The pounding of the drums of war echoed over the Elven Moors as the beat of thousands of Regalian foot soldiers reverberated for miles. The sea of Regalian Banners could be seen hoisted high above the brave troops of Emperor Alexander's Realm who marched southward from the captured City of Merkar'sarh to their new designated target: the reinforced city of Nuthotehk. To the elves of the Moors, Nuthotehk is well known for its large city and impenetrable walls, information that the Generals were also well aware of and had to prepare for. The Imperial Marshal Cabinet had been planning for this assault for weeks, preparing a sizable host and designating Field Marshal Ardige Viduggla and Field Marshal Dietrich von Drachenburg to command the siege of the city themselves. Under Field Marshal Viduggla's command stood the usual suspects, Field General Hengest Harhold and Field General Baldur Norrvakt, along with newcomer Deo dei Viniccii. All three of which had been assigned 50,000 Regalian soldiers each to engage the army which awaited them outside of Nuthotehk, with express orders by Viduggla to destroy all ballista turrets that had been set up by the Kathar and breach the city walls.
The overall approach was simple, Ardige's three Generals would assault the walls directly while the two Field Generals under Field Marshal von Drachenburg: Field Generals Reimar Typhonus and Aldwyn Howlester would act as a counter flanking force and a standing guard in Merkar'sarh respectively. Viduggla's force quickly approached the city, avoiding the treeline which had previously been suspected to be hiding Wolond ambushers, and marched in column formation. The far left army column was commanded by Field General de Vinicci with Pavisa Order representation within its ranks. Field General Hengest Harhold held the middle column, backed by 20,000 additional House Howlester men with rumors of also having the Prince Marshal amongst his men as well. Lastly Field General Baldurr Norrvakt's force took the right column, thus ensuring that no ambush from the forest would cause a domino collapse across all three of the army columns.
The road was eerily quiet and beckoned feelings of insecurity amongst the soldiers who had a month before witnessed a sample of the Kathar's magical abilities. Men atop horses carrying the Regalian standard galloped up to the Field Commanders at the front of the line, who relayed a panicked message back to the commanders. The Kathar were prepared and ready, with more turrets and more men than were initially expected. Despite this fact, the General's ordered the march to continue until the Regalian force came upon the city. On the Moors ahead of them stood at least 150,000 Kathar soldiers with the tall, thick walls of Nuthotehk shadowing over them. For the next few minutes there would be nothing but silence. Nothing, until the general's horns blew.
The bellowing of Regalian horns sung out as the columns charged forward to embrace the Kathar host. The first to clash was the left column which crashed into the Kathar defences with Field Commanders Tarquinius Krupp and Seraphina von der Ebene, the former of which was shadowed by Ivarai'ilo Zisslau and Ivar Lupenzi and the latter being assisted by Alexander Vauclain and Shane Marth. With nothing but gusto and fierce resolve, Seraphina von der Ebene led her men into the fold, breaking through the initial wave of Shenath soldiers and cutting down one of their superior officers in the process. Her skill in leadership shone through and, alongside Shane Marth who arguably was the quintessential piece in keeping the frontline from suffering large amounts of casualties against the Kathar defence, spurred the Regalian soldiers onwards, which caused a minor collapse in the enemy line. Under Marth and von der Ebene, casualties from the initial collision in dei Vinicci's column were kept minimalistic, with only a small percentage of the vanguard falling or taking wounds. Sadly however, Alexander Vauclain was among the injured, who not only was hit by multiple magical projectiles through his shoulder and abdomen, but also had the tendons on his right leg slashed through, keeping him from being able to walk for at least a week.
Further down the field of battle, Field Commander Tarquinius Krupp was not having as much luck. Amidst the battle cries and blood curdling screams of pain, Tarquinius was unable to keep focus, ultimately being knocked to the floor by a volley of Void projectives which ripped through his unit, tearing through his and Ivar Lupenzi's armor both. Thankfully, Ivarai'ilo Zisslau, who was nearby fending off a duo of Kathar foot soldiers, managed to hold long enough for both Ivar and Tarquinius to be pulled back behind the lines alongside the other wounded to be treated, though ultimately both would be suffering from their wounds for a while back in the capital.
Back at command, Field General Deo dei Vinicii and his tactician Gallus Tyrannian kept a watchful eye on how the battle was proceeding. Contrary however to dei Vinicii's immediate plan, Gallus Tyrannian recommended that now be the perfect time to dispatch the Pavisa Knights that were uniquely tasked with dismantling the vast majority of the Scorpion Ballistas that threatened the Regalian Siege Forces and Black's Armada, which was quickly making its way down the Western Shoreline. However, this would be a decision that Deo and Gallus would soon regret. As dei Vinicii gave the signal, Lazarus Lupenzi lifted his sword and hurried into the fray while remembering his orders from higher up. Using the now broken defence, the Pavisa and Bloodcast unit consisting of Lazarus, Domenico dei Oranzino, Casimiro dei Moreno, Valentino dei Callegiri, Camilla dei Revello and William Arnyn. The Ballistas were dotted all over the front, some of which were mounted on the walls themselves, but Valentino figured that despite the fact they could not dismantle all of them, they could in theory capture one long enough to fire back against the ones mounting the walls. With the lack of a better plan, they cut, stabbed and fired their way through the Kathar force with Valentino displaying extreme aptitude in his skill, managing to take out a riding Saivalle Frontline Commander from 200 yards away whilst also using the bayonet at the front of his weapon to defend Lazarus as he ushered them on.
While archers attacked the wall defences and the Tenpennies continued with their frontal charge, the turrets on the walls initiated fire down throughout the Regalian lines which sent bodies flying. Due to the congestion of fighters as well cavalry were unable to push through and thus were unable to cause a flank. As ballista bolt after ballista bolt crashed, Regalia took more and more casualties. It would also become quickly apparent that these ballistas were not going anywhere anytime soon. The Pavisa force dispatched; even with Valentino performing exceptionally well, they were unable to make it to even one of the machines. The overwhelming Shenath force forced the Pavisa and Bloodcast soldiers back to Regalian lines, leaving Lazarus Lupenzi and Casimiro dei Moreno with moderate flesh wounds which would cause them pain while moving back in Regalia, and William Arnyn with very light cuts. The worst of the wounded was Domenico dei Oranzino, who suffered a sword through his abdomen and an arrow through his shoulder, but luckily for him his fellow Pavisa, Camilla dei Revello, managed to cut down his attacker and pull him away to Jocelyn von Duerr, who allowed his expert medical knowledge to shine as he commanded Regalian medics to go to work on the wounded soldiers while personally overseeing a particular battleside surgery to save Domenico's life. It would appear despite Field General Deo's best efforts, the defending Kathar force was too quick to outmaneuver him, and now with his Pavisa force down and out, the best he could hope for is success from another column to bring about a domino effect to take advantage of.
Meanwhile at sea, the Division Admiral Christopher Black and his Armada, consisting of two Girobaldin Fregates and 15 warships, were quickly approaching Nuthotehk with the intention of preventing any Kathar naval assistance whilst also preventing damage to the Altalar city ports just outside of the Kathar occupied city for future use by the Regalian Navy. Sailors aboard the vessels watched the battle on land with their spyglasses, all while Christopher directed the ships to form a line of battle so that should Kathar reinforcements arrive by sea, they'd face a harmony of cannonfire by the Black's broadside cannons. The two Girobaldin vessels acted as signal ships, ensuring that the Division Admiral's orders were followed. This was easier said than done however, as the Kathar turrets atop the Nuthotehk walls opened fire upon the vessels. By sheer luck or tactical coordination, Christopher had poised his ships just far enough outside of range that each bolt landed ten to fifteen yards away. They were safe, at least for now. The Division Admiral stood at the bow of the ship waiting for any sign of combat. He was shadowed by Lysander Blackwood, a Gallovian Royal Guardsman that some sailors theorized had been sent by the Howlester family to ensure that Christopher's lewd comments about the Prince's Uncle were kept to an appropriate minimum. Nevertheless, despite feeling only a little uncomfortable by the IronClad man staring at him at all times, the Black waited.
Harhold's army engaged shortly after dei Vinicii's. The Harhold Field General had not expected a force to already be outside the walls it seemed, as he had instructed his field Commanders to prepare by digging trenches and the like, however he was quick to have his men charge into the fray. His seventy thousand host, twenty thousand of which were Highlander, engaged viciously and ferociously. Hengest himself watched atop a horse from the backline and observed his Field Commanders lead the brave Regalian force into the mess of Kathar that waited for them. He looked to his right, watching Field General Baldurr Norrvakt's army prepared to hold the right column and prevent a Wolond Ambush from the forests, muttering a short "Ahhh, hello friends" to himself as they took up formation. First to raise his sword to rally those around him was the Field Marshal Rodrigo Peirgarten, who gathered the attention of Lilianne de Blanc, Veronica Tounis and Reyes Velásquez and countless other Regalian soldiers who barked battle cries as their swords clashed with their enemy. It was only then that something caught Rodrigo's eye. "Fall back! Fall back!" he cried, but to no avail.
