I love you Bryce
While the war in the Northern reaches of the Regalian Archipelago began to boil over, another confrontation was about to heatedly unfold hundreds of miles away. Bearing the traditional Regalian standards over their hulls, a sizeable Regalian fleet made up of mostly troop transport ships and a handful of Anglian Frigates made its imposing approach toward the beachfront due south of the previous landing made under the Kehlen Marshalry. The Imperial Marshal Cabinet's grand attempt at re-establishing a forceful Regalian presence in the war against the Dread Empire was well on its way. At the center of this arrangement of ships stood the commanding vessel of Wing Admiral Christopher Black, shadowed by his personal retinues in smaller battleships to his left and right which were captained by Maxence von Brühl, Álvaro de Santigo and Jacques Martyn respectively. The ships headed toward the marker specified by the Commanding General Ardige Viduggla, their course chartered for a clear landing spot north of Fort Threlwar on the coastline of Pride's Bay. Little was known about the terrain given the lack of mobility of Regalian troops stationed in the region the last few months due to being bogged down by Kathar reinforcements. It left an unsettling feeling within the Viduggla's gut and those of his field generals, Hengest Harhold and Mikhael of Brilonde, the latter of which was supported by the entire House Brilonde host which had been dedicated to the war effort. Even Christopher Black found the silence and lack of Kathar naval presence eerie and regretted his decision to leave his harmonica at home for his children to play with while he was away.
As land appeared upon the horizon, so did the sight of Fort Threlwar, the exclusive target and destination for the Regalian forces. General Ardige Viduggla successfully roused the soldiers below deck, bolstering their morale alongside Field General Hengest Harhold, who surprisingly managed to rally the support of some of the non-Ailor soldiers that had enlisted amongst their ranks for the oncoming fight. However, it seemed all was not entirely anticipated. While the Commanding General Ardige Viduggla had issued a forgoing order not to allow any Kathar scouts, soldiers or signallers to warn a larger force, it appeared as if he had not anticipated that a Regalian Fleet carrying at least 150,000 soldiers would be easily spotted on the horizon. Nevertheless, the swiftness of the Regalian Fleet and the sudden reappearance of Regalian reinforcements after nearly six months of nothing came as a surprise for the Kathar forces that occupied the fort, who didn't have much time to prepare defences but did manage to send riders deeper inland to warn of an impending battle. The Kathar General Van'viilar Rovaknial, who had been charged with a troupe of approximately 10,000 combat mages and soldiers, began ordering battle formations atop the walls of Fort Threlwar. Hordes of Kathar warriors commenced their preparations a couple of miles south of where the Regalian Soldiers had embarked on their landing.
The first to emerge on soil was Field General Hengest Harhold, accompanied by his field commanders Rodrigo Peirgarten, Digmaan Cro-Zzhin, Jared Kade and strangely enough, Goderoy Kade, who had not been seen on a battlefield in years. The presence of an Imperial Guard amongst the Harhold 50,000 troops earned reactions from some but the reasoning for his participation became apparent when Imperial Prince Valdis Kade made himself known among the Harhold Tenpennies. The presence of the Prince bolstered morale amid the soldiers whom recalled a time when the Prince's father, Thomas Kade, led them into battle. The Harhold General did not remain stagnant, ordering for the soldiers under his command to ready beachhead defences and prepare for any oncoming attack.
Twenty minutes into building minor defences, setting up tents and digging trenches, it seemed as if the orders were all for naught as Kathar foot soldiers engaged and stormed the nearby dunes. Jared Kade was the first to respond, rallying Leopold Rote, Wesley Crawford, Tsetsiliya Illyanovich and Devona Howlester to follow him and a token force of Tenpennies to meet the Kathar force head-on. Utilising his dual scimitars, Jared Kade drew first blood cutting down three Kathar foot soldiers armed with arming daggers who had been charging for Tsetsiliya. The tainted blood of the Kathar spilled along the sand just beside her; a necessary wake-up call for the one-eyed woman which unfortunately came moments too late. While she herself had been fending off a Kathar bladesman with her daggers she unfortunately did not see the whip of a Shenath soldier lashing towards her, which caught her across the jaw and dropped her to the floor, blood trickling from a light wound upon her chin. As two more Shenath closed in to finish her, salvation came in the form of Leopold Rote with his longsword and Devona Howlester with her mace, who spectacularly fought back eight Shenath footsoldiers and a Saivale magic-slinger just in time to allow Tsetsiliya to be dragged back to a makeshift medical tent by Caoimhe Howlester who immediately tended to her wounds. While the Howlester made short work of the minor injury Tsetsiliya acquired, a Kathar blood magic projectile, which had been aimed for Jared Kade, missed its target and hit the Howlester in the ankle, causing her to fall and accidentally impale her left shoulder with the scalpel she had been holding. Both were forced to retreat back toward the ships for further medical attention. In the meantime, Jared Kade, Devona Howlester and Leopold Rote secured the line with their backing force while waiting urgently for further orders from the Harhold General.
