The Rei Xu War (Shezon: Fall Rise War) was a titanic war between the Valmer and Darwishi peoples, spanning for four years and fought on the continent of Barachis. It ended in the defeat of the Darwishi people and gave way for the Valmer to take over the near entirety of the continent, starting an empire that would last over six hundred years.
In modern day, most call the war the Rei Xu War meaning ‘rise fall war’ in both the Shezon and the dialect the Darwishi use. However it was not always that way. During the war the Darwishi called it the Xealivon War, and the Valmer called it the Xīnium War, meaning new home war. The Sammak, whom only participated at the very end of the war, are still to this day not know to have a name for the conflict, whereas the Jallark and Yeenin peoples call it the Drelek war or Independence war.
The name for it now ‘Rei Xu War’ only came thousands of years after the conflict, in the year’s right before the founding of the Barachian Empire. This was a time when the Darwishi and the Dalmer (Descendants of the Valmer) were allies to some degree. Because of that they changed the name of the war to fit them both, using both of their languages combined to name it. To this day, modern scholars of the Barachian Empire call this conflict the Rei Xu War, and it will remain as such for the years to come.
Background[]
On the year 1448 of the age of Yorgoth, the volcano of Kongbu (Shezon:Terror) on the archipelago of Alt-Maor erupted. The result was devastating, a vast majorty of the Shezeen people where wiped out, refusing to leave their home, and many Valmer also perished in the liquid flames. Those that survived did so by boarding a great fleet, reminding the Valmer that only a thousand years ago their ancestors did the same.
Meanwhile, the continent of Barachis was in a state of extreme tension. The Darwishi Empire was slowly crumbling, and its inhabitants moving for some unknown reason to Abubakar. Some took advantage of this, like the Jallark and Yeenin peoples living in what is now called Duessha. They rebelled against the Darwishi, forcing their Atum, Telzoak, to march an army into the hot desert sands. As this was happening, the fish people known as the Sammak, begun to feel the Darwishi Empire fade away and took steps to consolidate their power. With all these factions gridlocked in tension, all it took was for one arrival to push it over the edge.
Packed inside a fleet of ships, the Valmer and what was left of the Shezeen made their way south, narrowly passing the island of Naos and then heading North West. They then landed on strange shores, and begun to rebuild their shattered remains. But they were watched by the Darwishi, suspicious of their activity. From there, it is still unknown who struck the first blow, whether it be the Darwishi seeing this race as inferior, or the Valmer trying to expand. Never the less, a war started that would consume Barachis, and change it forever…
Theatres of conflict[]
Feldurium[]
First landings[]
On the first day of the one thousandth four hundredth and fiftieth year of the Age of Yorgoth, the Valmer, a now homeless people arrive on the shores of what is now known as Feldurium. Unopposed, they begin settling the land, claiming it as their own, as their old homeland of Alt-Maor lay in ashes. Little did they know that their progress had been watched by unwelcome eyes, the Darwishi.
The Darwishi where amused by this new threat, and sought to get rid of these alien people as soon as possible. They launched lightening raids onto the Valmer, trying to weaken their main force as they waited for reinforcements to arrive from Abubakar. However, un-expectantly the Valmer retaliated with the intent of gaining as much ground as possible. The effect on the Darwishi was devastating, as their small force was swiftly pushed back by the Valmer advance.
Surprised by this new threat, what was left of the Darwishi leadership in modern day Feldurium begun to rally what forces they had in an effort to force the Valmer into the sea from whence they came. They also tried to gain more soldiers from Abubakar, in order to outnumber Valmer forces and attack them from both sides. However these soldiers did not come after weeks of waiting. So, reluctently, the Darwishi ordered their soldiers to attack the Valmer numbering little more than 14,000.
