Warning: strong, sensitive subject matter ahead. Consider this Thread M/A Rated RWhat is past is prologue…
The Path to Schallsea
vol. I
Story I
Chapter Seven: War Comes for Silvanesti
Dalamar Created by Margaret Weis
Nancy Varian Berberick for the novel Dalamar the Dark
Summer 349 AC
Eastern Ansalon
It is before dawn, when a lithe and attractive human female, who has the bearing and skill of a trained warrior, readies herself for battle and dons her Red Dragon Highlord Armor.
In the formative years of the Dragonarmies, Phair caught the eye of Ariakas, who noted her skill as a fighter and tactician and made her one of his first Dragon Highlords. Phair was described as being rather attractive with blue eyes and lustrous golden hair that cascaded down to her shoulders. Although she had a fierce and cool gaze that rarely softened with emotion, due to her hard upbringing as a child.
Phair grew up in the streets of Tarsis, completely penniless and homeless. Her sister was forced to work in a brothel to keep them both fed, and her early life was hard. She was treated with contempt by rich merchant elves in Tarsis, which fostered a deep-seated hatred of all elves in her heart.
The young Phair learnt the way of the sword and rose to become a warrior and a mercenary. Eventually, she found her way into the camp of the formative Dragonarmies, rising to prominence before Ariakas and becoming the Highlord of the Red Dragonarmy.
The Highlord’s scouts return, and soon the Red Wing Army Commander, Dragon Highlord Phair Caron, consults with the representatives of the Blue and Green Dragonarmy Highlords. The Blue Wing, under Highmaster Topus (acting for Kitiara), is part of the western assault, while Salah-Khan, the Khan of Khur commanding the Green Dragonarmy, will attack the eastern assault.
And where now is Highlord Kitiara? Phair would really like to know, and so will Emperor Ariakas. Highmaster Topus gave only a tepid excuse for the Blue Highlord’s absence. So, Phair plans on using the Blue Wing as shock troops and spearheading the attack, and I will decimate her army for this affront, then I will pull them back at the last so they get none of the glory or rewards.
The attack plan has already been decided on; these are last-minute adjustments according to new information.
Walking away from the other wing commanders, Highlord Phair Caron also consults with the black-robed wizard Tramd of Thorbardin, also known as Tramd o' the Dark. The two discuss final preparations. The Black Robe, Tramd o' the Dark, tells her he plans to infiltrate the line at the first chance and eliminate the opposition along the fronts. He has every intention of seeing that Barrier Hedge is eliminated to allow the advancement of the invasion to go forward.
Dragonarmy Order of Battle for Silvanesti Campaign:
Red Wing Army Commander: Highlord Phair Caron, a Tarsian (CE female human Rog4/Ftr6/dragon highlord 2), riding Blood Gem (male old red dragon)
Army Composition: Five flights, including five dragon wings (ten red dragons). 3rd Red Flight— Flight Marshal Chomax (CE male human Ftr9), 16th Red Dragonarmy (draconian army), 17th Red Dragonarmy (draconian army), 22nd Red Dragonarmy (mercenary infantry), 23rd Red Dragonarmy (mercenary infantry), 1st Red Dragonwing (1 mature adult, 1 young adult) 4th Red Flight— Flight Marshal Gierhaard (CE male human Ftr5/Bbn4), 18th Red Dragonarmy (draconian army), 19th Red Dragonarmy (draconian army), 24th Red Dragonarmy (mercenary infantry), 25th Red Dragonarmy (mercenary infantry), 2nd Red Dragonwing (1 mature adult, 1 young adult) 5th Red Flight— Flight Marshal Solon (CE male human Ftr7/Rog2), 20th Red Dragonarmy (draconian army), 32nd Red Dragonarmy (mercenary cavalry), 26th Red Dragonarmy (mercenary infantry), 27th Red Dragonarmy (mercenary infantry), 3rd Red Dragonwing (1 old, 1 adult) 6th Red Flight— Flight Marshal Weimir (CE female human Ftr8/legendary tactician 1), 21st Red Dragonarmy (draconian army), 33rd Red Dragonarmy (mercenary cavalry), 28th Red Dragonarmy (mercenary infantry), 29th Red Dragonarmy (mercenary infantry), 4th Red Dragonwing (1 old, 1 adult) 7th Red Flight— Flight Marshal Awkright (CE female human Ftr 8/legendary tactician 1), 16th Red Dragonarmy (draconian army), 34th Red Dragonarmy (mercenary cavalry), 30th Red Dragonarmy (mercenary infantry), 31st Red Dragonarmy (mercenary infantry), 5th Red Dragonwing (2 young adult)
