The Second Battle Of Moonbroth by Rurik Runespear

Rurik Runespear’s Account of The Second Battle Of Moonbroth (Storm 1624).

“Caltrops had defeated the nomads in the first battle at Moonbroth fourteen years earlier, and the Lunars were supremely self-confident about the vast field they’d surrounded Moonbroth with. See here.”

Rurik Runespear scratched in the dirt a plan of the battle site; a series of fiendish concentric rings around the oasis.

“The fields of caltrops had but four ways in, one at each cardinal point. But their pathways led in zig-zagging to the centre, so nomads could not charge straight through.

“The Sun Dome Templars were deployed here, at the West Gate,” Rurik said, pointing to one of the four openings in the field of caltrops. “The phalanx was to form a shield wall across the opening, a living gate if you will. There were similar shield walls across the other gateways, but this was the most important because it was by far the widest: the caravans for Dragon Pass leave from here.

“At their final council of war our Count said it would be an honour for the Sun Dome Templars to deploy in this position. Banaryos, the Lunar general in charge, recognised that this was the most critical point. He wanted instead to deploy his best soldiers there, the Silver Shields. But the Governor overrode him.”

Rurik laughed. “Because Banaryos confirmed that this is where the most casualties were likely, Halcyon decided why waste his own troops’ blood when there were loyal allies willing to spill theirs on the Empire’s behalf?”

He shrugged. “The attack came soon after dawn. Little did the Lunars anticipate the size and fury of the tremendous horde that descended on the oasis, or that they would be led by Jaldon Goldentooth himself!”

At that name Cornspot and the others all gasped.

“Combined assaults were made on all four gates. Here,” he said, pointing the South Gate, “the Impala Nation showered the Lunars with rains of arrows. At the East Gate, the Bolos and the Ostriches made their hit-and-run attacks, while at the South, the morokanth captured most of a last convoy trying to break out and escape back to Pavis. Sadly, the Governor was one of the few that got away.

“But by far the greatest number descended on the West Gate. Almost the entire Rhino tribe in the lead, followed by Bison, High Llamas and more. Lined up against them was the serried ranks of Sun Dome pike and shield, brothers locked together – a magnificent sight!”

The Light Son sketched how the nomad host converged on this one point.

“And truly, I believe that first wave of nomad cavalry would have crashed and broke against them.” He laughed again. “But they did not. Mere seconds before contact our pike and shield wall disengaged. Our templars stepped aside in perfect formation. Such nerve, such discipline, oh it was a wonder to behold!”

Rurik sketched some more on the ground. “The nomads poured in through the gap, but straight ahead of them lay a sharp bend in the pathway through the caltrops. There would be no way a horde charging at such speed would be able to turn in time, with thousands more pushing behind them.”

Here his eyes shone. “At this very moment the roiling clouds suddenly drew apart, bathing the battlefield in Yelm’s radiance. A barrage of Sun Spears blew a straight road through the caltrops to the heart of the oasis!

“The Sun Dome Templars stood silently by as the nomads poured in through the defences. Quickly, the Lunar rout became a massacre, but the only Sun Domer to fall at Moonbroth was Count Invictus himself.

“After the victory your Lord Belvani proclaimed himself Count, and was acclaimed so by his Templars. He immediately announced Sun County would make a pact with my lord Argrath White Bull, who was already preparing to lead his victorious Praxians against Pavis.”

“How will the nomads hope to take Pavis?”, Cornspot asked in disbelief, “They know nothing about siegecraft – even our village walls keep them out.”

“Count Belvani promised Argrath that proof of the Sun Dome’s fidelity would be shown before the walls of Pavis,” said Rurik, “And that is why I am here.”

This demonstrates that putting mercenaries in a critical position is…. unwise. Had they been paid? I wouldn’t trust Halcyon var Enkoth at all. And then there’s what Marusa the Shew did, corrupting Invictus. The Sun Domers were already sick of the Lunar govenor and Marusa. It was only a matter of time before they turned.

The official accounts brush past the details and simply state Count Invictus was among the fallen at Second Moonbroth (the only Sun Domer casualty!), and that the Sun Domers abruptly left the field under the command of his deputy Belvani, opening a gap that led to the Lunar rout.

Although some uncharitably whisper that Belvani did him in, it seems Invictus somehow strangled himself to death in his cot on the eve of the Battle. By doing so, he enacted the time-honoured “I Die/We Win” principle that Sun Dome counts have taken in the past (most recently, Count Solanthos). Usually this is some sort of desperate holding action or last stand, but by killing himself Invictus got the Sun Dome Temple out of a difficult spot: he had personally sworn oaths that the Sun Dome would stand with their Lunar overlords at Moonbroth, and so honour-bound duly marched out there with his force of Templars despite all the signs and portents saying they were doomed. But his successor Belvani had made no such promises, and Invictus knew that. In fact, prior to arriving at Moonbroth, Belvani had been despatched to Argrath’s camp by Invictus.

For brevity, I left out of Rurik’s account the demise of Count Invictus. What he told Cornspot and the others is this (paraphrasing a bit here):

Belvani arrived at Moonbroth astride Windwhistler the wyrm just before the dawn. He went to Count Invictus’s command tent to report and made a shocking discovery: the count was lying in his cot stone dead! It was as if Invictus had choked on something in his sleep: his hand – his baboon hand* – was clenched tightly around his throat.

Belvani dressed himself in Invictus’s Goldenhand Panoply and, embracing the time honoured Sun Domer principle “Things are going to have to change in order to stay the same”, radically altered the Templar battle plan.

*the baboon Mel Yelo literally gave his right arm to aid Count Invictus during the Great Winter.

Belvani was doing lots behind the scenes to set this all up… as the storm clouds of conflict gathered over Prax after the Great Winter, the Sun Dome leadership made their preparations: while Vega Goldbreath increased watchfulness on the borders, to safeguard the county’s interests Lord Belvani began making regular visits to the Paps, bringing the elders gifts of gold, grain, and salt. It’s here he first heard stories of the White Bull society’s spread among the tribes, and of its enigmatic leader, Argrath.

With the tribes massing in Storm season 1624, Lord Belvani persuaded Count Invictus that he should go to the Paps for a last-ditch attempt to come to terms with the nomads. The Light Captain promised that, come what may, he would see Invictus and the Templars at Moonbroth oasis.

But rather than head to the Paps on foot or zebra, Belvani quietly went first to the Old Sun Dome. He had a swifter means of travel in mind*, and a detour to make…

*Windwhistler the wyrm

** to Pent Ridge, the Sun Dome salt mines out in the Vulture’s Country

The Sun Domers broke off their long-standing alliance with the Pure Horse Tribe at the Battle of Alavan Argay in 1250, which doubtless contributed the Pol Joni’s defeat and banishment from Prax.

Whether this was adroit statecraft or perfidious betrayal depends on your point of view.

Regardless, giving up their cherished horses was a key to the Sun Domer’s survival during the Solitude of Testing – adapting to their fate on foot at least removed the automatic and unthinking antipathy of all the Waha tribes. But it is said the Sun Domers’ geas “Never let a horse suffer needlessly” originates from this time.

If Yelmalio is displeased with his peoples’ actions at Moonbroth II perhaps he will admonish them with another new geas?