The Kathar above the walls unleashed volleys of projectiles down towards the Regalians. Void magic and arrows peppering their offensive formation. Rodrigo was knocked to the floor and took an arrow in his shoulder and thigh. With the Field Commander down, the attack turned to panic. Lilianne de Blanc fought valiantly, keeping the force away from killing the Peirgarten outright but the same could not be said for Duchess Veronica Tounis. In the midst of trying to hold the line, a particularly skilled Saivale officer approached at her flank and engaged her. The two clashed but ultimately Veronica was defeated when the Saivale's sword sliced through her left wrist as he attempted to defend herself with her quarterstaff. The force of the impact severed her hand clean off and the Duchess cried out in shock and agony, falling to the floor. However, before she could become the first noble casualty of the fighting thus far, Reyes Velásquez intervened, taking over where the Duchess had failed. Her Avanthar heritage blazed through as she wielded her axe, knocking the officer's weapon away just long enough to decapitate the man and order the line hold while she dragged Veronica to the battle medic, Aprilly Daevaar could operate. Aprilly stopped the bleeding, performing an emergency cauterization with what little she had around her which would ultimately save the Duchess's life, but not her hand. The Duchess however ought to rejoice as she would in fact live to fight another day.
Further down the Harhold line, Frontline Commander Armin Aechter, Mateo Silva, Ophelia Tyrannian and Ivan were busy with their unit of Tenpenny men attempted to push forward to the closest scorpion ballista on the ground, which, as one could assume was waiting to be used on the staple ace card, the Imperial Dragon. Under Armin's expert command the small rag tag force broke through amidst the distraction caused when Serlida Bermot unleashed a crossbow bolt which pierced a high ranking Kathar officer's heart, causing the Shenath unit to fall apart and begin to fall back. Upon reaching the Ballista, Ivan and Ophelia alongside a small group of Tenpenny soldiers fought off two retreating waves of Shenath while Mateo and Armin worked the Ballista's mechanism. Mateo had seen similar constructions near his family's plantation in Daenshore from the wooded forests and thankfully had some idea on how to operate it. Without even being prompted, he turned the ballista and aimed it toward one of the other ballistas atop the wall, then took aim. With a deep breath, he fired, and the bolt ripped through the mechanism of the one atop the wall and speared its operator through the chest, launching him into the city behind. Armin congratulated the Daendroquin man before slicing through the launching rope of the ballista just used, thus disabling it. The Field Commander then regrouped with Ivan and Ophelia, the former having cut down easily seven Kathar single handedly while the latter only suffered light cuts from her own skirmishes.
Across the Harhold Column, the soldiers performed brilliantly. Eric Decimar, Ashrynn Makkae'Lahn, Alannah Lupenzi and Joseph Soryn-Grimm in particular showing extreme valiance and ability, with the help of their Field Commander, a Sihndar by the name of Lazzul'ai Daevaar saving multiple Tenpenny soldiers from death. Ashrynn and Joseph in particular stunned soldiers around them in their impressive performance in battle, which no doubt would be spoken about in the battle camps for days to come. Ashrynn single handedly took two Shenath rogues at once and Joseph weaved his way through an onslaught of magical projectiles to cut down a particularly troublesome Saivale mage who had been holding back any sort of advancement from Lazzul'ai's unit. The only real hero casualties in the fighting thus far were three non-humans: Ruzalia Glynthana, who while trying to fend off mage attackers took very light wounds to both arms before defeating her attackers; Joasaie Lloablen, who had not been as lucky as Ruzalia, and took stab wounds to her abdomen, leaving her unfit to continue fighting, but rescued by Ruzalia herself after the magician stunned an approaching Kathar squadron will a well-performed elemental shot spell. Worst affected, however, was Yathanae Umilythe, who was attempting to assist soldiers with Cielothar ritualism. Due to her Cielothar appearance, she was a prime target for archers, mages and other Kathar rogues that wished to see her kind rid from the world. Overall, the small Elf suffered magical burn scars to both arms, an arrow to her right thigh and multiple broken ribs which would surely leave her crippled in Regalia for at least a week or so.
With the battle on the field near reaching its climactic and pivotal moments, the signal was given for the Imperial Dragon to make its appearance, particularly for the purpose of delivering a heavy blow to the defences on the walls of Nuthotehk, and to make the assault on the city easier. From the General's position, the signal was sent up in the form of a bright set of fireworks, a signal with a two-fold function. Primarily, it gave the Imperial Dragon the signal needed to swoop down on the city battlements, and furthermore bolster the morale of the soldiers, as this was the signal many had been waiting for to deliver a push needed to break the Kathar.
Sure enough, the Imperial Dragon dove through the clouds from its vantage position, its serpentine body snaking through the air, wings spread wide in a dive-bombing fashion. When it reached about halfway down, a stream of lightning Dragon-breath preceded it, landing straight on the top surface of the wall and incinerated a handful of catapults and scorpions in one fell swoop. The Dragon then spread its wings wide to slow its movement just before hitting the wall, gliding along the length of it while dragging its horned tail over the surface, swooping left and right to throw Kathar off the walls. It eventually steered clear of the walls, to circle around for another attack.
Down below the soldiers were emboldened. The arcing lightning breath above them and the screams of the Kathar falling from the walls were all they needed to deliver a heavier push. The Dragon flew overhead, its distinct battle growl and roar audible across all the columns, and far into the city and the countryside beyond. The Kathar mounted their ballistae and scorpions on the walls to shoot the Dragon, to no avail. It moved far too quickly to take aim on a moving target, even of that size, and even when one was likely to hit, the Dragon adjusted its course or allowed the bolts to bounce off its thick Dragonscale backplates.
Victory was assumed to be all but assured. Fires broke out on the walls, many of the defences were disabled, and the Kathar in the city were in disarray. The momentary silence in the middle column between the roars of the Dragon were disturbed by an unfamiliar yet very loud noise. The noise could best be described as a banner, or some large flag violently thrashing in a stormy wind. This noise came accompanied by a series of daggers, just barely visible as they flew by over the heads of the soldiers, defying gravity and seemingly almost homing in on the Dragon with their dark smoke-like trail. Sure enough, the Dragon noticed them and tried to alter course, but the daggers simply altered course with it, and eventually struck the Dragon in the sides and on the wings.
More than two dozen daggers plunged into the Dragon as they reached it, which would normally not have phased the Dragon much, as it was used to being hit by arrows. What happened next however was entirely unexpected. Just as the daggers landed, Kathar seemingly materialized out of nowhere on the hilt of the daggers, as if the daggers had been used as targeting beacons for instantaneous transportation. They held onto the Dragon, and with one hand on the dagger imbedded in its flesh, they wielded glaive blades, which proceeded to slash and stab at the Dragon. From all over its body, ranging from neck to tail, and even on the wings, two dozen or so Kathar in dark clad armor started hacking and ripping their weapons at the Dragon.
The battle roars and growls were replaced with an almost pitiful yelping screech for help, an unusual high-pitched scream that had never been heard from the Dragon before as blades plunged in and out of its flesh all over its body. Parts of the wings were ripped, the Dragon's neck violently swung from side to side sending streams of lightning breath in odd directions and started losing flight. While no doubt the Kathar had been informed that the Empress's Glaive Shadows, her elite regiment of Shadow Mages had been present on the battlefield, even they came to a momentary pause as the Dragon's ear piercing shrieks echoed across the battlefield, drowning out all other noise.
Panic hadn't quite settled in the ranks yet, but certainly reached a fever pitch when the Dragon did finally hit the ground, taking a couple Regalian soldiers and Kathar with it, crushing them underneath. As if the blow of hitting the ground at near full speed wasn't bad enough, the Glaive Shadows momentarily disappeared right before the Dragon hit the ground, and re-appeared on their daggers when the dust had settled, giving the Dragon a mere few seconds to recover before gleefully hacking and cutting at it again. As the Dragon lay helplessly thrashing and trying to claw at the Kathar stabbing it from all angles, the Regalian soldiers lost their nerve and the battle turned sharply against the Regalian host.
All around the Dragon, Regalians and Kathar alike were getting hit by errant Dragon-breath and thrashing claws and tail, causing the army to try and veer away from the Dragon ailing, yet causing confusion by the constant orders to press on. Ardige Viduggla refused to back down or alter the course of the battle, and insisted to all commanders that the plan had not changed and that the charge should continue, despite the mounting casualties and crashing morale. It is eventually by the graces of Hengest Harhold that the tide of disaster is somewhat averted, when he silently removes Viduggla's command-line from the field. By having a few middle men dragged off, Harhold essentially ensured that Viduggla's orders never make it to the front line, substituting them with his own.
He immediately called for a general retreat across all lines, much to the chagrin of Ardige Viduggla who was having trouble figuring out why his orders weren't reaching the front lines anymore despite his constant call to cancel the retreat and push on. Hengest Harhold meanwhile focussed on the Dragon then, getting on a horse and risking life and limb by galloping into the lines, rallying soldiers as he rode straight for where the Dragon was still ailing under the Glaive Shadows. He reformed a small contingent of soldiers in his wake, brave men willing to risk saving the Imperial Dragon. On his way there, Hengest Harhold gambled that the Imperial Dragon would stop thrashing if he blew a high-pitched dog-whistle.