Battle of Hóngsè river[]
The two armies eventually metat what the Valmer (now Dalmer) still call the Hongse river, with the Darwishi number
Location of the Battle of Hongse River
ng 14,000, and the Valmer numbering only 11,000 plus an additional 600 Shezeen warriors. Both sides seeing no way to cross the river and win the battle decided to bunker down on each side of the river. For the Darwishi, this was a point to them as they had a secret weapon to unleash on the Valmer forces. Their mages begun to cast plagues straight into the Valmer ranks, expecting their lines to fall into chaos from the disease and sickness. However the Valmer answered in turn, blocking their magic with elaborate warding spells that took the Darwishi by surprise as they had never seen any enemy stand their magic.
Realising that this battle could not be won by magic alone, the Darwishi decided to take to more conventional means. When the first night fell they initiated lightening raids on the Valmer camps to great effect, taking down more than fifty of the Valmer while only losing twenty soldiers. The Valmer and Shezeen acted in turn, sending raiding teams to confuse and disorientate the enemy, striking fast and hitting the Darwishiat their sore spots. These raids were much more effective than the Darwishi ones, taking down more than a hundred of their soldiers losing only a dozen.
The Darwishi leaders convened that morning, realising that the Valmer forces as competent as their own, despite having slightly less in number. Knowing that the attacking the Valmer head on will only lead to their doom they decided to starve the Valmer into submission. Using their magic, the Darwishi cursed the land around the Valmer, killing all flora and fauna around their army in order to stave them. This worked well for the Darwishi, as the Valmer moral begun to plummet because of the lack of food. This forced the Valmer General, Yībān to plan for an attack on the Darwishi forces.
Yiban, in the darkness of the night ordered his Shezeen soldiers to cloak themselves in illusion magic, then to cross the river to the west. As they did so Yiban prepared the rest of his troops to attack the unwary Darwishi. Fortunately for the Valmer and Shezeen, the cloaked soldiers made it to the other side, and begun to kill the Darwishi in their beds. In the confusion, the Darwishi leaders managed to rally their forces against the Shezeen. But they were slammed upon from the side, and the Darwishi moral begun to fail. The Darwishi leaders saw no hope to win now, and ordered the soldiers to withdraw from the field, to hopefully recover their numbers. With the Darwishi routed the Valmer and Shezeen stood victorious with only 534 dead, whereas the Darwishi suffered from more than 3000 dead dying or wounded.
With only roughly 11,000 elves, the Darwishi retreated back north, towards the mountains in that area. Rather then give up the rich resources of modern day Feldurium, the Darwishi begun to use scorched earth tactics, burning the ground with both fire and magic. This caused the area above the Hongse River to become a plain as it is still today. These tactics for the most part worked on the Valmer, as they were already running out of food from the battle. Because of this Yiban ordered his troops back, to link back up with the Valmer a Shezeen people in order to consolidate his rule over what he dubbed ‘Chuírim’ (Hammers edge) which is now part of modern day Feldurium.
As the stalemate continued in Churim (Feldurium), a second fleet of Valmer and Shezeen under the command of Jiàn Gēbo, steadily sailed west towards the land now known as Solistal. They numbered 9900 Valmer with an additional 120 Shezeen warriors. They landed inside a massive bay, and with relative ease, begun to march to the west following the trail of mighty mountains. Little did they know that an uprising against the Darwishi people was taking place to the east in a desert land the Darwishi called ‘Ghubar’ (Now Duessha) Because of this uprising, the Valmer made it round the mountain and continued their way north up the peninsula.
However, in the bloodstained deserts of Ghubar the Darwishi army under the command of Telzoak Dar Yon heard word of this invasion, and at the same time heard about the Valmer victory at Hóngsè River. Telzoak was enraged by these invasions, and steered his army away from the fighting in Ghubar to meet the Valmer head on. His army of 5000 Darwishi soldiers and 6000 Jallark and Yeenin slaves marched into what is now known as Solistal to take on the Valmer.
