly male, the Digmaan assumed the river would support such a frigate, however this was not the case. While the Frigate made some ground, approximately a mile or two up river thanks to Kailu's admiral skills, the river became far too shallow for the frigate to go any further and unfortunately became bogged and stuck in the river, unable to turn around or advance, effectively putting the ship out of commission. With the frigate going nowhere, the Allar army would have to proceed on foot with the Digmaan as part of it. As per orders, the 40,000 force was split in two: essentially a heavy squadron and one more fitted for maneuverability. The 40,000 entered the jungle a mile or so south of the Viduggla force, though only on one side of it which would prove ultimately the downfall to entire operation. Within an hour or two, horns were heard blaring from Harhold's army, indicating an attack.
Just as was expected, the entire 120,000 force was ambushed from all sides by Wolond forces that sprang from trees atop the Regalians and attacked from bushes, even from makeshift kill pits in the ground. In what seemed like minutes, the Regalians were overrun by Wolond numbering easily 30,000 in size. Although the Regalian soldiers had the upper hand in terms of numbers, the tightly packed formation and the uncomfortable terrain made their movements a hinderance. On the right, Thorvald Norrvakt's troops were the worst hit. Springing to action, both of Norrvakts Frontline Commanders Henrik Norrvakt and Valtin von Dietrich used the twenty thousand men assigned to them to attempt to turn the ambush around somehow and push through. Henrik Norrvakt dove into the fold and rallied a number of warriors to his side, with Dagheidar Ralgarde, Joycie Caladwen, Shane Marth and Seraphina von der Ebene at his side. Henrik's leadership was ultimately put to the test, but the sheer number of Wolond that hounded the rag tag group proved to be too much. The first to fall was Shane Marth, who took a knife to the gut while attempting to cover Dagheidar Ralgarde,which floored him. He luckily managed to scurry away to safety while Dagheidar returned the cover Shane provided but unfortunately also suffered similar wounds when she was slashed across the side. With Tenpenny assistance, both managed to escape and fled to the back of the Norrvakt force for medical attention, leaving Henrik, Seraphina and Joycie to try and push the Wolond back from their end. Henrik by far performed the best out of the five, who suffered some very minor cuts to his face and around his waist but fought on regardless. The same could not be said for Seraphina and Joycie, who were subject to a barrage of spells flung their way which would leave Joycie with a burned left shoulder and Seraphina with a crippling burning sensation in her gut, which caused both to be carried back out of the fight to Meredith Lessauer, whom would see to the wounded along with other Regalian State Medics on some supply wagons.
Despite the lack of space and the fighting raging on around her medical wagon, Meredith performed brilliantly, arguably saving the life of Seraphina von der Ebene. This would not be the only life she would save that day, her body becoming overcome with a feeling of utter despair. Her arms spread instinctively and her body began to lift from the cart about a foot. At that moment, light shot from her body into the air, past the clouds with Meredith returning to her original stance in the wagon just after. Someone somewhere had been harmed, someone she had offered her mark of benediction to, and she had chosen to come to their aid. She would continue to work, albeit a little dazed from the ordeal. So dazed that for a moment, just a split second, she could have sworn she saw a camel peering at her from amongst the soldiers. Strange. The sudden burst of light startled the Wolond long enough for Valtin von Dietrich to use the distraction to his advantage. Valtin called for support and ordered the men to hold the line. It was obvious at this point that advancing was not an option, so the best they all could do was hold out until the Field Marshal made his next orders. Thankfully, Joasaie Lloablen, Frejnir Viduggla, Alexander Donsly, Veronika Eliopolous and Svante Viduggla in a combined effort, worked to repel the attacking force. Both Joasaie and Veronika stole the glory by cutting through the Kathar ambushers like they were Vlissinghelm butter. Both used their respective weapons in such a way that had never been seen before by the Tenpenny army, and their ferocity motivated a final push against the Wolond which ultimately bought the Norrvakt General more time to order a more offensive push. Frejnir Viduggla performed extremely well in backing up the Baroness and Yanar with swordsmanship far beyond the expectation of the regular peasant soldier. Svante Viduggla and Alexander Donsly performed moderately okay by helping hold the line with Valtin and pulling wounded away from the jungles edges to prevent any more loss of life. Overall, the Norrvakt army made an impressive stand but still suffered moderate losses amounting to 7000 Tenpenny deaths with surprisingly no Eliopolous levy casualties, likely due to the morale boost the performance of their Baroness bestowed.