His gamble paid off, just as he blew the whistle, the Dragon's head reared who seemed to finally be aware that someone was coming to help it, causing it to stop thrashing. The Glaive Shadows in bewildered response turned to Hengest then, one of them throwing a dagger that just cut by his cheek as he ducked sideways to avoid it, the Glaive Shadow transporting to the dagger just as it passed him, stabbing the sword down on Hengest. Hengest luckily dove just out of the way, throwing himself off the horse, causing the horse to get stabbed in the back, killing it practically instantly as it was disemboweled. Hengest lay defenceless on the floor then, but was not alone, and soldiers quickly formed up around him and set forth a charge on the Glaive Shadows.
Now severely outnumbered, the Glaive Shadows retreated one by one, frustrated that the Dragon no longer fought back, thus exposing them to the vastly outnumbering Regalian soldiers. Hengest was helped back up to his feet, knowing full well that while the army was retreating, and they would soon be surrounded by the Kathar. He made way to the Dragon, and for a moment of silence on the field, there was a strange sense of acknowledgement on both sides. To Hengest, the Dragon was large and fierce, but also intensely vulnerable. The ground around it was doused in blood that colored the mud a deep burgundy red, Hengest walked closer while the soldiers around them formed up a defensive barrier. The Dragon could not speak, nor could it seemingly move. Its wings were half torn, part of the tail had been nearly severed and blood was oozing from every orifice.
Hengest didn't quite know what to do, but in that moment, the best course of action seemed to be to put his hand on the Dragon's nose, a small sign of comfort in a scene that seemed eerily much like one of Hengest's dogs that he had in his teenage years, mauled by wolves in the forest on a hunt with his father, breathing its last breaths while he tried to pet it for comfort. There was a faint understanding visible in the eye of the Dragon that looked at Hengest, just before it closed and the Dragon turned back to Human form, a mangled heap in the mud. The Dragon, much like Hengest, had known that if Hengest hadn't come back, the Dragon would have been lost here. Hengest quickly mounted the unconscious Prince onto the back of a fresh horse that had arrived with a few knights on horseback, and rode with escort away from the battlefield, just as the vanguard started closing in and the final soldiers moved away from that blood drenched mudpit.
While the calamity ensued amidst the Harhold column, so too was it beginning for Field General Baldurr Norrvakts. The 50,000 man strong host which had been tasked with assisting Harhold in breaking through the outer wall force was also expected to watch for a Wolond Ambush from the trees, but after witnessing the fall of the Imperial Dragon and hearing the call for retreat, Baldurr gave the Order with withdraw. Just as quickly as the message was relayed to Baldurr's frontline Commanders, so too came the horns signalling the attack from the trees. Immediately Baldurr issued command to defend the dei Vinicii and Harhold Columns in retreat whilst also sending riders to have Field Marshal Dietrich von Drachenburg send his and Field General Reimar Typhonus's auxillary force in assistance. Field Commanders Henrik Norrvakt, Valtin von Dietrich and Garth Viduggla saw to the retreat for Baldurr's force. The Wolond force was considerable and fast, which quickly caught up on the retreating force.
Amidst the skirmish, Henrik Norrvakt took a grazing wound from a Wolond spear, though nothing that would cause him anything more than irritation, Benjamin Syldove took an axe to the thigh which nearly knocked him from his horse but thankfully for him he managed to remain steady and flee with the retreating force. Yet, the worst affected was Valtin von Dietrich who not only took two spears to the back, but also fell from his horse and ended up trampled by Benjamin's own stead, breaking both of his legs. It was only by the sheer expertise of Garth Viduggla that he was whisked away by a couple of retreating Skaggers at Garth's command. The Viduggla remained on the front, fighting back waves of Wolond alongside Chengis, Onihrulir Uliekuler, Ara Luro, Urijah Jamesson, Saffean and a few hundred Tenpenny soldiers. With Garth in command, the small force bought enough time for Reimar Typhonus's force to move further south from their initial holding point to assist the retreat. Saffaen and Garth distinguished themselves the most amongst their northern comrades, slaying Wolond after Wolond and arguably saving hundreds of lives in the retreat. Ara Luro and Chengis also performed adequately, reinforcing Garth and Saffaen and ensuring they were adequately defended from their flanks. Sadly, Urijah Jamesson amidst the fighting took multiple surface cuts to his arms which prevented him from being able to adequately perform without being over burdened by pain and Onihrulir Uliekuler himself was overrun by ambushers, being stabbed multiple times before being able to escape at the help of the Tenpenny soldiers with them.
Back at sea, the Black Armada was expeditiously preparing for their retreat from the area, but not before firing multiple rounds into the Kathar forces chasing the Regalian host out of the area. Noting that the battle was lost, Christopher ordered that Alvaro de Santigo and the other captains prepare their ships to leave the area and regroup with Karl Gustav av Nystrom outside of Merkar'sarh and prepare for a full blown counter attack that he presumed was inevitable. The order came not a moment too soon either. As the ships began to turn, bells rang out to indicate incoming ships. These were not the usual Kathar bone ships, however: These were Altalar Frigates, and a large number of them at that. Black raised the signal to hold fire, expecting them to be reinforcements but as each one started to turn to its broadside it became apparent that was not the case. He gave the order to fire, bombarding four of the seventeen Altalar ships with cannon fire, sinking each one in a matter of minutes. The gray-skinned individuals that jumped from the decks into the water made it clear that these Altalar ships were not manned by Altalar at all, but indeed were likely captured from Nuthotehk when the invading force conquered the area.
Alvaro de Santigo began to return fire of his own, his cannons blaring but not exactly finding its mark each time. The Division Admiral's signal for retreat remained steadfast, prompting Alvaro into action. He quickly ordered an evasive maneuver to avoid any further return fire the Kathar may be preparing. He was moderately successful, albeit having to slightly damage the hull of his ship from the shallows of Shipwrecker bay to follow Black's suit. The remainder of the ships continued to bombard the Altalar vessels, sinking another six before finally making free. Casualties were low, some sailors, including the Gallovian Guard Lysander Blackwood had been hit with wooden shrapnel from the one Warship the Regalians lost in the midst of the battle though thankfully Quinn Shu'elsi was on sight to see to the wounded and, unlike in former battles, held his tact perfectly. Arguably, the man saved the sight of Lysander Blackwood, who had splinters of wood penetrate the weaker parts of his armor damaging his eyes, wrists, legs and waist. The ships remained hotly in pursuit of the retreating Regalian Force, but despite all odds reinforcements for the Regalians was on the horizon. Despite having been given orders to keep his detachment in Merkar'sarh, the blasts of lightning from the Imperial Dragon's descent spurred Wing Admiral Karl Gustav av Nystrom into action and, much to Christopher's amazement, the man astonishingly prepared, even with his low warship count, the perfect counter fire and obliterated the first few ships on the Black's trail. After this small victory, the Black armada turned to engage alongside the Wing Admiral and, in an amazing display of true Regalian naval prowess, completely decimated the oncoming force with no casualties whatsoever. After a small amount of cheering and celebration from the Regalian side, all Regalian vessels, minus the one sank warship, began its return to Merkar'sarh.
Back at the battle, Field General Reimar Typhonus's force, now combined by von Drachenburg's token auxiliary cavalry force under Audric Kraus, a small infantry force under Joachim von Duerr and a reserve force under Erwald Ravenstad raced into the fray alongside Reimar's own Field Commanders. Audric Kraus's cavalry charge seemed to disorientate the enemy Wolond who partly began to retract back into the forest, their sprinting footsteps thundering. Erwald Ravenstad's force was also successful, rounding up the Regalian survivors and fending off any remaining would be Wolond attackers while Joachim von Duerr stole the show, commanding his force to shield wall the oncoming threat which the Wolond in their primitive state could not overpower with their weapons and magic alone. In fact, Joachim's actions would mark a pivotal moment in the battle, his quick thinking action practically ensuring Garth's unit was successful in their retreat. However, Dietrich von Drachenburg's plan had played exactly into the Wolond's plan. With von Drachenburg's reserve force distracted, the Field Marshal was left exposed to a secondary attack from the forests behind which quickly overwhelmed the small reserve force still stationed their for their defence. The Kathar had outsmarted the Field Marshal, who was now all set to be captured and ransomed back to the Empire, or made an example of as Harhold had done months before to one of the Kathar's own.
Von Drachenburg despite ordering his men not to surrender could only watch on in horror as one by one his defence force was slaughtered. He drew his sword, ready to fight for his own life until the force was upon him. This was it, this was his time and with a sharply drawn breath, he prepared himself to traverse into the Everwatch. Just then, before they could strike, one by one each Wolond fell to the floor, arrows peppering them from afar as the Typhonus Infantry sprinted in to rescue. Field Commander Leopold Typhonus rushed to the von Drachenburg's defence alongside his sister Theodora Typhonus and Eomaric of Morra. The three fought back the Wolond as they escorted the Field Marshal to safter location. Theadora Typhonus herself showed expertise in her swordsmanship, taking out at least a dozen Wolong single handedly, with Leopold himself only doing moderately as good in comparison. Eomaric acted as a personal bodyguard for the von Drachenburg, urging the von Drachenburg to stay close and reassuring him that he would be safe. Sadly this would not remain the case for Eomaric himself. Seconds after the words left his lips he was speared through the neck by a Wolond screamer. All Dietrich could do was flee, pulled along by Theadora and Leopold, watching from over his shoulder as the Wolond surrounded Eomaric, stabbing into his lifeless corpse to ensure he would not be getting back up.