Battle of Telzoak's Stand[]
The Darwishi army accompanied by their Jallark and Yeenin slaves made it to what is now known as the Nae burrow by the Solin. Telzoak ordered that they rest there, knowing that the Valmer where still a god few days away. But he underestimated their progress, and in reality they were only a day away. As the Darwishi set down to camp, Shezeen scouts found their position, staying hidden using Illusion magic, and spying on their movements. They then reported back to their commander, Jiàn Gēbo, and told him everything. With this new knowledge of Darwishi troops, he set about going in for the attack.
Jiàn sent his soldiers around the burrow using illusion magic to cover their advance. They eventually
Telzoaks plan
surrounded the burrow, effectively bringing it into a siege. However Telzoak’s magic was great, and he ‘sensed’ the Valmer approach and formed his own elaborate plans. He sent his Jallark and Yeenin slaves to attack the Valmers left vanguard then to flank the Valmer main force. Then he personally led his main for of 5000 Darwishi into battle to take on the Valmers right vanguard and main force.
The two forces met head on, with the Jallark and Yeenin slaves smashing into the unprepared Valmers left. Though they held against the impact of the slaves, their lines begun to waver, threatening to break into a route. While this happened, Telzoak and his army smashed into the Valmers right and front, causing chaos in their unprepared ranks. However Jiàn Gēbo, could not let this turn of events change the tide of battle, and so he sent out his personal cavalry right into the Jallark and Yeenin’s rear lines. This was a risky move as they were far outnumbered and the loss of the Valmer’s only cavalry would be devastating. However it paid off as the Jallark and Yeenin lines broke into oblivion, routing from the field, allowing the Valmers left vanguard to smash into the Darwishi main force.
Slowly but surely as the battle went on, the Darwishi were forced to give ground to the Valmer soldiers. Eventually, the Valmer forced the Darwishi back to the burrows, however with every step they payed dearly with the lives of their elves. Telzoak, knowing that the tide was heavily against him, rallied his elves for a final charge. This show of defiance caught the Valmer by surprise, and they began to give ground to Telzoak’s rage. Unfortunately for the Atum, he paid dearly for this attack. He was struck with no less than 24 arrows, all keenly shot by the Valmer archers, but as a final show of defiance he cast what remained of his life force into the Darwishi that had fallen. Now faced with an army of undead, and raging live Darwishi, the Valmer could take no more. They began to rout from the field, fleeing in the mountains.
The Darwishi may have been victorious, but it came at a dear cost. Their Atum was dead, the Jallark and Yeenin slaves where all but destroyed, and only 2000 live Darwishi where left. However the casualties for the Valmer were also devastating. 6000 of their 10,020 where dead or missing, being a terrible blow to their overall armed strength.
Battle of the two Lowly Mountain's[]
Beaten, battered, exhausted and defeated, the Valmer army retreated into the mountains. The conditions where terrible in the weeks they trekked, exposed to frosty winds and freezing rains. Many did not survive this retreat, as an estimated 150 soldiers died from overexposure to the harsh environment. Eventually Jiàn Gēbo had enough of this, and ordered his troops to rest in the caves that littered the mountain sides, hoping for his army to recover from their terrible defeat to the Darwishi.
The Valmer rested for a week in the mountains, fortifying their tenuous position in case of an improbable Darwishi attack. But then something happened that they did not fully expect. The Valmer rear scouts had caught sight of a Darwishi army numbering only two thousand soldiers, approaching their position.Jiàn Gēbo knew this was his chance for redemption, and prepared his army to ambush the enemy. He divided his Valmer soldiers in two, placing them at each end of a small valley that cut its way between two lowly mountains. He ordered for them to hide in the caves that dotted the sides of these two mountains, only to attack when the Darwishi where close.
The Darwishi column entered right into the Valmer trap, being flanked from all sides and fired upon by arrows. But instead of routing like Jiàn Gēbo had expected, the Darwishi army went into a rage. They charged the Valmer, shouting curses and insults, not caring for the wounds they suffered, and attacked the Valmer all out. The Valmer may of broken then and their if wasn’t for Jiàn, he charged what remained of his cavalry right into the front of the Darwishi army, inspiring his troops to fight on. The battle continued as the ring of steel on steel echoed across the mountains, and the blood of elves covered the ground. Unfortunately for the Darwishi, despite their rage, hadn’t the numbers to take on the Valmer force. And eventually all fell to the Valmer and Shezeen blade.