However, things were not quite as bad for Harhold's army but not because of expert preparation. Given that von Rahm and Norrvakts forces covered his sides, his force had only to deal with an attack from the front. In addition, his column was well organised, with heavy infantry guarding the sides with the lighter infantry securing the middle. The close-quartered positioning spared Harhold's army some extra grief, but the Wolond ambushers were ever persistent and unwavering in their assaults. The army paid its attention frontward and above their heads; Wolonds made the skies rain with arrows and spears and various other handhelds that they managed to fling down to their Ailor opposers. Tactician Wilfried Rottmann believed it best to keep the men in strict alignment despite the overhead pelting attacks, which held as a solid method of work save for some occasional harsh losses or wounds. Frontline Commander Rodrigo Peirgarten boosted some morale by keeping to the march and in formation despite the onslaught from the Wolond. Although having just come back from the dead, Rodrigo's tactical command over the Peirgarten portion of the troops proved to be invaluable, not only in raising their morale but also in minimizing casualties across the board which he was commemorated by the soldiers for. Leopold Rote followed en route but was struck by a stray speartip which planted into his shoulder during the move. He dare not tug the speartip free and instead urged himself to medic Jocelyn von Duerr, who managed to hastily treat the wound just suitably enough for Leopold to continue his work. Some of the soldiers present in the army were Wesley Crawford, Connor Decimar and Lilianne de Blanc, all of which performed rather well alongside the other men of duty. Wesley Crawford did particularly good work in using his magnetization spell to disarm some Wolond ambushers who settled in the tree tops and thus urged them to move away. Connor Decimar managed to assist some fellow soldiers in fending off other Wolond who were bold enough to rush a portion of the front and showed great skill in cutting down the Kathar jungle-wanderers with incredible ease. His sheer strength and anti-Void outcries unnerved the Wolond and managed to break their focus long enough for him to bring them to gnarly and bloody ends. Lilianne de Blanc maneuvered and fought well with a mixture of her agile movements and well-timed blade strikes against bloodthirsty Wolond. The unsuspecting Wolonds did not make her out to be much of a threat until it was too late, for she drove her blade into them and brought them down swiftly in an act of sheer speed and accuracy. Despite her Brood status, earned some grateful nods and remarks from the soldiers as they pressed through the jungle.
Frontline Commander Cyprien de Letoirneau struggled in maintaining the same amount of morale and refined leadership alongside Rodrigo and Leopold and succumbed to a terrible fate he did not quite expect: two Wolond ambushers managed to surprise him in a sudden ambush amidst his scrambling and stabbed into the backs of his legs then his back, which brought him to the ground in sheer agony. Cyprien was rushed off by some soldiers into the backlines for hasty medical attention--and thus leaving the Harhold army with one less Frontline Commander. Cedric Kade took notice of the increase of Wolond aggression and began barking out orders to the soldiers for a retreat. Vulmar rushed out to aid the Harhold army by order of Viduggla and quickly maneuvered through the men to reach the front. He worked in tandem with Cedric Kade's orders and supported them with echoed commands of his own and thus effectively took the fell Cyprien de Letoirneau's place as a Frontline Commander. The retreat became all the more dire as the Wolonds stirred in the tree tops above the soldiers, commanders and tacticians. At the end of his orders, Cedric Kade shifted into his Imperial Dragon form, but did so in an untimely way that his tail knocked over several trees in the process in a less than tactical manner, some of which landed on some less fortunate soldiers. The Imperial Dragon nevertheless lifted into the sky and haphazardly bonked into treetops and sent Wolond ambushers flailing to the ground. The soldiers began their retreat in greater haste with the heightened urge to distance themselves from the roused Wolonds. Various calls and cries of war crowed from the not-far-off distance which caught the Imperial Dragon's attention; it turned towards the front and side of Norrvakt's army and released a surge of its dragonbreath in the approximate direction. Some of it fired off into the right a tad too far to begin with and barely singed some trees, but it managed to redirect back on track. Huddles of Wolond groups and mini squadrons fell from their tree-held positions, zapped and roasted from the sweltering dragonbreath released upon them. The Harhold army managed to begin making their retreat as steadily as they could with only 1,000 Vlissinghelm men lost.