The Harhold bellowed a laugh from where he stood and lifted his right hand to signal for Rodrigo Peirgarten and Digmaan Cro-Zzhin to reinforce the right column of troops absent a Field Commander, hurrying to meet the incoming attack. Supported by Wesley Crawford and Joasaie Lloablen, both Field Commanders charged into the fray. Rodrigo Peirgarten mustered a handful of Tenpennies to break apart the Shenath assault and cause the column to collapse. Overhearing the command, Digmaan Cro-Zzhin led the Yanar Joasaie Lloablen and the Silven Wesley Crawford with Peirgarten's force. Digmaan Cro-Zzhin was the first of the group to engage, leaping out from behind four Tenpenny soldiers and catching a Saivale Officer by the arm between his jaws. To the shock of many on the Kathar side, the Digmaan slammed the officer to the floor, rolling with his arm within his mouth and snapping it clean from the Officer's body. Crawford and Lloablen monopolised on this, harrying forward to cut down as many Kathar as they could. While Joasaie Lloablen performed adequately, the same could not be said for Wesley Crawford, who stumbled over the Digmaan's tail and onto the ground, taking an arming sword to the back of his leg which severed his tendon, causing him unbearable pain and an inability to walk. Crawford screamed for aid and was dragged away by Hengest's men while the Cro-Allar and Yanar tag-team continued the fight. Hengest's plan was garnering success with minimal losses on the Regalian side. Rodrigo Peirgarten and Jared Kade began breaking through the Kathar's offensive line, causing a rippling domino effect through their forces which in turn had their backline pushing for a retreat.
As the Kathar force started to withdraw, more Regalian soldiers made it to the shore. Within an hour of the initial engagement, eighty thousand Regalian Tenpenny soldiers had set foot in Kathar occupied territory. Commanding General Ardige Viduggla alongside Field General Mikhael of Brilonde regrouped with Hengest on the shoreline. All in all, the Viduggla's landing was glorious and Regalia managed to secure the beach it desperately needed. The fighting, however, was not yet over. Although over three thousand Shenath soldiers laid lifeless, seven thousand armed for an aggressive comeback. The Viduggla gave the approval for phase two of the attack, sending Hengest Harhold forward to capture Fort Threlwar with the assurance that he and his 50,000 would remain on standby for any unforeseen counterattack and send reinforcements where needed. Field General Mikhael Brilonde was then ordered to ensure the beachhead remained secure and to assist Viduggla in sending out scouting parties to prepare for any incoming counterattacks or traps from further inland or the nearby ruins.