True to the Typhonus banner, practically all fighters showed prowess on the field of battle in the subsequent retreat. Hannah Lexen, the Imperial Guard fought valiantly alongside Elros Typhonus, both synergizing their attacks well and cutting through the Kathar skirmishers like butter until Hannah herself took a spear to the shoulder, disabling her from fighting further. The two remaining Field Commanders, Jorous Dracheslayer and Vivana Ennemera rallied the last of the soldiers including Kruul, Adélaïde of Grishougue, Aeawyn Iltavyn made a final push to repel the Wolond force from following. Jorous and Vivana's leadership was sturdy spurring the surrounding warriors to fight to their very last. Aeawyn Iltavyn, Markos Kaiser and Adelaide of Grishougue performed valiantly, fighting in unison and each cutting down their fair share of foes. Vivana Ennemara performed less well, taking down two Kathar before taking a flesh wound, fleeing subsequently with the retreating force. The worst affected by the battle however was Kruul who was practically a walking pincushion of arrows, no doubt leaving him pained trying to move for the next week and a half. "They're falling back!" Vivana Ennemera yelled, glancing over her shoulder. The Wolond force had, thanks to Reimar Typhonus and his men, failed in their objective to capture Field Marshal Drachenburg, and the remainder of the Typhonus, dei Vinicii, Viduggla and Harhold retreated successfully, with the injured Imperial Dragon in tow and not a moment too soon, as, while they were busy on the battlefield, trouble was also brewing in Merkar'sarh.
Field General Aldwyn Howlester had organized his force in Merkar'sarh in the meantime, unaware of the retreat just yet. The men and women registered as his aid, by his command, began their steps in securing the city. Merkar'sarh was a prime target--this the Field General Aldwyn knew--and stationed each figure to better suit ensuring the city's security. Defensive positions were claimed by all, ones that lent some form of opportunity for opposing offensive tactics on their side. Granted, the Field General was not entirely familiar with those under his banner, and the placement of these troops more or less hinted at this. Some men were stationed too close together while others marked down too far from their ally, which left room for mildly questionable results. While the force was more or less readily positioned along Merkar'sarh, the retaliation that came instead was nothing expected. A sudden, ominous darkness swelled up from various sewer entries, and not long after came the equally disturbing and haunting displays of Void magic. Dark Kathar Mages seemingly poured up from the ground. Within moments, the faces of the mages in the elite squadron climbed to their feet. It was an inevitable fury the Field General Howlester's forces would have to take on. Howlester urged his men to action, but found himself at a loss for words when the foreboding, retaliating cry of another force soon joined the Kathar Mages'. Pale and lifeless figures armed to their teeth gripped and grabbed their way above ground, out of the sewer paths Merkar'sarh owned. Various Kathar mages could do naught else but smirk and bore their wily grins to their non-Kathar opponents. It became distinctly clear, then, that though things seemed risky only moments ago, the stakes were higher and deadlier. Undead rained in under the evident command and leadership of the elite Kathar mages. A silence briefly filled the city--a strange and calamitous tension--before all weapons raised.
Howlester struggled to line his men in properly to fend off the onslaught of Undead. They did not show weakness or pain to any weapon strikes, and fought relentlessly, tirelessly. Edmure Howlester swept in to steer some of the fighters back into strict formation, but in his greatest efforts to rally the men with steely morale, he was caught off-guard and suddenly knocked off his feet. A Kathar mage had grabbed him with a dark, giant and ethereal hand, and started squeezing him, rendering him useless given he could not move his weapon, and breaking a rib that would easily make it difficult for him to sit or stand upright without significant pain for a week. It was only thanks to Faraine Olawenys that Edmure Howlester avoided being catastrophically suffocated any further; and though she suffered some bruises and cuts from her lunging attack to the mage, who had an Undead closeby, she managed to cut the arm from the Kathar and render their magic useless. Asher Rhylovas took position on one of the outer perimeters of his section and targeted a couple of the Kathar mages with his Spearmen of Cal'Thorai spell, which effectively blocked some of the Kathar from throwing out their castables directly and also gave some of the Regalians a chance to push back. Vulmar, heated by the flurry of battle, engaged viciously but fell short of spatial awareness, which resulted in him being blindsided by a hefty Undead soldier that bombarded him with blunt force. The blunt weapon of the Undead fractured a rib, dislocated his shoulder and left a large and painful bruise on his hip that would make it difficult to walk properly for at least a week.
The frenzied battle only continued to grow increasingly chaotic. A swarm of Undead brought Elyon to the ground and stomped and beat her with weapons just before she could use her Witchblood Mutations, resulting in a broken arm and a broken hand alongside several cuts. Ernesta de Letoirneau strode through hacking and slicing at a handful of the distracted Undead, thus giving time for Elyon to be moved elsewhere, and brought down the Kathar mage who commanded said-Undead. Leironse Jacyrin fought just as hard with admirable skill, and lagged not too far behind from Ernesta in the ventures of cutting down Undead soldiers. He swiped the arms of one Undead and left Bel-Gyarhyabrin Tibearthus to the rest. Out of all Howlester's force, Bel-Gyarhyabrin seemed to flow through the mixture of Kathar and Undead like water, beating and killing and severing the threats in his immediate path. It would be no doubt his excelling skills shown on the city battle would be remarked upon later… But the biggest challenge was still incomplete, and the Regalian force knew this. Syriel Daerinth fended off a Kathar mage, avoided its haunting projectile magic attacks, though not without getting grazed by one first, and brought it down with a strong cleave. Zelgius Pavise was a different case, however, for he struggled in defending himself and his battleside companion, Sibyllad Lykke, who began to buckle from the sheer numbers and force of the Undead climbing onto her. One by one, their pale hands scratched and swatted at her, leaving her bruised, cut and with several slices on the shoulders. Zelgius registered Sibyllad's panicking struggle and swiped at some of the backs of the Undead, which urged some of them to turn and attack him. He suffered some hard hits to the head. It only got worse from there. Cyprien Bongrante's cries of panic were lost in some of the flurry of dark Kathar mages and Undead as he was surrounded and cut on the cheek, on his hip and at the back of his calf, which would make walking painful for at least a week. Theresa of Linau took on a considerable amount of damage in her efforts to fight for her Regalian-side companions: in the middle of facing a rather frightening, horned and spindly Kathar mage, it bombarded her with a sudden storm of projectiles that lodged into her abdomen and arms, and pinned her to the ground. Frankland Rote was left in jambles trying to secure a choice on the field--whether to aid one person or the other--and got smacked in the eye by the pommel of a dark Kathar blade, which would leave a heavy bruise for at least a week easily. By some luck, the scrambling trio had their opposers distracted suddenly by the deeds of Freya Grey, who bashed them aside in quick motions only to stab and smack down their heads, and Leufred du Brierust who also shown with considerable and remarkable talent in the one-sided battle. Despite the power of the Kathar mages, Leufred managed to cut through several and use his Witchblood Mutations to render some of them useless just long enough for Howlester to issue his orders to retreat.
Howlester's forces, in the middle of it all, had been pushed so far back into a corner of Merkar'sarh that any other direction was cut off. Even the finest of actions taken from the Regalians was not enough to butt back against the Kathar and their enslaved Undead soldiers. The haunting sounds of Kathar chants, spells, and cries clouded alongside the panicked, shrill voices of the Regalians. The Field General need only look around to see that even the most valiant of efforts would not land them this victory, and for a moment he felt the steeping guilt of being responsible for every wound and loss dealt on his forces. When all hope felt lost, when the sharp drive of the savage Kathar felt their strongest, the sudden roar of war horns blurred outward into the sky. The Kathar's attention fell to the entry that had just posted off, only to see the retreating Regalian Force had returned and were quickly overwhelming the city. The Kathar's pin-down tactic had left their side open to the retreated force, which drove their weapons into several Undead. The Kathar mages lost their focus and could not find a suitable time or opportunity to try and recast, thus leaving them vulnerable to the swiftly charging and overwhelming Regalian Force. The Kathar and remaining Undead soldiers hastened their draw back into the underground, and the Regalian Force quickly met with Field General Howlester's men to get them back in motion. The brutally wounded, beaten, and struck Howlester fighters limped and dragged their way to the nearest medics. Thanks to the returning force, Merkar'sarh was safe. For now.