Siegfried von Rahm's column fared no better than Thorvald's for the first half of the battle and took many casualties from the Wolond assault on their left and from the trees above. The onslaught bore down hard on many of Siegfried's men, most notably Ashera Haaven who was trying to revive a seriously wounded soldier but was struck multiple times in the back with Wolond arrows and a spear that ripped through the tendon on her left leg. She was not the only person to suffer an injury though. Despite putting up a decent fight, Thalion Amulugonnen, Quinn Shu'elsi and Ivar Lupenzi both suffered flesh wounds from trying to repel the attack from their left flank, forcing all three to make a hasty retreat to safety. General von Rahm swore to himself as he watched the carnage around him from atop his horse. It was then that he was struck from an attack from above. A Wolond landed atop the General and pinned him to the ground. Just before he could be seriously injured however, the Wolond was speared through the heart by Zelgius Pavise, who ultimately saved the Noble General's life, for which Zelgius would be commended for at home. Unfortunately, the General's Gucciano boots did not have as much luck and were snatched from his feet by a Harhold levy who took advantage of the situation and made off quickly with them in the retreat.
Both von Rahm tacticians took control in the chaos, Asher and Elyon followed Cedric's orders and demanded a retreat alongside the Harhold and Norrvakt army. Ernesta von Rahm and Jorous Drakeslayer echoed the orders throughout the armies numbers effectively, their skills in Frontline Command showing as they fought off wave after wave of Kathar as their men made their hasty flee, albeit with Jorous Drakeslayer accidentally trampling Birc Al-Ali and causing some minor bruising. Thankfully he suffered only a flesh wound and soon followed suit with Jorous. While the majority of the troops fled, Aprilly Decimar and Dagna von Rahm made it their goal to bring back as many wounded with them. Aprilly aptly fought off any attackers and provided adequate temporary medical aid to the less seriously injured but by far it was Dagna von Rahm's contribution that mattered the most, who expertly performed two surgeries right there on the back of a wagon simultaneously, saving the lives of two well known and respected Knights amongst the von Rahm levies. The von Rahm army suffered a moderate loss of 4,000 Tenpenny soldiers and 2,000 von Rahm levies but would have lost far more if what had happened next had not occured.
Like a beacon of hope, albeit a late one, multiple draconic like growls and roars bellowed from behind the Wolond lines. As the Kathar turned, they were met with the ferocity of the full force of Digmaan Cro-Zzhin's force that had responded to the sound of Harhold's distress horn. "Slaughter them!" the Digmaan roared, and without hesitation his two forces began flooding the jungle to aid the Regalian retreat. The Digmaan himself shone the brightest of all the Allar that day and tore through Wolonds that attempted to overpower him with both his jaw and claws, all the while keeping ample command over his troops. With the Imperial Dragon flying overhead, the Allar felt empowered. Mozz Mu-Yaotl, Orodor Mu-Yaotl, Camzzar Sa-Yaotl and Rowan Haaven and Criztlux Mu-Yaotl tore through the Wolond assault. Criztlux, Rowan and Camzzar stole the valor, having collectively tore through what seemed like an entire regiment of Kathar, their bodies, or at least what was left of them, piling in a mound around them as they slaughtered their way through the line. The Digmaan's frontline Commanders Cro-Ssekhu led the initial charge with Zzalangua Mu-Yaotl, Llozzi Al-Yaotl and Jazzousz Mu-Yaotl, pushing around the front of the Regalian army to General Norrvakt's retreating forces in order to protect them, with 20,000 Allar following in tow. Despite Cro-Ssekhu's abilities, the Commander suffered a slight cut to his forearm but ultimately continued to lead. Zzalangua and Llozzi Al-Yaotl performed the best out of the group, protecting fleeing Regalian soldiers whilst fending off their fare share of Kathar ambushers. Jazzousz was less fortunate. In the Allar's attempt to earn the respect of his hierarchy, he completely threw caution to the wind in his combat, which led to him being boxed in by Wolond and beaten, leaving him with a broken right leg, a gash across the face and a broken right wrist, but ultimately survived after being rescued by Cro-Ssekhu himself.
Cro-Kaan's group suffered more heavier losses however with Cro-Kaan going down early in the battle from taking a spear to his abdomen which tore through his scale and imbedded itself in his flesh. He was carried back into the jungle for treatment by Lloxern Mu-Yaotl and Ztril Al-Yaotl, though not without consequence. In trying to treat Cro-Kaan, Ztril mistakenly used the wrong substance on the wound and caused it to worsen and in his pained state, Cro-Kaan slashed upward and gashed Ztril's chest. Not deep enough to cause serious harm, but enough to cause a painful flesh wound. Thankfully, Lloxern managed to order nearby Allar to assist in getting them both out of the jungle and to waiting medics. Despite the retreat, the Digmaan remained fighting until every last Ailor was gone. Armed only with his claws and teeth, he and Azzidi Sa-Yaotl and Eric Decimar with squadron of 250 heavy Sa-Allar brutes held the front to allow for the Regalian escape. Cro-Zzhin, now aptly nicknamed 'Cro-Carnage' by his Sa-Allar followers, suffered not even a scratch and minimized losses almost completely. In all, only 500 Allar died and injuries were minimal. The worse injured in fact were those who stood with the Digmaan, namely Azzidi Sa-Yaotl, who was pelted so bad with magic that his scales began to sizzle and burn. The overwhelming and debilitating pain caused Azzidi to collapse, and would ultimately leave him bedbound for a week but he would survive. Eric Decimar also suffered serious wounds to his hands, punctures from arrows which would take at least a week to heal. The Digmaan noted the last of the retreat and called for his own men to fall back but not before lifting Eric and Azzidi over his shoulders and carrying them out.