Meanwhile, the battle raged on two miles inland. The remaining Kathar troops had fortified Fort Threlwar the best they possibly could in the time that they had and prepared for the onslaught that was about to commence. Kathar General Van'viilar Rovaknial gave the order for the mages that covered the walls of the Fort to begin peppering Harhold's soldiers with Void magics. As hellfire seemingly rained down upon the Regalian troops, Goderoy Kade made his advance alongside Prince Valdis Kade. Leading the charge, Goderoy ordered that Durand von Dietrich fall ahead with him and Valdis to force the enemy with their sheer numbers tightly against the fortress. It was obvious by now that the Kathar were extremely outnumbered almost 5 to 1, with many more Regalian men still disembarking from Black's transport ships. Morale amongst the Dread Empire's forces began to crumble; many ignored their Commander's calls to remain steadfast and instead retreated either further inland into the mountains or to the nearby captured city of Merkar'sath. The Regalians would not relent. Goderoy's commands were issued near-perfectly even while he himself fought off Shenath warriors with his zweihander sword, cutting through mages and soldiers alike as if they were butter. Close by, Valdis Kade performed adequately though was clearly outshined by Goderoy despite having performed a few exceptional arrow shots from his Anglian Longbow to dispatch a couple of problematic mages atop the Fort's walls. While the two Kades continued their push, Durand von Dietrich shined valiantly in his abilities, single-handedly combatting two Saivale commanding officers with his longsword, beheading the first before impaling the other. He called out to Goderoy, signalling that their task was almost complete and to raise the nautical flag they had been given. Goderoy dropped his zweihander, lifting the flag into the air as best he could.
Off shore, the Anglian Frigates at the command of Christopher Black shadowed the Fort by sea, waiting on Ardige's plan to come to fruition. Christopher Black twiddled his fingers, watching the battle from afar, listening both to the battle cries of Regalian and Kathar soldiers and the yells of pain from those who fell. "Wing Admiral!" a crewman called up. "Look." Christopher followed the sailor's finger to three approaching Kathar bone ships which had been hidden in the shadow of the Islands decorating Threlwar's pass. Immediately he jumped to attention, calling for the ship to turn and angle the ship's cannons towards the oncoming vessels. As the ship began to pivot, cannonfire was heard from Maxence von Bruhl's ship who had spotted the nautical flag hoisted by Goderoy Kade, signalling for the naval bombardment of Fort Threlwar to begin. Cannonfire devastated Kathar troops and the fortress alike, causing parts of it to crumble and topple on soldiers even on the inside, with some casualties dealt to the Regalian side from poorly-aimed cannonfire. The Black ordered his men to use the port side cannons to sink the oncoming bone ships. This caused the sailors aboard the ship to scramble, hoisting the iron cannonballs into the armaments and firing them in unison to Christopher's command.
The Kathar ships began to break from one another, two sailing straight for the ship being captained by Alvaro de Santigo. Despite being an immaculate sailor, Alvaro did not have the Admiral capabilities to hold off such an assault. Despite not having artillery, the Kathar ships were fast and their strategy brutal. Before Alvaro could signal a retreat or even turn away, he found his ship overrun by a Kathar boarding crew from the ship closest to his. Tossing grappling hooks onto the deck of his frigate and into the rigging, the agile Kathar warriors swung and climbed aboard, cutting down sailors left and right and casting shadowy magics at the sailors who dared attempt to throw themselves overboard away from their carnage. Alvaro called for assistance from Christopher who ordered Alvaro to abandon ship. By now, Alvaro's ship was overrun and he himself had been cornered by Shenath crewmen who stabbed and slashed for his body. He pinned himself up against the side of his ship, glancing to the waters below, tossing himself off the deck and into the sea, though not before taking a nasty gash to his left side, a bludgeon to the head from the hilt of a dagger and a stab to his right leg. Jacques Martyn and Christopher Black lined their frigates to port, bombarding two of the Kathar ships and Alvaro's abandoned frigate with cannonfire. They ripped through the hulls of the ships, sinking the deserted Anglian Frigate and two of the Kathar boneships, but unfortunately could not prevent the third from fleeing due South. Opting to protect the remaining transport vessels, Black ordered they not follow and for Maxence von Bruhl to cease the coasting bombardment. Furthermore, he commanded that Alvaro be rescued and be brought aboard along with any other surviving Regalian sailors. As the bodies were brought aboard, Tusrig Herdier, Issac D'Amboise and Quinn Shu'elsi went about stopping Alvaro's bleeding. The former two medics performed especially well whereas Quinn, who was still shaken from the attack, botched one of the surgeries and was ordered to be taken to the brig by a Commanding Officer.