It was a truly devastating blow on the Regalian side, one that would need time and restrategizing to heal from. For every Kathar that died, three Regalian soldiers fell in tandem. The Undead proved mighty a foe; their tirelessness and immunity to pain gave them a significant advantage against their opponents. Many Regalians could not withstand the force and power of both Undead and magic combined, and many succumbed to the sheer amount of pain, injury, and blood loss suffered. Nuthotehk proved to be a sturdily defended point backed by the savage minds of the elite squadron of Kathar mages and their Shenath soldiers. This might of magic intermingled in the ranks of the Kathar only proved more deadly in the war and the crash landing of the Imperial Dragon. A great beast that manned the skies brought down by the ways of corrupted magic and Void-tainted abilities was a loss that the Regalian forces could not ignore.
The overall approach was simple, Ardige's three Generals would assault the walls directly while the two Field Generals under Field Marshal von Drachenburg: Field Generals Reimar Typhonus and Aldwyn Howlester would act as a counter flanking force and a standing guard in Merkar'sarh respectively. Viduggla's force quickly approached the city, avoiding the treeline which had previously been suspected to be hiding Wolond ambushers, and marched in column formation. The far left army column was commanded by Field General de Vinicci with Pavisa Order representation within its ranks. Field General Hengest Harhold held the middle column, backed by 20,000 additional House Howlester men with rumors of also having the Prince Marshal amongst his men as well. Lastly Field General Baldurr Norrvakt's force took the right column, thus ensuring that no ambush from the forest would cause a domino collapse across all three of the army columns.
The road was eerily quiet and beckoned feelings of insecurity amongst the soldiers who had a month before witnessed a sample of the Kathar's magical abilities. Men atop horses carrying the Regalian standard galloped up to the Field Commanders at the front of the line, who relayed a panicked message back to the commanders. The Kathar were prepared and ready, with more turrets and more men than were initially expected. Despite this fact, the General's ordered the march to continue until the Regalian force came upon the city. On the Moors ahead of them stood at least 150,000 Kathar soldiers with the tall, thick walls of Nuthotehk shadowing over them. For the next few minutes there would be nothing but silence. Nothing, until the general's horns blew.
The bellowing of Regalian horns sung out as the columns charged forward to embrace the Kathar host. The first to clash was the left column which crashed into the Kathar defences with Field Commanders Tarquinius Krupp and Seraphina von der Ebene, the former of which was shadowed by Ivarai'ilo Zisslau and Ivar Lupenzi and the latter being assisted by Alexander Vauclain and Shane Marth. With nothing but gusto and fierce resolve, Seraphina von der Ebene led her men into the fold, breaking through the initial wave of Shenath soldiers and cutting down one of their superior officers in the process. Her skill in leadership shone through and, alongside Shane Marth who arguably was the quintessential piece in keeping the frontline from suffering large amounts of casualties against the Kathar defence, spurred the Regalian soldiers onwards, which caused a minor collapse in the enemy line. Under Marth and von der Ebene, casualties from the initial collision in dei Vinicci's column were kept minimalistic, with only a small percentage of the vanguard falling or taking wounds. Sadly however, Alexander Vauclain was among the injured, who not only was hit by multiple magical projectiles through his shoulder and abdomen, but also had the tendons on his right leg slashed through, keeping him from being able to walk for at least a week.
Further down the field of battle, Field Commander Tarquinius Krupp was not having as much luck. Amidst the battle cries and blood curdling screams of pain, Tarquinius was unable to keep focus, ultimately being knocked to the floor by a volley of Void projectives which ripped through his unit, tearing through his and Ivar Lupenzi's armor both. Thankfully, Ivarai'ilo Zisslau, who was nearby fending off a duo of Kathar foot soldiers, managed to hold long enough for both Ivar and Tarquinius to be pulled back behind the lines alongside the other wounded to be treated, though ultimately both would be suffering from their wounds for a while back in the capital.
Back at command, Field General Deo dei Vinicii and his tactician Gallus Tyrannian kept a watchful eye on how the battle was proceeding. Contrary however to dei Vinicii's immediate plan, Gallus Tyrannian recommended that now be the perfect time to dispatch the Pavisa Knights that were uniquely tasked with dismantling the vast majority of the Scorpion Ballistas that threatened the Regalian Siege Forces and Black's Armada, which was quickly making its way down the Western Shoreline. However, this would be a decision that Deo and Gallus would soon regret. As dei Vinicii gave the signal, Lazarus Lupenzi lifted his sword and hurried into the fray while remembering his orders from higher up. Using the now broken defence, the Pavisa and Bloodcast unit consisting of Lazarus, Domenico dei Oranzino, Casimiro dei Moreno, Valentino dei Callegiri, Camilla dei Revello and William Arnyn. The Ballistas were dotted all over the front, some of which were mounted on the walls themselves, but Valentino figured that despite the fact they could not dismantle all of them, they could in theory capture one long enough to fire back against the ones mounting the walls. With the lack of a better plan, they cut, stabbed and fired their way through the Kathar force with Valentino displaying extreme aptitude in his skill, managing to take out a riding Saivalle Frontline Commander from 200 yards away whilst also using the bayonet at the front of his weapon to defend Lazarus as he ushered them on.
While archers attacked the wall defences and the Tenpennies continued with their frontal charge, the turrets on the walls initiated fire down throughout the Regalian lines which sent bodies flying. Due to the congestion of fighters as well cavalry were unable to push through and thus were unable to cause a flank. As ballista bolt after ballista bolt crashed, Regalia took more and more casualties. It would also become quickly apparent that these ballistas were not going anywhere anytime soon. The Pavisa force dispatched; even with Valentino performing exceptionally well, they were unable to make it to even one of the machines. The overwhelming Shenath force forced the Pavisa and Bloodcast soldiers back to Regalian lines, leaving Lazarus Lupenzi and Casimiro dei Moreno with moderate flesh wounds which would cause them pain while moving back in Regalia, and William Arnyn with very light cuts. The worst of the wounded was Domenico dei Oranzino, who suffered a sword through his abdomen and an arrow through his shoulder, but luckily for him his fellow Pavisa, Camilla dei Revello, managed to cut down his attacker and pull him away to Jocelyn von Duerr, who allowed his expert medical knowledge to shine as he commanded Regalian medics to go to work on the wounded soldiers while personally overseeing a particular battleside surgery to save Domenico's life. It would appear despite Field General Deo's best efforts, the defending Kathar force was too quick to outmaneuver him, and now with his Pavisa force down and out, the best he could hope for is success from another column to bring about a domino effect to take advantage of.
Meanwhile at sea, the Division Admiral Christopher Black and his Armada, consisting of two Girobaldin Fregates and 15 warships, were quickly approaching Nuthotehk with the intention of preventing any Kathar naval assistance whilst also preventing damage to the Altalar city ports just outside of the Kathar occupied city for future use by the Regalian Navy. Sailors aboard the vessels watched the battle on land with their spyglasses, all while Christopher directed the ships to form a line of battle so that should Kathar reinforcements arrive by sea, they'd face a harmony of cannonfire by the Black's broadside cannons. The two Girobaldin vessels acted as signal ships, ensuring that the Division Admiral's orders were followed. This was easier said than done however, as the Kathar turrets atop the Nuthotehk walls opened fire upon the vessels. By sheer luck or tactical coordination, Christopher had poised his ships just far enough outside of range that each bolt landed ten to fifteen yards away. They were safe, at least for now. The Division Admiral stood at the bow of the ship waiting for any sign of combat. He was shadowed by Lysander Blackwood, a Gallovian Royal Guardsman that some sailors theorized had been sent by the Howlester family to ensure that Christopher's lewd comments about the Prince's Uncle were kept to an appropriate minimum. Nevertheless, despite feeling only a little uncomfortable by the IronClad man staring at him at all times, the Black waited.
Harhold's army engaged shortly after dei Vinicii's. The Harhold Field General had not expected a force to already be outside the walls it seemed, as he had instructed his field Commanders to prepare by digging trenches and the like, however he was quick to have his men charge into the fray. His seventy thousand host, twenty thousand of which were Highlander, engaged viciously and ferociously. Hengest himself watched atop a horse from the backline and observed his Field Commanders lead the brave Regalian force into the mess of Kathar that waited for them. He looked to his right, watching Field General Baldurr Norrvakt's army prepared to hold the right column and prevent a Wolond Ambush from the forests, muttering a short "Ahhh, hello friends" to himself as they took up formation. First to raise his sword to rally those around him was the Field Marshal Rodrigo Peirgarten, who gathered the attention of Lilianne de Blanc, Veronica Tounis and Reyes Velásquez and countless other Regalian soldiers who barked battle cries as their swords clashed with their enemy. It was only then that something caught Rodrigo's eye. "Fall back! Fall back!" he cried, but to no avail.