In total, the Regalians lost a heavy 14,500 troops, with those consisting of 1000 Harhold, 500 Yaotl levy and 2000 von Rahm levy deaths. Viduggla's plan had failed, largely due to the lack of cohesion between his Generals, poor planning and having lost General Cro-Zzhin from the very outset. The Viduggla however should be thankful for two things: the Imperial Dragon and the last minute attack from Yaotl, which no doubt had saved at least 15,000 Regalian soldier's lives. All was not a total loss. The Wolond's 30,000 troops had effectively been cut down to 25,000 and at least half of the way to Lurlavan was traversable by the army thanks to the Imperial Dragon and Harhold's sappers. Nevertheless, the battered and beaten Regalian Force was forced to retreat to Merkar'sarh, where another battle was quickly underway.
The meetings lasted roughly an hour before the Generals left the chambers of the Government building in the City to proceed to where their armies were gathered. A quick statistics advisory on the way detailed the current composition of the Regalian Forces. In total, there remained 130,000 of the original 150,000 of the Tenpenny soldiers that had been shipped to the front, and a thankfully bolstering 145,000 Noble Levy troops to increase the numbers to a grand total of 275,000 Pro-Regalian soldiers ready and primed for battle. The Imperial Marshal expressed recognition with the Imperial Court for the families that had bestowed the front more troops, bolstering face and prestige at court for the families who had consistently kept a high number of troops present in the wars, namely Houses: Peirgarten, Ravenstad, Delmotte, von Rahm, Brilonde, von Drachenburg, Eliopolous, Yaotl and von Duerr.
With instructions made clear from that morning's gathering, Field Marshal Ardige Viduggla made his way out of the City of Merkar'sarh alongside his assigned Field Generals, Hengest Harhold, Siegfried von Rahm and the Url, Thorvald Norrvakt. The Field Marshal couldn't shake the air of unease noting the absence of his supporting General the Digmaan Cro-Zzhin Yaotl, who was assigned by the Marshal Cabinet to act as a counter to any Wolond ambush squadrons. The Northern Field Marshal cursed under his breath which was quickly picked up by his Field Commander Vulmar, leaving the ex-Ravenstad concerned as well. As it turned out, the Digmaan had left the city to rendezvous with his own forces elsewhere, citing that he would not be following the commands of Ardige Viduggla, as the Viduggla had attempting to use him and his men as 'cannon fodder' and not for the purpose set out by the Imperial Marshal. Thus, Ardige Viduggla had already lost one of the more crucial elements of his battle plan. The noise from all over the battlements and the gathering forces, albeit loud, didn't do anything to remedy the look of anxiety on the troops faces as they prepared for the arduous task of attempting to maneuver through the thick, dangerous jungles to the west.
The Harhold General was the first to break away from the group of higher ranks and ready himself with his men, numbering 40,000 strong. Of his 40,000, only 10,000 were State Tenpenny troops. The other 30,000 consisted of his 15,000 Harhold levies, 10,000 Peirgarten Levies and 5,000 Ravenstad levies. When inquiring about the change of composition of his overall army numbers, his right hand Field Commander, Rodrigo Peirgarten, explained that the Imperial Marshal forced these troop changes on the Harhold Army personally, citing a risk to the lives of State Troops to a General who had lost thousands of his own loyal bannermen to a much smaller collection of "backward hick Barons" in the Veer. Despite Hengest's displeasure at the news, he reassured his commanding officers that the battle would still be won, as his army had been assigned the Imperial Dragon, which raised morale considerably.