Back on land, the Regalian soldiers received momentary respite from the fighting while the bombardment had raged. Regrouping, Hengest--on the sound advice of his tactician Dragomir Thane--ordered that double rations be given to the resting soldiers which, unfortunately, was not possible as supplies of that magnitude had not been unloaded from the transport ships. Noting that a sufficient breach in the fortress was made, Dragomir suggested that Hengest give the order to storm which Hengest then bellowed out to his frontline commanders. Regalian foot soldiers alongside the Harhold's Front Line Commanders took the castle to the banging of war drums, capturing any Kathar that gave themselves up willingly and culling those who raised a weapon in defence. Fort Threlwar had been taken, as per Ardige Viduggla's orders. The remaining Kathar warriors and the Kathar General Van'viilar Rovaknial were placed in chains and brought before Hengest. Harhold banners were flown over the fortress, signalling to Commanding General Viduggla and Field General Mikhael of Brilonde that Fort Threlwar was seized successfully.
The Viduggla General rallied his Front Line Commanders Wilhelm von Dietrich, Siegfried von Rahm, Marque D'ainvergal, Cyprien Letoirneau and Alexander Amsel. Orders were given to all three to command scouting parties that would scour the beachhead and the surrounding territory for any remaining Kathar forces and to report back to him with any news. Alexander's collective group, which included Mateo Silva, Ara Luro, Relveth Vinthracia and Loriette Haaven, traversed off of the beachhead to the west towards the Black Mountains. In their midst of scouting, Loriette Haaven noticed a disturbance in some of the far-off brush. Mateo Silva keenly eyed the grounds but could not foresee the sudden outlash flung their way. As Ara Luro spread out in the front of the party, she was pierced twice by an ambushing Kathar's blade, once in the thigh and once in the hip. She fell with a jarring cry and was thankfully caught by Loriette who was ready to assist with her injuries. Luckily, Ara was spared from too much harm with Loriette's quick thinking and equally fast hands; the treatment was suitable enough to cease anymore damage or infection to occur, but Ara would have quite a limp for the next week or so until better hospital treatment could be accessed. Alexander Amsel urged his scouting party after the stray Kathar, but soon realized his order had scattered his men. They ran further into the wilderness, straggling behind the nimble Kathar who managed to give them all the slip. In the process, however, Relveth Vinthracia found something that the others had not spotted. A small, Kathar-guarded village close to the base of the Black Mountains--which supported Fort Threlwar with food, wood and medical supplies--appeared to be bolstering Lyrlavan with such reinforcements. Relveth reported his findings to Alexander who then forwarded them to Ardige Viduggla for analysis.
Wilhelm von Dietrich organized his scouting troupe to travel southwest. Supported by Aprilly Demarais, Henrik Norrvakt, Shane Marth, Ivar Lupenzi and Lazarus Lupenzi, the group carried their search somewhat down the middle of the land. Most of it seemed relatively quiet yet an air of foreboding clung to them no matter how far they walked. The terrain beneath the feet of Wilhelm von Dietrich and his group of began to change from smooth to rugged. The change was subtle and easily looked over in the midst of something so simple as walking a selected path, however the attention of the group shifted into high gear when Shane Marth and Ivar Lupenzi both fell through a thin layer of ground that gave way underneath them. The earth around them toppled in tandem, caving into a crypt located below ground. Wilhelm ordered the rest of the scouts to hold their place with those closest to the front ordered to carefully peer inside. Aprilly Demarais looked into the dark crypt and also got a good look of the wounds Shane and Ivar sustained. Shane Marth had broken his arm and a finger and was rather bruised from the sudden fall down. Ivar was in barely better condition with a knot on his head, a severely twisted ankle and a fracture in his wrist. Lazarus Lupenzi took initiative and found a way down into the crypt first, helped Aprilly Demarais down after, and looked around. The crypt the Regalian scout party found themselves in was in fact a section of catacombs, and by the looks of it, recently used and well-kept. Aprilly Demarais helped fix, repair and heal what she could for Ivar and Shane's injuries, but walking them back would be a struggle in itself. Henrik Norrvakt, one of the first men to follow and enter the catacomb, located something particularly strange in one of the crevices. A scroll covered in Void script was tucked against some portion of a wall next to a Kathar skull and it looked to be recently written. He confiscated it and showed the find to Wilhelm von Dietrich, then hung onto it to later present to the General Viduggla.