The Kathar above the walls unleashed volleys of projectiles down towards the Regalians. Void magic and arrows peppering their offensive formation. Rodrigo was knocked to the floor and took an arrow in his shoulder and thigh. With the Field Commander down, the attack turned to panic. Lilianne de Blanc fought valiantly, keeping the force away from killing the Peirgarten outright but the same could not be said for Duchess Veronica Tounis. In the midst of trying to hold the line, a particularly skilled Saivale officer approached at her flank and engaged her. The two clashed but ultimately Veronica was defeated when the Saivale's sword sliced through her left wrist as he attempted to defend herself with her quarterstaff. The force of the impact severed her hand clean off and the Duchess cried out in shock and agony, falling to the floor. However, before she could become the first noble casualty of the fighting thus far, Reyes Velásquez intervened, taking over where the Duchess had failed. Her Avanthar heritage blazed through as she wielded her axe, knocking the officer's weapon away just long enough to decapitate the man and order the line hold while she dragged Veronica to the battle medic, Aprilly Daevaar could operate. Aprilly stopped the bleeding, performing an emergency cauterization with what little she had around her which would ultimately save the Duchess's life, but not her hand. The Duchess however ought to rejoice as she would in fact live to fight another day.
Further down the Harhold line, Frontline Commander Armin Aechter, Mateo Silva, Ophelia Tyrannian and Ivan were busy with their unit of Tenpenny men attempted to push forward to the closest scorpion ballista on the ground, which, as one could assume was waiting to be used on the staple ace card, the Imperial Dragon. Under Armin's expert command the small rag tag force broke through amidst the distraction caused when Serlida Bermot unleashed a crossbow bolt which pierced a high ranking Kathar officer's heart, causing the Shenath unit to fall apart and begin to fall back. Upon reaching the Ballista, Ivan and Ophelia alongside a small group of Tenpenny soldiers fought off two retreating waves of Shenath while Mateo and Armin worked the Ballista's mechanism. Mateo had seen similar constructions near his family's plantation in Daenshore from the wooded forests and thankfully had some idea on how to operate it. Without even being prompted, he turned the ballista and aimed it toward one of the other ballistas atop the wall, then took aim. With a deep breath, he fired, and the bolt ripped through the mechanism of the one atop the wall and speared its operator through the chest, launching him into the city behind. Armin congratulated the Daendroquin man before slicing through the launching rope of the ballista just used, thus disabling it. The Field Commander then regrouped with Ivan and Ophelia, the former having cut down easily seven Kathar single handedly while the latter only suffered light cuts from her own skirmishes.
Across the Harhold Column, the soldiers performed brilliantly. Eric Decimar, Ashrynn Makkae'Lahn, Alannah Lupenzi and Joseph Soryn-Grimm in particular showing extreme valiance and ability, with the help of their Field Commander, a Sihndar by the name of Lazzul'ai Daevaar saving multiple Tenpenny soldiers from death. Ashrynn and Joseph in particular stunned soldiers around them in their impressive performance in battle, which no doubt would be spoken about in the battle camps for days to come. Ashrynn single handedly took two Shenath rogues at once and Joseph weaved his way through an onslaught of magical projectiles to cut down a particularly troublesome Saivale mage who had been holding back any sort of advancement from Lazzul'ai's unit. The only real hero casualties in the fighting thus far were three non-humans: Ruzalia Glynthana, who while trying to fend off mage attackers took very light wounds to both arms before defeating her attackers; Joasaie Lloablen, who had not been as lucky as Ruzalia, and took stab wounds to her abdomen, leaving her unfit to continue fighting, but rescued by Ruzalia herself after the magician stunned an approaching Kathar squadron will a well-performed elemental shot spell. Worst affected, however, was Yathanae Umilythe, who was attempting to assist soldiers with Cielothar ritualism. Due to her Cielothar appearance, she was a prime target for archers, mages and other Kathar rogues that wished to see her kind rid from the world. Overall, the small Elf suffered magical burn scars to both arms, an arrow to her right thigh and multiple broken ribs which would surely leave her crippled in Regalia for at least a week or so.
With the battle on the field near reaching its climactic and pivotal moments, the signal was given for the Imperial Dragon to make its appearance, particularly for the purpose of delivering a heavy blow to the defences on the walls of Nuthotehk, and to make the assault on the city easier. From the General's position, the signal was sent up in the form of a bright set of fireworks, a signal with a two-fold function. Primarily, it gave the Imperial Dragon the signal needed to swoop down on the city battlements, and furthermore bolster the morale of the soldiers, as this was the signal many had been waiting for to deliver a push needed to break the Kathar.
Sure enough, the Imperial Dragon dove through the clouds from its vantage position, its serpentine body snaking through the air, wings spread wide in a dive-bombing fashion. When it reached about halfway down, a stream of lightning Dragon-breath preceded it, landing straight on the top surface of the wall and incinerated a handful of catapults and scorpions in one fell swoop. The Dragon then spread its wings wide to slow its movement just before hitting the wall, gliding along the length of it while dragging its horned tail over the surface, swooping left and right to throw Kathar off the walls. It eventually steered clear of the walls, to circle around for another attack.
Down below the soldiers were emboldened. The arcing lightning breath above them and the screams of the Kathar falling from the walls were all they needed to deliver a heavier push. The Dragon flew overhead, its distinct battle growl and roar audible across all the columns, and far into the city and the countryside beyond. The Kathar mounted their ballistae and scorpions on the walls to shoot the Dragon, to no avail. It moved far too quickly to take aim on a moving target, even of that size, and even when one was likely to hit, the Dragon adjusted its course or allowed the bolts to bounce off its thick Dragonscale backplates.
Victory was assumed to be all but assured. Fires broke out on the walls, many of the defences were disabled, and the Kathar in the city were in disarray. The momentary silence in the middle column between the roars of the Dragon were disturbed by an unfamiliar yet very loud noise. The noise could best be described as a banner, or some large flag violently thrashing in a stormy wind. This noise came accompanied by a series of daggers, just barely visible as they flew by over the heads of the soldiers, defying gravity and seemingly almost homing in on the Dragon with their dark smoke-like trail. Sure enough, the Dragon noticed them and tried to alter course, but the daggers simply altered course with it, and eventually struck the Dragon in the sides and on the wings.
More than two dozen daggers plunged into the Dragon as they reached it, which would normally not have phased the Dragon much, as it was used to being hit by arrows. What happened next however was entirely unexpected. Just as the daggers landed, Kathar seemingly materialized out of nowhere on the hilt of the daggers, as if the daggers had been used as targeting beacons for instantaneous transportation. They held onto the Dragon, and with one hand on the dagger imbedded in its flesh, they wielded glaive blades, which proceeded to slash and stab at the Dragon. From all over its body, ranging from neck to tail, and even on the wings, two dozen or so Kathar in dark clad armor started hacking and ripping their weapons at the Dragon.
The battle roars and growls were replaced with an almost pitiful yelping screech for help, an unusual high-pitched scream that had never been heard from the Dragon before as blades plunged in and out of its flesh all over its body. Parts of the wings were ripped, the Dragon's neck violently swung from side to side sending streams of lightning breath in odd directions and started losing flight. While no doubt the Kathar had been informed that the Empress's Glaive Shadows, her elite regiment of Shadow Mages had been present on the battlefield, even they came to a momentary pause as the Dragon's ear piercing shrieks echoed across the battlefield, drowning out all other noise.
Panic hadn't quite settled in the ranks yet, but certainly reached a fever pitch when the Dragon did finally hit the ground, taking a couple Regalian soldiers and Kathar with it, crushing them underneath. As if the blow of hitting the ground at near full speed wasn't bad enough, the Glaive Shadows momentarily disappeared right before the Dragon hit the ground, and re-appeared on their daggers when the dust had settled, giving the Dragon a mere few seconds to recover before gleefully hacking and cutting at it again. As the Dragon lay helplessly thrashing and trying to claw at the Kathar stabbing it from all angles, the Regalian soldiers lost their nerve and the battle turned sharply against the Regalian host.
All around the Dragon, Regalians and Kathar alike were getting hit by errant Dragon-breath and thrashing claws and tail, causing the army to try and veer away from the Dragon ailing, yet causing confusion by the constant orders to press on. Ardige Viduggla refused to back down or alter the course of the battle, and insisted to all commanders that the plan had not changed and that the charge should continue, despite the mounting casualties and crashing morale. It is eventually by the graces of Hengest Harhold that the tide of disaster is somewhat averted, when he silently removes Viduggla's command-line from the field. By having a few middle men dragged off, Harhold essentially ensured that Viduggla's orders never make it to the front line, substituting them with his own.
He immediately called for a general retreat across all lines, much to the chagrin of Ardige Viduggla who was having trouble figuring out why his orders weren't reaching the front lines anymore despite his constant call to cancel the retreat and push on. Hengest Harhold meanwhile focussed on the Dragon then, getting on a horse and risking life and limb by galloping into the lines, rallying soldiers as he rode straight for where the Dragon was still ailing under the Glaive Shadows. He reformed a small contingent of soldiers in his wake, brave men willing to risk saving the Imperial Dragon. On his way there, Hengest Harhold gambled that the Imperial Dragon would stop thrashing if he blew a high-pitched dog-whistle.
His gamble paid off, just as he blew the whistle, the Dragon's head reared who seemed to finally be aware that someone was coming to help it, causing it to stop thrashing. The Glaive Shadows in bewildered response turned to Hengest then, one of them throwing a dagger that just cut by his cheek as he ducked sideways to avoid it, the Glaive Shadow transporting to the dagger just as it passed him, stabbing the sword down on Hengest. Hengest luckily dove just out of the way, throwing himself off the horse, causing the horse to get stabbed in the back, killing it practically instantly as it was disemboweled. Hengest lay defenceless on the floor then, but was not alone, and soldiers quickly formed up around him and set forth a charge on the Glaive Shadows.