However, things were not quite as well settled within the von Rahm General's ranks which were situated as the left column of the overall 120,000 men force. After approaching his troops, a number of his Field Commanders approached the General citing the General's weak will in ensuring that the Digmaan would be present for this battle and their fear that a great many Regalians would lose their lives to the Wolond that hounded any approach into the jungles. Thankfully for von Rahm, he soon regained control over his ranks thanks to Asher Rhylovhas and Elyon the Witchblood, who eased the situation. The Tenpennies amongst the von Rahm army snorted and mocked the General behind his back for placing an Altalar as one of his major tacticians, while others began to criticise the overall non-human make up of his army. Nevertheless, the 40,000 troop army, consisting of 25,000 Tenpennies, 11,000 von Rahm levies, 2,000 Black levies and 2,000 von Dietricht levies readied themselves for the order to march into the Jungles, which would undoubtedly soon be coming.
Lastly, Field General Thorvald Norrvakt engaged with his army. He strolled the length of the vanguard to examine the troops. At his side were his two more trusted Field Commanders, Henrik Norrvakt and Valtin von Dietrich, both nobility with reasonable experience in battle. Despite the Urls 'affliction', the Norrvakt army was almost entirely Tenpenny soldiers. In total, 35,000 Tenpennies and 5,000 Eliopolous Levies made up the 40,000 troops that comprised the Norrvakt column, which would be positioned on the far right of the overall 120,000 man army, with Harhold sandwiched in the middle. With all forces now convening with their respective Generals, all that was required to proceed was the word of Ardige Viduggla before they could proceed. In the meantime, each of the Generals issued information to their respective Field Commanders to make it known amongst the ranks that should any Allar troops be spotted, they are on the Regalian side of the conflict and not to attack them. Soon enough, the order to march was relayed to the men, and all three armies under Viduggla began their march westwards into the jungle, using the Altalar's mapped road as a guide which should bring them directly outside the main gates of Lurlavan.
Harholds men were the first to begin marching, much to the surprise of the other two Generals. The middle column of the 120,000 force started ahead, carrying all manner of supplies for the siege, with the frontline acting as sappers to help clear a more traversable line for the army through the dense jungle floor. This would have worked for Harhold if it weren't for the fact that his men ultimately were caught up on by Siegfried and Thorvald's armies, which, under the orders of Field Marshal Ardige Viduggla, took up positions to his left and right. After a lengthy dispute with command, the following actions would be taken: Harhold's men, who were escorting supplies via mule and horse, would take the path while the other two armies formed a line to trudge through the jungle to the best of their ability and keep an eye out for Wolond ambushers. Harhold commanded his men to remain in a line formation and also ordered for them to only carry two items each to lighten the load and make advancing easier. The von Rahm General however had his men remain in a phalanx formation, which made trekking through the thick underbrush all that more difficult, for his men and himself, even with gucciano boots. It wasn't much different for the Norrvakt General either. The Url General ordered his men to have their shields prepared for any attack by the Wolond, from the sides or above.
Meanwhile, travelling up the nearby river was the stray General Digmaan Cro-Zzhin upon an Anglian Frigate helmed by the Varran Corsair Kailu Frisque. Acting on the advice of a single Altalar elderly male, the Digmaan assumed the river would support such a frigate, however this was not the case. While the Frigate made some ground, approximately a mile or two up river thanks to Kailu's admiral skills, the river became far too shallow for the frigate to go any further and unfortunately became bogged and stuck in the river, unable to turn around or advance, effectively putting the ship out of commission. With the frigate going nowhere, the Allar army would have to proceed on foot with the Digmaan as part of it. As per orders, the 40,000 force was split in two: essentially a heavy squadron and one more fitted for maneuverability. The 40,000 entered the jungle a mile or so south of the Viduggla force, though only on one side of it which would prove ultimately the downfall to entire operation. Within an hour or two, horns were heard blaring from Harhold's army, indicating an attack.