The Darwishi was defeated, and their standing army in what is now known as Solistal, was annihilated by the Valmer. However the cost for the Valmer was also high, by the end of the battle, they had but 2800 soldiers remaining on the field. But despite these now low numbers,Jiàn Gēbo ordered his elves to march north, to take all of western Barachis for the Valmer and Shezeen peoples.
Valmer advance
Winter was coming fast as it was already was the month of Withered Leaf. Jiàn Gēbo knew this well, and if he stayed in the mountains of what is now known as Solistal, he and his men were doomed. So pushed his elves further, as exhausted as they were, hoping to find a way out of the mountains. As he did this, Jiàn sent envoys back to Chuírim (Feldurium) to tell them of his successes and his now depleted army. He also asked for more reinforcements, as his army was almost destroyed in the two battles he had fought.
With the request for reinforcements sent, Jiàn set his sights north, planning on marching until he hit the northern coastline. However he had no idea how long this vast distance was, and that it would be another year before he made it there. Never the less he marched his army forward on a mad dash to this coast line, stretching his supply lines thinner and thinner.
Battle of Crystal Lake
Eventually, the Valmer army made it to a vast lake, exhausted and out of supplies thanks to Jiàn’s mad dash to reach the northern coastline. They rested there, hoping that that the supplies would reach them in time so they could continue northwards. However, another force was approaching them, with the intent of stopping the Valmer there and then.
These were Darwishi coming from the jungles of the north, enraged at the death of their leader, raising an army with what little amount of elves they had. This army consisted of only 1000 Darwishi, as there was not many still living in what is now known as Darigo. But this army came down all the same with the hope of stalling the Valmer long enough for winter to arrive.
The Valmer forward scouts spotted their approach in the darkness of the night, heavily concealed by illusion magic. They reported back to Jiàn Gēbo, telling him everything on this new threat, and that it would take only two day for them to reach them. Despite wanting to take the offensive on the Darwishi,Jiàn was unable to do so, as his army was tired from the long march. Instead, he began setting defences, building a stockade of sorts to defend against this new threat.
The Darwishi found out about this defence, and against every fibre of themselves, they decided to wait, trying to stall the Valmer advance until winter.Jiàn Gēbo was unhappy about this turn of events; a delay now meant he may not be able to reach the north of Barachis before winter, something he hoped to do. But he knew his army was unable attack in the condition they were in, and reluctantly decided to wait for a few days. However, little did he know that the Darwishi where in the same predicament, they were enraged by their Atum’s death and wished to avenge him. For the next week, discontent spread through the Darwishi ranks, and finally they could bear it no more. On the next dawn, they attacked.
As snow begun to fall onto the ground, the Valmer where awakened by screams of fury and revenge. Quickly manning their posts in a speed never before seen, the Valmer prepared for a massive wave of Darwishi attackers. However, they were too late. The Darwishi overran the stockades with ease and begun to put the torch to the Valmer camp.Jiàn however, could not have this, and he rallied his elves for a counter attack, also sending a few undercover of Illusion magic to flank the Darwishi. The two armies met in clash of steel and blood, as the yells of defiance rang over the lake. For the most part, the counter attack succeeded, as the Darwishi where slowly forced back by the onrushing tide of Valmer soldiers. However the Darwishi would not give in, making the Valmer pay with every step. Eventually it seemed evident that the Valmer would prevail, as the Darwishi army begun to thin.