Siegfried von Rahm took his scouting group south of Fort Threlwar. In it and supporting him were Bjarke Hadraga, Thomas Dopsworth, Sibyllad Lykke and Leonardo Oliviera. They hugged the southern line and trekked down it. Very little could be found in terms of traps or even treasures. Traces of tossed or broken bone weapons scattered along the soil beneath them, crunching under their weight. Sibyllad Lykke continued on, unbothered by the noisy travesty occurring all around them, picking at her tusks while hoisting her weapon against her shoulder. Thomas Dopsworth kept vigilant eye with his crossbow at the ready in his hands. Leonardo Oliviera kept near Siegfried and acted as one of his personal fronts against any potential attacks. But it was not a direct ambush or confrontation they found. As Bjarke Hadraga took some of the lead, joined by Thomas Dopsworth, they took notice to a particular site from their current stance in scouting. Closer to Merkar'sath, a garrison of well-armed Saivale soldiers guarded what appeared to be a fortified prison. Siegfried urged the two men to take cover should they be spotted, but Sibyllad Lykke brazenly found no issue in releasing a hefty burp even with the haunting sight in front of them. Leonardo OIiviera quickly scolded Sibyllad and scoured over the Saivale soldiers with a hand over his weapon in preparation despite the distance between their search party and the soldiers at the prison. Thomas Dopsworth snuck his way just a bit closer and got a better look at the garrison itself, only to find that the Saivale soldiers were actually keeping keen watch over prisoners of war from both the Regalian and Elven Empire side of the conflict. The number of soldiers present at the prison could not be approximated. A conclusive number could not be drawn, but Thomas noted to Siegfried that the soldiers looked to be very well-trained. Not wanting to push anymore of their luck, Siegfried von Rahm took what results his scouting party found and would relay them back once joined with the Viduggla.
As the final party sent out, Marque D'Ainvergal and Cyprien de Letoirneau co-operated as two functioning commanders over the troupe. Aelfwald Caedmon, Olivier de Letoirneau, Philippe du Langelier and Joy set out to see what they could make of the areas surrounding Fort Threlwar. From the start, Marque had issue maintaining some stable form of authority over the men as Cyprien exerted himself as the dominant commander despite previous agreement to work together as a single unit of leadership. They too chose to set out for the general area of The Black Mountains, though lagged a bit behind from the rest of the groups due to Marque's insistence to take equal lead with Cyprien. Philippe held himself in good posture and presentation, shining brighter than Olivier and Joy in how he carried himself and walked around. Whispers lingered in the back of the group from Aelfwald of how Philippe seemed to parade like a gallivanting Painted Lancierron at the front. Marque and Cyprien's group searched far and wide. Olivier taunted his fellow troupe men with the notion that there could be Kathar watchtowers hidden among the trees. Not long into their venture, Philippe heard a strange sound echo from the depths of the wilderness. He paused, much to the commanders' dismay, but they soon caught onto what he was hearing. Joy was oblivious as he clung to the backline and instead found a strange-looking, Void script-covered skull by a tree trunk that distracted him from what the group was listening to. Aelfwald Caedmon poked and jabbed at Joy when the noise suddenly drew to a stop. Cyprien stood front and center alongside Philippe with weapons drawn. Marque then located the other men, Olivier, Aelfwald and Joy and stuck to their sides. Branches and brush began to part in monstrous waves. The boom of thundering feet against the ground had all of the search party in sudden surges of fear, and the wicked cries of a raving Kathar horde caught them all by surprise. Bloodsung daggers came flying through the leaves, catching Joy in the thigh and sending him down to a knee. Aelfwald and Marque captured him by his arms and hoisted him up. Cyprien yelled for the group to make their hasty retreat as Shenath and Saivale soldiers came barreling into the open with howling, Void-sent cries. Tainted magics dove for the retreating backs of the search party and bloodmade weapons cut and sliced after them. Philippe managed to turn around sharply and slice a nearing Shenath warrior across the face, stopping him from leaping onto the back of Joy. The urgent screams of the search party returned to the beachfront with a swarm of 15,000 Kathar reinforcements parting the treeline like hornets from a nest.