Now severely outnumbered, the Glaive Shadows retreated one by one, frustrated that the Dragon no longer fought back, thus exposing them to the vastly outnumbering Regalian soldiers. Hengest was helped back up to his feet, knowing full well that while the army was retreating, and they would soon be surrounded by the Kathar. He made way to the Dragon, and for a moment of silence on the field, there was a strange sense of acknowledgement on both sides. To Hengest, the Dragon was large and fierce, but also intensely vulnerable. The ground around it was doused in blood that colored the mud a deep burgundy red, Hengest walked closer while the soldiers around them formed up a defensive barrier. The Dragon could not speak, nor could it seemingly move. Its wings were half torn, part of the tail had been nearly severed and blood was oozing from every orifice.
Hengest didn't quite know what to do, but in that moment, the best course of action seemed to be to put his hand on the Dragon's nose, a small sign of comfort in a scene that seemed eerily much like one of Hengest's dogs that he had in his teenage years, mauled by wolves in the forest on a hunt with his father, breathing its last breaths while he tried to pet it for comfort. There was a faint understanding visible in the eye of the Dragon that looked at Hengest, just before it closed and the Dragon turned back to Human form, a mangled heap in the mud. The Dragon, much like Hengest, had known that if Hengest hadn't come back, the Dragon would have been lost here. Hengest quickly mounted the unconscious Prince onto the back of a fresh horse that had arrived with a few knights on horseback, and rode with escort away from the battlefield, just as the vanguard started closing in and the final soldiers moved away from that blood drenched mudpit.
While the calamity ensued amidst the Harhold column, so too was it beginning for Field General Baldurr Norrvakts. The 50,000 man strong host which had been tasked with assisting Harhold in breaking through the outer wall force was also expected to watch for a Wolond Ambush from the trees, but after witnessing the fall of the Imperial Dragon and hearing the call for retreat, Baldurr gave the Order with withdraw. Just as quickly as the message was relayed to Baldurr's frontline Commanders, so too came the horns signalling the attack from the trees. Immediately Baldurr issued command to defend the dei Vinicii and Harhold Columns in retreat whilst also sending riders to have Field Marshal Dietrich von Drachenburg send his and Field General Reimar Typhonus's auxillary force in assistance. Field Commanders Henrik Norrvakt, Valtin von Dietrich and Garth Viduggla saw to the retreat for Baldurr's force. The Wolond force was considerable and fast, which quickly caught up on the retreating force.
Amidst the skirmish, Henrik Norrvakt took a grazing wound from a Wolond spear, though nothing that would cause him anything more than irritation, Benjamin Syldove took an axe to the thigh which nearly knocked him from his horse but thankfully for him he managed to remain steady and flee with the retreating force. Yet, the worst affected was Valtin von Dietrich who not only took two spears to the back, but also fell from his horse and ended up trampled by Benjamin's own stead, breaking both of his legs. It was only by the sheer expertise of Garth Viduggla that he was whisked away by a couple of retreating Skaggers at Garth's command. The Viduggla remained on the front, fighting back waves of Wolond alongside Chengis, Onihrulir Uliekuler, Ara Luro, Urijah Jamesson, Saffean and a few hundred Tenpenny soldiers. With Garth in command, the small force bought enough time for Reimar Typhonus's force to move further south from their initial holding point to assist the retreat. Saffaen and Garth distinguished themselves the most amongst their northern comrades, slaying Wolond after Wolond and arguably saving hundreds of lives in the retreat. Ara Luro and Chengis also performed adequately, reinforcing Garth and Saffaen and ensuring they were adequately defended from their flanks. Sadly, Urijah Jamesson amidst the fighting took multiple surface cuts to his arms which prevented him from being able to adequately perform without being over burdened by pain and Onihrulir Uliekuler himself was overrun by ambushers, being stabbed multiple times before being able to escape at the help of the Tenpenny soldiers with them.
Back at sea, the Black Armada was expeditiously preparing for their retreat from the area, but not before firing multiple rounds into the Kathar forces chasing the Regalian host out of the area. Noting that the battle was lost, Christopher ordered that Alvaro de Santigo and the other captains prepare their ships to leave the area and regroup with Karl Gustav av Nystrom outside of Merkar'sarh and prepare for a full blown counter attack that he presumed was inevitable. The order came not a moment too soon either. As the ships began to turn, bells rang out to indicate incoming ships. These were not the usual Kathar bone ships, however: These were Altalar Frigates, and a large number of them at that. Black raised the signal to hold fire, expecting them to be reinforcements but as each one started to turn to its broadside it became apparent that was not the case. He gave the order to fire, bombarding four of the seventeen Altalar ships with cannon fire, sinking each one in a matter of minutes. The gray-skinned individuals that jumped from the decks into the water made it clear that these Altalar ships were not manned by Altalar at all, but indeed were likely captured from Nuthotehk when the invading force conquered the area.
Alvaro de Santigo began to return fire of his own, his cannons blaring but not exactly finding its mark each time. The Division Admiral's signal for retreat remained steadfast, prompting Alvaro into action. He quickly ordered an evasive maneuver to avoid any further return fire the Kathar may be preparing. He was moderately successful, albeit having to slightly damage the hull of his ship from the shallows of Shipwrecker bay to follow Black's suit. The remainder of the ships continued to bombard the Altalar vessels, sinking another six before finally making free. Casualties were low, some sailors, including the Gallovian Guard Lysander Blackwood had been hit with wooden shrapnel from the one Warship the Regalians lost in the midst of the battle though thankfully Quinn Shu'elsi was on sight to see to the wounded and, unlike in former battles, held his tact perfectly. Arguably, the man saved the sight of Lysander Blackwood, who had splinters of wood penetrate the weaker parts of his armor damaging his eyes, wrists, legs and waist. The ships remained hotly in pursuit of the retreating Regalian Force, but despite all odds reinforcements for the Regalians was on the horizon. Despite having been given orders to keep his detachment in Merkar'sarh, the blasts of lightning from the Imperial Dragon's descent spurred Wing Admiral Karl Gustav av Nystrom into action and, much to Christopher's amazement, the man astonishingly prepared, even with his low warship count, the perfect counter fire and obliterated the first few ships on the Black's trail. After this small victory, the Black armada turned to engage alongside the Wing Admiral and, in an amazing display of true Regalian naval prowess, completely decimated the oncoming force with no casualties whatsoever. After a small amount of cheering and celebration from the Regalian side, all Regalian vessels, minus the one sank warship, began its return to Merkar'sarh.
Back at the battle, Field General Reimar Typhonus's force, now combined by von Drachenburg's token auxiliary cavalry force under Audric Kraus, a small infantry force under Joachim von Duerr and a reserve force under Erwald Ravenstad raced into the fray alongside Reimar's own Field Commanders. Audric Kraus's cavalry charge seemed to disorientate the enemy Wolond who partly began to retract back into the forest, their sprinting footsteps thundering. Erwald Ravenstad's force was also successful, rounding up the Regalian survivors and fending off any remaining would be Wolond attackers while Joachim von Duerr stole the show, commanding his force to shield wall the oncoming threat which the Wolond in their primitive state could not overpower with their weapons and magic alone. In fact, Joachim's actions would mark a pivotal moment in the battle, his quick thinking action practically ensuring Garth's unit was successful in their retreat. However, Dietrich von Drachenburg's plan had played exactly into the Wolond's plan. With von Drachenburg's reserve force distracted, the Field Marshal was left exposed to a secondary attack from the forests behind which quickly overwhelmed the small reserve force still stationed their for their defence. The Kathar had outsmarted the Field Marshal, who was now all set to be captured and ransomed back to the Empire, or made an example of as Harhold had done months before to one of the Kathar's own.
Von Drachenburg despite ordering his men not to surrender could only watch on in horror as one by one his defence force was slaughtered. He drew his sword, ready to fight for his own life until the force was upon him. This was it, this was his time and with a sharply drawn breath, he prepared himself to traverse into the Everwatch. Just then, before they could strike, one by one each Wolond fell to the floor, arrows peppering them from afar as the Typhonus Infantry sprinted in to rescue. Field Commander Leopold Typhonus rushed to the von Drachenburg's defence alongside his sister Theodora Typhonus and Eomaric of Morra. The three fought back the Wolond as they escorted the Field Marshal to safter location. Theadora Typhonus herself showed expertise in her swordsmanship, taking out at least a dozen Wolong single handedly, with Leopold himself only doing moderately as good in comparison. Eomaric acted as a personal bodyguard for the von Drachenburg, urging the von Drachenburg to stay close and reassuring him that he would be safe. Sadly this would not remain the case for Eomaric himself. Seconds after the words left his lips he was speared through the neck by a Wolond screamer. All Dietrich could do was flee, pulled along by Theadora and Leopold, watching from over his shoulder as the Wolond surrounded Eomaric, stabbing into his lifeless corpse to ensure he would not be getting back up.