Just as was expected, the entire 120,000 force was ambushed from all sides by Wolond forces that sprang from trees atop the Regalians and attacked from bushes, even from makeshift kill pits in the ground. In what seemed like minutes, the Regalians were overrun by Wolond numbering easily 30,000 in size. Although the Regalian soldiers had the upper hand in terms of numbers, the tightly packed formation and the uncomfortable terrain made their movements a hinderance. On the right, Thorvald Norrvakt's troops were the worst hit. Springing to action, both of Norrvakts Frontline Commanders Henrik Norrvakt and Valtin von Dietrich used the twenty thousand men assigned to them to attempt to turn the ambush around somehow and push through. Henrik Norrvakt dove into the fold and rallied a number of warriors to his side, with Dagheidar Ralgarde, Joycie Caladwen, Shane Marth and Seraphina von der Ebene at his side. Henrik's leadership was ultimately put to the test, but the sheer number of Wolond that hounded the rag tag group proved to be too much. The first to fall was Shane Marth, who took a knife to the gut while attempting to cover Dagheidar Ralgarde,which floored him. He luckily managed to scurry away to safety while Dagheidar returned the cover Shane provided but unfortunately also suffered similar wounds when she was slashed across the side. With Tenpenny assistance, both managed to escape and fled to the back of the Norrvakt force for medical attention, leaving Henrik, Seraphina and Joycie to try and push the Wolond back from their end. Henrik by far performed the best out of the five, who suffered some very minor cuts to his face and around his waist but fought on regardless. The same could not be said for Seraphina and Joycie, who were subject to a barrage of spells flung their way which would leave Joycie with a burned left shoulder and Seraphina with a crippling burning sensation in her gut, which caused both to be carried back out of the fight to Meredith Lessauer, whom would see to the wounded along with other Regalian State Medics on some supply wagons.
Despite the lack of space and the fighting raging on around her medical wagon, Meredith performed brilliantly, arguably saving the life of Seraphina von der Ebene. This would not be the only life she would save that day, her body becoming overcome with a feeling of utter despair. Her arms spread instinctively and her body began to lift from the cart about a foot. At that moment, light shot from her body into the air, past the clouds with Meredith returning to her original stance in the wagon just after. Someone somewhere had been harmed, someone she had offered her mark of benediction to, and she had chosen to come to their aid. She would continue to work, albeit a little dazed from the ordeal. So dazed that for a moment, just a split second, she could have sworn she saw a camel peering at her from amongst the soldiers. Strange. The sudden burst of light startled the Wolond long enough for Valtin von Dietrich to use the distraction to his advantage. Valtin called for support and ordered the men to hold the line. It was obvious at this point that advancing was not an option, so the best they all could do was hold out until the Field Marshal made his next orders. Thankfully, Joasaie Lloablen, Frejnir Viduggla, Alexander Donsly, Veronika Eliopolous and Svante Viduggla in a combined effort, worked to repel the attacking force. Both Joasaie and Veronika stole the glory by cutting through the Kathar ambushers like they were Vlissinghelm butter. Both used their respective weapons in such a way that had never been seen before by the Tenpenny army, and their ferocity motivated a final push against the Wolond which ultimately bought the Norrvakt General more time to order a more offensive push. Frejnir Viduggla performed extremely well in backing up the Baroness and Yanar with swordsmanship far beyond the expectation of the regular peasant soldier. Svante Viduggla and Alexander Donsly performed moderately okay by helping hold the line with Valtin and pulling wounded away from the jungles edges to prevent any more loss of life. Overall, the Norrvakt army made an impressive stand but still suffered moderate losses amounting to 7000 Tenpenny deaths with surprisingly no Eliopolous levy casualties, likely due to the morale boost the performance of their Baroness bestowed.
However, things were not quite as bad for Harhold's army but not because of expert preparation. Given that von Rahm and Norrvakts forces covered his sides, his force had only to deal with an attack from the front. In addition, his column was well organised, with heavy infantry guarding the sides with the lighter infantry securing the middle. The close-quartered positioning spared Harhold's army some extra grief, but the Wolond ambushers were ever persistent and unwavering in their assaults. The army paid its attention frontward and above their heads; Wolonds made the skies rain with arrows and spears and various other handhelds that they managed to fling down to their Ailor opposers. Tactician Wilfried Rottmann believed it best to keep the men in strict alignment despite the overhead pelting attacks, which held as a solid method of work save for some occasional harsh losses or wounds. Frontline Commander Rodrigo Peirgarten boosted some morale by keeping to the march and in formation despite the onslaught from the Wolond. Although having just come back from the dead, Rodrigo's tactical command over the Peirgarten portion of the troops proved to be invaluable, not only in raising their morale but also in minimizing casualties across the board which he was commemorated by the soldiers for. Leopold Rote followed en route but was struck by a stray speartip which planted into his shoulder during the move. He dare not tug the speartip free and instead urged himself to medic Jocelyn von Duerr, who managed to hastily treat the wound just suitably enough for Leopold to continue his work. Some of the soldiers present in the army were Wesley Crawford, Connor Decimar and Lilianne de Blanc, all of which performed rather well alongside the other men of duty. Wesley Crawford did particularly good work in using his magnetization spell to disarm some Wolond ambushers who settled in the tree tops and thus urged them to move away. Connor Decimar managed to assist some fellow soldiers in fending off other Wolond who were bold enough to rush a portion of the front and showed great skill in cutting down the Kathar jungle-wanderers with incredible ease. His sheer strength and anti-Void outcries unnerved the Wolond and managed to break their focus long enough for him to bring them to gnarly and bloody ends. Lilianne de Blanc maneuvered and fought well with a mixture of her agile movements and well-timed blade strikes against bloodthirsty Wolond. The unsuspecting Wolonds did not make her out to be much of a threat until it was too late, for she drove her blade into them and brought them down swiftly in an act of sheer speed and accuracy. Despite her Brood status, earned some grateful nods and remarks from the soldiers as they pressed through the jungle.