While Harhold's army dug in at Fort Threlwar, Mikhael of Brilonde barked his orders to his retinue. Julius Peirgarten was the first to receive his commands, being told to act as a secondary line and guard for the supplies that were being carted off toward Harhold's position at Fort Threlwar. Julius rallied a few men to his side to accomplish the task, namely Cellica Varoris, Leufred du Triere, Io'ella de Rivera-Yahdga and Tehlmar Decimar. The five set out with wagons of food, armaments, medical supplies and general maintenance equipment. The ride was rather uneventful and monotonous, save for the bodies being dragged onto makeshift pyres from both armies. This was all too familiar for Julius, who stomached the sight well enough, however Cellica found the sight particularly hard to endure and subsequently vomited, much to the other soldier's amusement. One by one the wagons were then loaded into the Fort, with Julius and the retinue riding back and forth to ensure that the supply line remained untouched by Kathar reinforcements. Tehlmar Decimar and Io'ella de Rivera-Yahdga remained at the Fort, assisting in the interrogation of the Kathar prisoners, though neither of the two managed to get any worthwhile information from any of them. Leufred du Triere however returned with Cellica Varoris and Julius to the beachfront, idly watching over any remaining supply wagons.
The Brilonde Field General continued issuing his orders. He gathered Waendalric of Axford and tasked him and his men to scout ahead, issued Kalmar Lok-Guthrain the Orc and his clansmen Unrik Lok-Hammovich and Fenic Cervantes to remain on standby for any unprecedented circumstances, and finally for his medics under Winifred von Rahm to group with Jocelyn von Duerr and assist him with easing the wounded soldiers. None of these commands would have time to be carried out however, as Cyprien's scouting group returned in haste with 15,000 Kathar warriors in tow and advancing. Field General Mikhael ordered his men to prepare for an attack, but with some of his men now already stationed with Harhold and quite a few still protecting the wagons a mile or so away, he was left with his pants down--with only Ardige's army and Brilonde troops to rely on. The Kathar reinforcements stormed down the beachhead and into a prompt line of defence established by Mikhael and Ardige with their men. Although outnumbered, the element of surprise caught the Regalian soldiers off-guard. Within minutes, screams of Brilonde forces echoed throughout the valleys as they selflessly threw themselves at the 15,000 to hold the line so that Mikhael could evaluate the situation and propose an effective countermeasure. Quickly, Mikhael ordered Julius and his small retinue to reinforce the Brilonde troops. Spectacularly, Julius Peirgarten rallied the Brilonde detachment alongside Leufred, who began forcing the Kathar back behind the dunes slowly but surely.
Noting General Mikhael's predicament, Ardige then ordered the Orcs to cover the left column and to recreate the same maneuver Rodrigo Peirgarten had pulled off only an hour or two before. Kalmar Lok-Guthrain, Unrik Lok-Hammovich and Fenic Cervantes hurried into battle. Kalmar, despite his strength and brutish demeanor was quickly overwhelmed by the magic the Kathar used, fleeing back to the ships in utter fear alongside Unrik. Fenic, being a Half-Orc, did not fear the magic the Kathar used, rallying soldiers behind him and charging forward. The next few minutes would be noted as some of the most defining of the entire conflict as Fenic Cervantes, an eighteen year old Half-Orc, put all other combatants that day to shame: culling nearly twenty Kathar without a scratch on him. Both Generals watched on in amazement as the young Half-Orc performed the work of a seasoned Field Commander, a testament perhaps to the Iron Duke Lampero in the Vultaro Lands.