After hours of bloody fighting, the Darwishi were utterly destroyed, but the Valmer lost many elves that day. 700 of their soldier lay dead, and with such a heavy loss the Valmer army where unable to move forward. Some still say that the Darwishi won that day, succeeding in stalling the Valmer until winters chill came, and reinforcements finally arrived from Abubakar…
A winter stalemate
As winters chill settled over Barachis, the fighting ground into a halt. Unable to move because of the vicious winter weather, the Valmer on the east and west were forced to stop their advances north, giving the Darwishi valuable breathing time. During this winter, the leaders of the Darwishi in Abubakar did not sit idle. They were enraged by their Atums death, and disgusted with the
Darwishi on the frontlines that let in happen. So they sent a new commander to take the field, a female Darwishi by name of Elghnag Var Son. She, accompanied by 10,000 scorpion men axillaries, and 800 Darwishi sorcerers landed in what is now known as Andromedas to meet with the Darwishi leaders that had failed to hold back the Valmer advance. She personally ripped their souls from their bodies as an offering to Yorgoth, their god, and declared that she would push the Valmer back to the sea, and crush the Jallark and Yeenin uprising.
As her first act as commander of the Darwishi,Elghnag Var Son sent her scorpion men to what is now known as Darigo, and they raised 800 fighting Darwishi there. She took then command of the remains of the Darwishi army in what is now known as Andromadas, and she had and overall strength of 22,600 across all northern Barachis. Whereas the Valmer only had a fighting force of 12,566 spread out in Solistal and Feldurium, only about half the number of the Darwishi. The Valmer knew this, and so they sought their own ways to get more soldiers onto the field. Using unorthodox methods, the Valmer ‘persuaded’ the local beast population of what is now known as Feldurium and Solistal to boost their numbers. They raised a total of 5,000 from the burrows of Solistal and 2,000 from Feldurium, increasing their overall strength to a total of 19,566.
As winter finally begun to end, the snow and chill did not cease to stop. Most think to this day that this was a direct result of the eruption of Kongbu in Alt-Maor, but some still attribute this to the sorcery of the Darwishi. Whatever the truth is, this extended winter caused a cease in all military activities in Barachis, and gave the leaders of both nations to plan their attack. General Yībān of the Valmer, decided that in order to secure victory for the Shezeen and Valmer, they must block all routes from Abubakar to mainland Barachis. This, for him would effectively provide a means to the end of the war, as the Darwishi army in the north would be trapped and easily destroyed. He sent his plans to Jiàn Gēbo, and told him to provide a distraction for the Darwishi on the western front. However Elghnag Var Son had plans of her own. She knew that the Valmer had gained extra soldiers, and she knew thatJiàn Gēbo’s force in the west was the most valuable. Despite this, she couldn’t attack on one front without compromising the other, and because of this she called for more reinforcements from Abubakar, so she could lead an attack.
Naval front[]
When winters grasp finally let go of Barachis,Yībān put his plan into action. He sent 70 ships towards the strait between
Naos
Battle of Red Sea's location
and mainland Barachis; with 27 of these being Shezeen fireships. With good strong winds on their side, they made good progress up north down through the strait, passing past many small islands. Unfortunately, then came the first of the Valmer’s bad luck. Darwishi, whom still lived on these islands saw this fleet of Valmer, and sent ships to what is now known as Andromadas to warn the main army. However, oblivious to this turn of events, the Valmer continued on, catching sight of a Darwishi fleet.
Battle of red sea's[]
The Valmer had found the reinforcements that Elghnag Var Son requested from Abubakar, mainly consisting of Margob mercenaries, and a few Darwishi all packed on small sea going crafts. To the Valmer navy this was a jackpot, as these reinforcements to the frontline only had 12 warships protecting them. They moved in for attack, putting their Shezeen fireship in front to engage the few warships the Darwishi had. They had a devastating effect on the Darwishi ships, shooting out fire from the bows of their ships, surprising them and setting their ships alight. Within only half an hour of the battle, the 12 Darwishi warships where sunk or alight in fire, whereas the Valmer only lost two of their fireships.