Frontline Commander Cyprien de Letoirneau struggled in maintaining the same amount of morale and refined leadership alongside Rodrigo and Leopold and succumbed to a terrible fate he did not quite expect: two Wolond ambushers managed to surprise him in a sudden ambush amidst his scrambling and stabbed into the backs of his legs then his back, which brought him to the ground in sheer agony. Cyprien was rushed off by some soldiers into the backlines for hasty medical attention--and thus leaving the Harhold army with one less Frontline Commander. Cedric Kade took notice of the increase of Wolond aggression and began barking out orders to the soldiers for a retreat. Vulmar rushed out to aid the Harhold army by order of Viduggla and quickly maneuvered through the men to reach the front. He worked in tandem with Cedric Kade's orders and supported them with echoed commands of his own and thus effectively took the fell Cyprien de Letoirneau's place as a Frontline Commander. The retreat became all the more dire as the Wolonds stirred in the tree tops above the soldiers, commanders and tacticians. At the end of his orders, Cedric Kade shifted into his Imperial Dragon form, but did so in an untimely way that his tail knocked over several trees in the process in a less than tactical manner, some of which landed on some less fortunate soldiers. The Imperial Dragon nevertheless lifted into the sky and haphazardly bonked into treetops and sent Wolond ambushers flailing to the ground. The soldiers began their retreat in greater haste with the heightened urge to distance themselves from the roused Wolonds. Various calls and cries of war crowed from the not-far-off distance which caught the Imperial Dragon's attention; it turned towards the front and side of Norrvakt's army and released a surge of its dragonbreath in the approximate direction. Some of it fired off into the right a tad too far to begin with and barely singed some trees, but it managed to redirect back on track. Huddles of Wolond groups and mini squadrons fell from their tree-held positions, zapped and roasted from the sweltering dragonbreath released upon them. The Harhold army managed to begin making their retreat as steadily as they could with only 1,000 Vlissinghelm men lost.
Siegfried von Rahm's column fared no better than Thorvald's for the first half of the battle and took many casualties from the Wolond assault on their left and from the trees above. The onslaught bore down hard on many of Siegfried's men, most notably Ashera Haaven who was trying to revive a seriously wounded soldier but was struck multiple times in the back with Wolond arrows and a spear that ripped through the tendon on her left leg. She was not the only person to suffer an injury though. Despite putting up a decent fight, Thalion Amulugonnen, Quinn Shu'elsi and Ivar Lupenzi both suffered flesh wounds from trying to repel the attack from their left flank, forcing all three to make a hasty retreat to safety. General von Rahm swore to himself as he watched the carnage around him from atop his horse. It was then that he was struck from an attack from above. A Wolond landed atop the General and pinned him to the ground. Just before he could be seriously injured however, the Wolond was speared through the heart by Zelgius Pavise, who ultimately saved the Noble General's life, for which Zelgius would be commended for at home. Unfortunately, the General's Gucciano boots did not have as much luck and were snatched from his feet by a Harhold levy who took advantage of the situation and made off quickly with them in the retreat.
Both von Rahm tacticians took control in the chaos, Asher and Elyon followed Cedric's orders and demanded a retreat alongside the Harhold and Norrvakt army. Ernesta von Rahm and Jorous Drakeslayer echoed the orders throughout the armies numbers effectively, their skills in Frontline Command showing as they fought off wave after wave of Kathar as their men made their hasty flee, albeit with Jorous Drakeslayer accidentally trampling Birc Al-Ali and causing some minor bruising. Thankfully he suffered only a flesh wound and soon followed suit with Jorous. While the majority of the troops fled, Aprilly Decimar and Dagna von Rahm made it their goal to bring back as many wounded with them. Aprilly aptly fought off any attackers and provided adequate temporary medical aid to the less seriously injured but by far it was Dagna von Rahm's contribution that mattered the most, who expertly performed two surgeries right there on the back of a wagon simultaneously, saving the lives of two well known and respected Knights amongst the von Rahm levies. The von Rahm army suffered a moderate loss of 4,000 Tenpenny soldiers and 2,000 von Rahm levies but would have lost far more if what had happened next had not occured.
