King Pharandros took command of the remaining imperial troops in the provinces, and led them with the Tarsh army to conquer the disheartened Sartarites. Near where the Creek enters the Upland Marsh, some 5,000 Lunar soldiers faced off against less than 4,000 Sartarites led by Kallyr Starbrow. The Sartarites held a good defensive position at the base of Old Top Hill.
A band of Lunar elite soldiers were teleported behind the commanders, and Queen Kallyr was killed in battle. But Queen Leika Black Spear of the Colymar drove the enemy opposite her warriors into the river where they drowned, which caused the Lunar attack to stop.
The next day, Queen Leika harassed the survivors so much that they retired to Alda-Chur. King Pharandros, fearing the machinations of his rival Fazzur Wideread, quickly returned to Furthest with his most loyal officers and regiments.
The Sartarites, despite their victory, suffered heavy casualties. Prince Kallyr Starbrow was dead and would not return despite the prayers of the healers. The Colymar, as the most powerful tribe present, took possession of Kallyr’s body and brought her corpse back to Boldhome to be burned.
Now “the river behind them” would have been the Creek. Presumably there was a lot of Orlanth magic being cast and I suspect it runs between 4 and 8 feet deep, except between Twin Sisters.
Pharandros fumbled his Battle skill? No – he had to cross the river. And crossing at Two Sisters is easy. But lots of battles end up with people trying to flee over a river at a place other than a ford or bridge. And that’s where lots of people die.