Confused, and afraid of these fireships, the Margob captains did the obvious and turned tail to the Valmer. Sensing victory and the complete annihilation of the Margob fleet, the Valmer pursued the fleeing ships, with the wind heavily on their side. They caught up to the packed Margob ships with ease, and with their fireships the Valmer made short work of them, filling the sea with their blood. However for the Valmer, things turned for the worse as the second part of their bad luck was unveiled. The Darwishi islanders were successful in warning Elghnag Var Son of the Valmer fleet, and she with a fleet of only 40 ships set out to meet the Valmer personally, as the distraction force in Solistal never diverted them.
The Valmer captains caught sight of this new threat, and tried to turn their fleet around to meet them, but to no avail. The wind that had been with them the entire time was now going directly into them, which some speculate was from the Darwishi sorcerers. With the Valmer fleet awkwardly positioned in a packed mass, five ships broke off from the Darwishi fleet. These ships smashed into the packed mass of warships, spreading plague and disease on those ships unlucky enough to bring up their wards. With this attack the Valmer panicked, as the rest of the Darwishi fleet steamrolled towards them, with Elghnag Var Son standing on the bow of the ship in front. They released a cascade of plaguing magic onto the Shezeen fireships, effectively knocking them out of order before smashing into the compact mass of Valmer ships. With superior soldiers, the Darwishi jumped from ship to ship, slaughtering the confused crews in the name of Yorgoth and Telzoak.
Within the space of a few hours, nearly all of the Valmer where dead, with but a few escaping out onto the seas. 36 of the Valmer ships where sunk, with another 32 captured by the Darwishi and another four fleeing from the field. But this victory came a mighty price for the Darwishi. The entire Margob mercenary army was destroyed, which was a loss not only for the frontlines, but to the Darwishi purse as well. In responses to this frustration,Elghnag Var Son filled one of the capture vessels with the heads of the slain Valmer, and sent it to the Valmer in Feldurium as a further insult to them.
Alt-Nai Era[]
After the Battle of red sea's, the first year of the Rei Xu war passed, and despite a few major setback, the Valmer held their
Valmer advance
heads high. This for them was the start of a new era, dubbed the Alt-Nai era (Shezon:High era) An era in which they could live in peace and harmony with one and other. However the Darwishi stood in the face of that dream, and for that they had to be destroyed. General Yībān on the 2nd of Sun's heat assembled his army to launch an offensive into Darwishi owned territory, and regain his lost pride.
Yībān quickly asserted his rule over the rest of what is now known as southern Feldurium, and then steadily marched his way north much to the Darwishi’s dismay. He encountered no resistance during this long march, as the Darwishi were occupied in the north east of what is now known as Andromedas after the battle of red sea’s. As such,Yībān gained much ground in his advance, beginning to outrun his dwindling supply lines.
When Elghnag Var Son finally heard word of the Valmer advance some eye witnesses claimed she laughed at this, as the Valmer had played right into her hands. She knew if she played her cards right, the entire Eastern Valmer army could be eliminated, and the western Valmer army left vulnerable. With her army of 11, 800 Darwishi, Elghnag Var Son marched to meet them, confident she could end the war with this coming battle. Her advance was surprisingly quick through the dense jungle, much faster than the Valmer could have anticipated. With this came the element of surprise, something Elghnag Var Son didn’t want to lose.
Battle of Shifting Tree's[]
Like Jiàn Gēbo, General Yībān had let his pride get to him in his mad dash to reach the northern coast, and it cost him dearly. His supply lines were stretched to their utmost limit, his men were tired, and the Darwishi, which he thought days away were getting every closer. Reluctantly, Yībān had to stop his advance, and set up camp to rest while their supplies caught up with them. Little did they know was that the Darwishi had just crossed a major river to east, and was getting ever closer unknown to the Valmer.
Eventually, the Darwishi force made it to the Valmer camp where their army rested, and waited for their supplies to catch up with them. They did so unawares, and thanks to the skill of their mages, the Darwishi set about surround the Valmer camp asElghnag Var Son ordered. However, despite Elghnag Var Son’s order to wait, many of the Darwishi wished to attack the resting Valmer to avenge their dead Atum that died only a year ago. A small part of the Darwishi army broke off from the main force because of this, and where spotted by the Valmer. Alerted by the Darwishi, Yībān rallied his entire army in mere minutes, and swiftly fought off the small Darwishi force with ease.