Like a beacon of hope, albeit a late one, multiple draconic like growls and roars bellowed from behind the Wolond lines. As the Kathar turned, they were met with the ferocity of the full force of Digmaan Cro-Zzhin's force that had responded to the sound of Harhold's distress horn. "Slaughter them!" the Digmaan roared, and without hesitation his two forces began flooding the jungle to aid the Regalian retreat. The Digmaan himself shone the brightest of all the Allar that day and tore through Wolonds that attempted to overpower him with both his jaw and claws, all the while keeping ample command over his troops. With the Imperial Dragon flying overhead, the Allar felt empowered. Mozz Mu-Yaotl, Orodor Mu-Yaotl, Camzzar Sa-Yaotl and Rowan Haaven and Criztlux Mu-Yaotl tore through the Wolond assault. Criztlux, Rowan and Camzzar stole the valor, having collectively tore through what seemed like an entire regiment of Kathar, their bodies, or at least what was left of them, piling in a mound around them as they slaughtered their way through the line. The Digmaan's frontline Commanders Cro-Ssekhu led the initial charge with Zzalangua Mu-Yaotl, Llozzi Al-Yaotl and Jazzousz Mu-Yaotl, pushing around the front of the Regalian army to General Norrvakt's retreating forces in order to protect them, with 20,000 Allar following in tow. Despite Cro-Ssekhu's abilities, the Commander suffered a slight cut to his forearm but ultimately continued to lead. Zzalangua and Llozzi Al-Yaotl performed the best out of the group, protecting fleeing Regalian soldiers whilst fending off their fare share of Kathar ambushers. Jazzousz was less fortunate. In the Allar's attempt to earn the respect of his hierarchy, he completely threw caution to the wind in his combat, which led to him being boxed in by Wolond and beaten, leaving him with a broken right leg, a gash across the face and a broken right wrist, but ultimately survived after being rescued by Cro-Ssekhu himself.
Cro-Kaan's group suffered more heavier losses however with Cro-Kaan going down early in the battle from taking a spear to his abdomen which tore through his scale and imbedded itself in his flesh. He was carried back into the jungle for treatment by Lloxern Mu-Yaotl and Ztril Al-Yaotl, though not without consequence. In trying to treat Cro-Kaan, Ztril mistakenly used the wrong substance on the wound and caused it to worsen and in his pained state, Cro-Kaan slashed upward and gashed Ztril's chest. Not deep enough to cause serious harm, but enough to cause a painful flesh wound. Thankfully, Lloxern managed to order nearby Allar to assist in getting them both out of the jungle and to waiting medics. Despite the retreat, the Digmaan remained fighting until every last Ailor was gone. Armed only with his claws and teeth, he and Azzidi Sa-Yaotl and Eric Decimar with squadron of 250 heavy Sa-Allar brutes held the front to allow for the Regalian escape. Cro-Zzhin, now aptly nicknamed 'Cro-Carnage' by his Sa-Allar followers, suffered not even a scratch and minimized losses almost completely. In all, only 500 Allar died and injuries were minimal. The worse injured in fact were those who stood with the Digmaan, namely Azzidi Sa-Yaotl, who was pelted so bad with magic that his scales began to sizzle and burn. The overwhelming and debilitating pain caused Azzidi to collapse, and would ultimately leave him bedbound for a week but he would survive. Eric Decimar also suffered serious wounds to his hands, punctures from arrows which would take at least a week to heal. The Digmaan noted the last of the retreat and called for his own men to fall back but not before lifting Eric and Azzidi over his shoulders and carrying them out.
In total, the Regalians lost a heavy 14,500 troops, with those consisting of 1000 Harhold, 500 Yaotl levy and 2000 von Rahm levy deaths. Viduggla's plan had failed, largely due to the lack of cohesion between his Generals, poor planning and having lost General Cro-Zzhin from the very outset. The Viduggla however should be thankful for two things: the Imperial Dragon and the last minute attack from Yaotl, which no doubt had saved at least 15,000 Regalian soldier's lives. All was not a total loss. The Wolond's 30,000 troops had effectively been cut down to 25,000 and at least half of the way to Lurlavan was traversable by the army thanks to the Imperial Dragon and Harhold's sappers. Nevertheless, the battered and beaten Regalian Force was forced to retreat to Merkar'sarh, where another battle was quickly underway.