With the Kathar now being pushed back once more, Field Commanders Harric van Der Veer, Veronika Elioplous and Waendalric of Axford rallied the remaining soldiers, fighting forward alongside Ellahaie Decimar, Halivand Decimar, Mordred Howlester, Ernesta von Rahm. Harric ordered Ernesta and Mordred to target what looked like the Saivale Commander, who was issuing commands to soldiers around him. Both Waendalric and Veronika Eliopolous tried to reject the idea but before they could speak, both felt themselves falling to the floor in searing pain. Veronika herself had been hit with a bloodsung dagger in her abdomen, while Waendalric was beaten down by a Shenath stave to a lesser extent. Ellahaie Decimar attempted to assist both but could not fight back as three Saivale warriors targeted her for her Sihndar heritage. Pinning her, they began using a dagger to inscribe Void script into her arms, almost a full sentence-worth on her right arm until Harric van der Veer intervened, slicing an arm off one Saivale while Tenpenny soldiers made light work of the other two. Luckily, all three were pulled back toward the same makeshift medical tent that Caoimhe Howlester had used earlier, with Jocelyn von Duerr and Winifred von Rahm immediately setting about performing emergency surgery on the baroness. Jocelyn made the surgery almost look like an art from, complemented by Winifred's progeny-like assistance to the older Doctor. The Front Line Commander Jusso Caill noted the two fallen commanders, standing atop a fallen wagon and successfully rallying the men under the two in a final push that helped Mordred and Ernesta break the defense line. Unfortunately they could not make it close enough to the Saivale Commander to silence him. Noting that they were losing even more men, the Saivale called for a retreat, leaving another two thousand dead Kathar but a surprising large portion of lifeless Brilonde warriors, some with magic scarring on their bodies, others bleeding in the sand.
Ardige ordered all remaining troops to fortify the area, declaring the landing a complete victory. Although House Brilonde had lost a large number of troops, Regalia had killed over 11,000 Kathar in the confrontations, suffering only about 3,000 Regalian casualties from the 150,000 soldiers they had brought with them. Both Generals opted to regroup with Hengest at Fort Threlwar but were greeted with a sight that almost caused General Mikhael to enter one of his seizures. In the middle of the courtyard, Hengest Harhold was ordering soldiers left, right and center to chain all captured Kathar warriors in groups of ten, gouging the eyes of nine and cutting out the tongue of the tenth. He then ordered their release into the mountains, demanding they tell the tale of the Hound Lord that was coming to slaughter them all. Both Generals were not prepared for what they could see. Even Anglian men found it difficult to commit the atrocities Hengest was requesting of them and ceased doing so only when issued an order by Ardige Viduggla to stop the carnage. The sound of vomiting came from behind the Viduggla then, who turned and watched as Field General Mikhael Brilonde lost his lunch in front of a large, steaming pot. Ardige marched over to lend his hand but used to cover his mouth as he glanced inside the makeshift cauldron. The body parts and uniform of the Kathar General Van'viilar Rovaknial could be seen by all present inside the fort, boiling along with the bodies of various Saivale and Shenath Captains. A grotesque mess to be sure which left the evening silent.
News quickly reached the capital of the victory. Announcements went up all over the city by the Imperial Court Marshal William Howlester, charged with leading the Military Cabinet. The Howlester commended in particular Commanding General Viduggla for a masterful and military pristine, perfect capture, noting in specific the lack of lives lost in comparison to those of the Dread Empire. Furthermore, he issued individual commendation to Bjarke Egilsson Hadraga, Thomas Dopsworth, Durand von Dietrich, Julius Peirgarten, Issac D'Amboise, Relveth Vinthracia and Fenic Calvantes for excellent service in the face of horrors with specific attention being paid to Fenic for his masterful performance. He even included Hengest Harhold amongst his praises, but kept it brief. When questioned about certain atrocities committed by the Grand Duke abroad, the Howlester declined to comment. William Howlester however expressed the need for the Regalian Forces to remain steadfastly concerned with full scale conflicts, noting that despite intel showing two places of interest for Regalian intervention, the Marshalry could not afford to expend effort when there were cities to capture. He called upon the various combat schools to consider involving themselves in the war, perhaps to liberate the Saivale-controlled war prison or even the supply outpost at the base of The Black Mountains. It seemed the war was now fully back on, and with war comes work.
And with war also comes disaster. Word of Hengest's atrocities did indeed reach Kathar ears in the city of Merkar'sath. Regalian Scouts, the same that had discovered the garrison of Saivale guarding Regalian and Elven prisoners of war, relayed the information that they had found the disfigured bodies of ten Regalian and Elven officers mounted outside of the very same prison; all of which had their heads replaced with common dog skulls, with a sign written in broken common that seemed to read only as 'Everyone can die, dog lord. Even you.' Sadly enough, the sign sat at the broken, distorted body of Field General Edgar Altenburg, the same General who had pleaded to Regalia for help only weeks before.
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