With the element of surprise lost, Elghnag Var Son knew that she would have to fight ever harder to destroy the Valmer force. She ordered her army to attack the Valmer whom were now in good order with all her armies’ strength. They descended on the Valmer army from three sides under cover from Darwishi archer fire from the treetops. Not ready for this attack, and thinking that the raging rabble that attacked them before was the main army, the Valmer steadily gave ground to the Darwishi forces. However, for every step the Darwishi took, they paid dearly with the lives of their men. Eventually as the battle progressed, General Yībān saw that the Darwishi archers in the trees were doing a great deal of damage to the Valmer morale. So, in response, he sent his Shezeen warriors under Illusion spells to deal with them. This proved successful, as the Valmer, no longer peppered with arrows pushed forward anew into the Darwishi ranks.
Meanwhile,Elghnag Var Son saw that the situation was slowly slipping away from her hands. Disgusted that her warriors were useless against the Valmer, she rode in herself accompanied by her sorcerers. With her fighting alongside them, the Darwishi armies morale heightened, and the Valmer were slowly pushed back once more. Yībān now knew that this battle was futile, and that he had no chance of winning. He ordered his Shezeen warriors to pin the Darwishi in place while his main army made the retreat. This strategy for the most part was successful. The Darwishi, pinned down by the Shezeen arrows were unable to pursue the fleeing Valmer, and so General Yībān and his elves and Shezeen exited the field with low casualties, much toElghnag Var Son’s dismay.
The Valmer left the field, however they left 3,700 dead on the field, mostly of the beast races that they had conscripted. The Darwishi however had only lost 1,400 fighting Darwishi making this battle a great victory for them. However, Elghnag Var Son had failed in her plan to eradicate the Valmer army in the east completely, and with her force of 10,400 she pursued the Valmer.
With only 9,366 soldiers remaining, GeneralYībān and his army retreated through the Jungle fauna, heading south east. In order to delay the Darwishi army underElghnag Var Son, he sent his Shezeen warriors into the treetops. They were ordered to fire upon the Darwishi army under illusion magic, and retreat only when the Darwishi begun to climb the trees. This tactic bogged the Darwishi down, and they began to lose ground following the Valmer. Eventually, the Valmer had outrun the Darwishi army, and General Yībān, desperate to regain his pride, ordered the Valmer to stop. He ordered them to not take one more step back, and declared that they would hold their ground no matter the odds.
Battle of Yībān's hold[]
General Yībān set his army up to ambush the unsuspecting Darwishi soldiers. His Shezeen warriors were hidden high in the tree’s, his Valmer were hiding in the shrubs, and what remained of the Beast soldiers were standing in the open, to be bait to the Darwishi. He planned that the Darwishi could not resist the chance to attack the beast men in the open, and when they did, the Valmer and Shezeen would ambush them driving them into a rout. With the plan set they waited, waited for the Darwishi approach eager to win a battle against them.
Eventually, following the wake of the Valmer army, Elghnag Var Son steadily closed in on the waiting Valmer, unaware of their ambush. However, she knew that the Valmer were tricksy, so she assigned a number of her men to climb the treetops. Because of this, the ambush was compromised, as the Darwishi in the treetops spotted the Valmer soldiers hiding in the shrub, just before they were fired upon by Shezeen archers. With the information about the coming ambush,Elghnag Var Son prepared her troops to create an ambush of their own.
She sent a small fraction of her army to engage with the Valmers beast bait, while two large groups of her army split to attack the Valmer either side. She also tasked her Sorcerers will the task of setting the trees ablaze, to burn out the Shezeen forces. However, before the attack was made, a Shezeen warrior notified General Yībān that the Darwishi had arrived and were not taking the bait. Knowing that he might be defeated again, he quickly changed his strategy just in the nick of time. He ordered his Valmer to abandon their positions in the bushes, and form a semi-circle defensive line, while the Shezeen jumped from tree to tree to get behind this new Valmer line.