True to the Typhonus banner, practically all fighters showed prowess on the field of battle in the subsequent retreat. Hannah Lexen, the Imperial Guard fought valiantly alongside Elros Typhonus, both synergizing their attacks well and cutting through the Kathar skirmishers like butter until Hannah herself took a spear to the shoulder, disabling her from fighting further. The two remaining Field Commanders, Jorous Dracheslayer and Vivana Ennemera rallied the last of the soldiers including Kruul, Adélaïde of Grishougue, Aeawyn Iltavyn made a final push to repel the Wolond force from following. Jorous and Vivana's leadership was sturdy spurring the surrounding warriors to fight to their very last. Aeawyn Iltavyn, Markos Kaiser and Adelaide of Grishougue performed valiantly, fighting in unison and each cutting down their fair share of foes. Vivana Ennemara performed less well, taking down two Kathar before taking a flesh wound, fleeing subsequently with the retreating force. The worst affected by the battle however was Kruul who was practically a walking pincushion of arrows, no doubt leaving him pained trying to move for the next week and a half. "They're falling back!" Vivana Ennemera yelled, glancing over her shoulder. The Wolond force had, thanks to Reimar Typhonus and his men, failed in their objective to capture Field Marshal Drachenburg, and the remainder of the Typhonus, dei Vinicii, Viduggla and Harhold retreated successfully, with the injured Imperial Dragon in tow and not a moment too soon, as, while they were busy on the battlefield, trouble was also brewing in Merkar'sarh.
Field General Aldwyn Howlester had organized his force in Merkar'sarh in the meantime, unaware of the retreat just yet. The men and women registered as his aid, by his command, began their steps in securing the city. Merkar'sarh was a prime target--this the Field General Aldwyn knew--and stationed each figure to better suit ensuring the city's security. Defensive positions were claimed by all, ones that lent some form of opportunity for opposing offensive tactics on their side. Granted, the Field General was not entirely familiar with those under his banner, and the placement of these troops more or less hinted at this. Some men were stationed too close together while others marked down too far from their ally, which left room for mildly questionable results. While the force was more or less readily positioned along Merkar'sarh, the retaliation that came instead was nothing expected. A sudden, ominous darkness swelled up from various sewer entries, and not long after came the equally disturbing and haunting displays of Void magic. Dark Kathar Mages seemingly poured up from the ground. Within moments, the faces of the mages in the elite squadron climbed to their feet. It was an inevitable fury the Field General Howlester's forces would have to take on. Howlester urged his men to action, but found himself at a loss for words when the foreboding, retaliating cry of another force soon joined the Kathar Mages'. Pale and lifeless figures armed to their teeth gripped and grabbed their way above ground, out of the sewer paths Merkar'sarh owned. Various Kathar mages could do naught else but smirk and bore their wily grins to their non-Kathar opponents. It became distinctly clear, then, that though things seemed risky only moments ago, the stakes were higher and deadlier. Undead rained in under the evident command and leadership of the elite Kathar mages. A silence briefly filled the city--a strange and calamitous tension--before all weapons raised.
Howlester struggled to line his men in properly to fend off the onslaught of Undead. They did not show weakness or pain to any weapon strikes, and fought relentlessly, tirelessly. Edmure Howlester swept in to steer some of the fighters back into strict formation, but in his greatest efforts to rally the men with steely morale, he was caught off-guard and suddenly knocked off his feet. A Kathar mage had grabbed him with a dark, giant and ethereal hand, and started squeezing him, rendering him useless given he could not move his weapon, and breaking a rib that would easily make it difficult for him to sit or stand upright without significant pain for a week. It was only thanks to Faraine Olawenys that Edmure Howlester avoided being catastrophically suffocated any further; and though she suffered some bruises and cuts from her lunging attack to the mage, who had an Undead closeby, she managed to cut the arm from the Kathar and render their magic useless. Asher Rhylovas took position on one of the outer perimeters of his section and targeted a couple of the Kathar mages with his Spearmen of Cal'Thorai spell, which effectively blocked some of the Kathar from throwing out their castables directly and also gave some of the Regalians a chance to push back. Vulmar, heated by the flurry of battle, engaged viciously but fell short of spatial awareness, which resulted in him being blindsided by a hefty Undead soldier that bombarded him with blunt force. The blunt weapon of the Undead fractured a rib, dislocated his shoulder and left a large and painful bruise on his hip that would make it difficult to walk properly for at least a week.
The frenzied battle only continued to grow increasingly chaotic. A swarm of Undead brought Elyon to the ground and stomped and beat her with weapons just before she could use her Witchblood Mutations, resulting in a broken arm and a broken hand alongside several cuts. Ernesta de Letoirneau strode through hacking and slicing at a handful of the distracted Undead, thus giving time for Elyon to be moved elsewhere, and brought down the Kathar mage who commanded said-Undead. Leironse Jacyrin fought just as hard with admirable skill, and lagged not too far behind from Ernesta in the ventures of cutting down Undead soldiers. He swiped the arms of one Undead and left Bel-Gyarhyabrin Tibearthus to the rest. Out of all Howlester's force, Bel-Gyarhyabrin seemed to flow through the mixture of Kathar and Undead like water, beating and killing and severing the threats in his immediate path. It would be no doubt his excelling skills shown on the city battle would be remarked upon later… But the biggest challenge was still incomplete, and the Regalian force knew this. Syriel Daerinth fended off a Kathar mage, avoided its haunting projectile magic attacks, though not without getting grazed by one first, and brought it down with a strong cleave. Zelgius Pavise was a different case, however, for he struggled in defending himself and his battleside companion, Sibyllad Lykke, who began to buckle from the sheer numbers and force of the Undead climbing onto her. One by one, their pale hands scratched and swatted at her, leaving her bruised, cut and with several slices on the shoulders. Zelgius registered Sibyllad's panicking struggle and swiped at some of the backs of the Undead, which urged some of them to turn and attack him. He suffered some hard hits to the head. It only got worse from there. Cyprien Bongrante's cries of panic were lost in some of the flurry of dark Kathar mages and Undead as he was surrounded and cut on the cheek, on his hip and at the back of his calf, which would make walking painful for at least a week. Theresa of Linau took on a considerable amount of damage in her efforts to fight for her Regalian-side companions: in the middle of facing a rather frightening, horned and spindly Kathar mage, it bombarded her with a sudden storm of projectiles that lodged into her abdomen and arms, and pinned her to the ground. Frankland Rote was left in jambles trying to secure a choice on the field--whether to aid one person or the other--and got smacked in the eye by the pommel of a dark Kathar blade, which would leave a heavy bruise for at least a week easily. By some luck, the scrambling trio had their opposers distracted suddenly by the deeds of Freya Grey, who bashed them aside in quick motions only to stab and smack down their heads, and Leufred du Brierust who also shown with considerable and remarkable talent in the one-sided battle. Despite the power of the Kathar mages, Leufred managed to cut through several and use his Witchblood Mutations to render some of them useless just long enough for Howlester to issue his orders to retreat.
Howlester's forces, in the middle of it all, had been pushed so far back into a corner of Merkar'sarh that any other direction was cut off. Even the finest of actions taken from the Regalians was not enough to butt back against the Kathar and their enslaved Undead soldiers. The haunting sounds of Kathar chants, spells, and cries clouded alongside the panicked, shrill voices of the Regalians. The Field General need only look around to see that even the most valiant of efforts would not land them this victory, and for a moment he felt the steeping guilt of being responsible for every wound and loss dealt on his forces. When all hope felt lost, when the sharp drive of the savage Kathar felt their strongest, the sudden roar of war horns blurred outward into the sky. The Kathar's attention fell to the entry that had just posted off, only to see the retreating Regalian Force had returned and were quickly overwhelming the city. The Kathar's pin-down tactic had left their side open to the retreated force, which drove their weapons into several Undead. The Kathar mages lost their focus and could not find a suitable time or opportunity to try and recast, thus leaving them vulnerable to the swiftly charging and overwhelming Regalian Force. The Kathar and remaining Undead soldiers hastened their draw back into the underground, and the Regalian Force quickly met with Field General Howlester's men to get them back in motion. The brutally wounded, beaten, and struck Howlester fighters limped and dragged their way to the nearest medics. Thanks to the returning force, Merkar'sarh was safe. For now.
It was a truly devastating blow on the Regalian side, one that would need time and restrategizing to heal from. For every Kathar that died, three Regalian soldiers fell in tandem. The Undead proved mighty a foe; their tirelessness and immunity to pain gave them a significant advantage against their opponents. Many Regalians could not withstand the force and power of both Undead and magic combined, and many succumbed to the sheer amount of pain, injury, and blood loss suffered. Nuthotehk proved to be a sturdily defended point backed by the savage minds of the elite squadron of Kathar mages and their Shenath soldiers. This might of magic intermingled in the ranks of the Kathar only proved more deadly in the war and the crash landing of the Imperial Dragon. A great beast that manned the skies brought down by the ways of corrupted magic and Void-tainted abilities was a loss that the Regalian forces could not ignore.