On plan the small Darwishi force attacked the front of the Valmer army, where the bait was supposed to be. They were easily forced back by the full force of the Valmer army, leaving many behind motionless on the ground. The two other forces of Darwishi then slammed into the Valmer right and left, where they expected was to be the Valmer hiding. They were easily held back by the Valmer, however they were not completely routed and the battle dragged on.
Elghnag Var Son realizing that the battle was not going as planned sent in her sorcerers to turn the tide of battle. They set ablaze the trees near the Valmer force, causing panic and chaos in their ranks. Then, Elghnag Var Son rode into the battle personally, smashing into the Valmer forward ranks, unprepared for such an attack. General Yībān realized that this was his chance to end the war with his own hands; a leaderless army would be easily crushed. He rode in atop on his mount and engaged the Darwishi leader. The fought, exchanging blows with their swords, each trying to gain the advantage over the other. But, eventually, it was clear who would be the winner.Yībān was struck across the chest by Elghnag Var Son’s blade, but not before he smote her on the side. Yībān fell from his horse dead, whereas Elghnag Var Son fell back to her army, clutching a dreadful wound. The effects of this was devastating to the Valmer morale, and they broke. They fled the field, however they were by saved by the trees the Darwishi felled, as they blocked the pursuing Darwishi from running down the running Valmer.
Despite losing to the Darwishi, the Valmer casualties were light. They had lost only 600 soldiers during the battle, leaving them with only 8,766 soldiers remaining. The Darwishi however fared much worse, sustaining losses of over 900, lowing their numbers to 9,500. The Darwishi may have been victorious, but it came at a heavy price, and with the Valmer not destroyed this battle could be fatal for their overall war efforts.
With their leader dead, the Valmer fell back to the east where they hoped they could hold against the Darwishi in another battle. Elghnag Var Son, despite her wound, pursued them hoping to finally wipe them out and end the war in the east. However, she then received word that the Valmer were attacking on the western front, and with little choice, she decided to go and command the defence, leaving her army behind to stop any attempted attacks by the Valmer.
Three months late, Jiàn Gēbo received a letter requesting him to provide a divisionary attack while a Valmer fleet blockaded the Island of Naos. Unaware that this fleet had been utterly destroyed by the Darwishi, he rallied his army to assault what is now known as Dargio, to push the Darwishi out. Within the space of a few days his army of 2800 Valmer and 5,000 beast soldiers equalling 7,800 in total was rallied at Crystal lake ready to take on the Darwishi.
On the 26th of Heats respite,Jiàn Gēbo marched north, crossing into what is now known as Dargio facing no resistance as there was no Darwishi in the immediate area. However, little did they know was that they were in fact watching their every move, and were reporting back Elghnag Var Son as she fought in the east. Eventually, the Darwishi leader heard of Jiàn’s invasion after the Battle of Yībān's hold, and rode to command the Darwishi forces in the area, with the goal of stopping the attack so she could ride them out of what is now known as Solistal. However, the Valmer pushed up further then Elghnag Var Son expected, and the leaders of the Scorpion men auxiliaries were forced to engage them.
Battle of the Stingers touch[]
The two armies met just north of what is now known as the Wacha Mountains. With the Valmer having a force of 7,800 soldiers, and the Darwishi having a force of 10,000 scorpion men and 800 Darwishi, recruited from the harsh jungle. Jiàn Gēbo, knowing full well that he was hopelessly outnumbered decided on going on the defensive and prepared his army to hold off against a horde of beasts.
Jiàn found the highest piece of ground that he could, and then arranged him army into a semi-circle. He placed his Beast soldiers at the front, protecting him, and his limited number of Valmer warrior’s. The Darwishi on the other hand, did not create an offensive structure. Rather, concentrating all of their soldiers into a massive horde, that slowly approached the Valmer positions. With the stage set, the two forces came closer and closer to each other, knowing full well that this battle could change the course of the war.
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