The Green Dragon Wing, under Green Dragon Highlord Salah-Khan, Warlord of the Khur Tribe,
Green Dragon mount Chokingdeath. Scimitar, his weapon of choice
Army Composition: Two flights, including two dragon wings (four green dragons) and Khur cavalry regiment. 1st Green Flight—Flight Marshal Anduren (LE male human Ftr7/legendary tactician 1), 4th Green Dragonarmy (draconian army), 5th Green Dragonarmy (mercenary infantry), 6th Green Dragonarmy (goblin infantry), 1st Green Dragonwing (1 adult, 1 mature adult) 2nd Green Flight— Flight Marshal Guilerth (LE male human Ftr7/duelist 2), 7th Green Dragonarmy (draconian army), 8th Green Dragonarmy [Green Scourge] (ogre infantry), 9th Green Dragonarmy [Ravagers of Kern] (ogre infantry), 2nd Green Dragonwing (2 adult) 1st Khur Cavalry Regiment—Sub-commander Azim Monsoon (NE male human Bbn5/Rgr2/legendary tactician 1), 3rd Khan Riders (mercenary cavalry), 4th Khan Riders (mercenary cavalry), 2nd Dervishes (mercenary infantry).
The Blue Wing, under Highmaster Topus (acting for Kitiara), was part of the western assault. However, Kitiara ordered her forces to retreat from the main conflict, likely to preserve her army's strength for her own campaigns. Topus’s Blue Dragon Kindledoom
Army Composition: Three flights, including three dragon wings (six blue dragons). 1st Blue Flight— Flight Marshal Elowyn (LE female half-elf Rgr2/Ftr7), 1st Blue Dragonarmy (draconian army), 2nd Blue Dragonarmy (draconian army), 11th Blue Dragonarmy (mercenary infantry), 1st Blue Dragonwing (1 mature adult, 1 adult) 2nd Blue Flight— Flight Marshal Aronath (LE male human Wiz2/Ftr7), 3rd Blue Dragonarmy (draconian army), 7th Blue Dragonarmy (draconian army), 12th Blue Dragonarmy (mercenary infantry), 4th Blue Dragonwing
The Initial Assault: Heavy losses on both sides characterized the Silvanesti campaign, and for the dragonarmies it proved to be the most challenging phase of the war thus far. Highlord Phair Caron called for Highlord Salah-Khan’s assistance in moving deep into the defensive lines of the elves, trusting this to the Green Wing’s mastery of forested climates, while the red dragons set the ancient woodlands afire to drive the elves back to the capital.
The Blue Wing’s 2nd and 3rd flights joined in the assault to the west, but Highlord Phair Caron was determined to keep the bulk of the critical fighting to herself and her army. Highmaster Topus found his army subordinated to the Green Wing and was rebuked by Highlord Phair Caron.
The Blue Wing suspended most of its forward activities prior to midsummer in 349 AC, and struck farther west, taking Sithelnost before withdrawing completely and returning to the Khalkists.
Shortly into the campaign, Phair Caron ordered his forces to attach themselves to the larger Green Wing, and after several more stints against the elven empire.
Phair led her army in a direct assault on the elven towns of Larune and Alinesti, over which most of the heaviest fighting for the Silvanesti Campaign occurred.
The Northern Front: Two months after the initial attack on the northern borders of the forest, the dragonarmies and elves clashed near the elven towns of Larune and Alinesti, on either side of the Thon-Thalas river.
When Dragon Highlord Phair Caron attacked Silvanesti, Dalamar was disheartened at the elves' response to the attack. He had formulated a plan, and with some encouragement from the girls, he shared it with his master Lord Tellin Windglimmer, who in turn shared the plan with King Lorac, Ylle Savath of House Mystic, and Lord Garan of House Protector.
Dalamar's plan involved the use of illusion magic to confuse the Dragonarmy, which was held in low regard by the white-robed wizards of House Mystic. Lorac approved the plan, however, and Dalamar was sent north with the Silvanesti army. His plan was successful, but the elves lost the battle. In the ensuing confrontation, his master Tellin was slain by the black robe renegade wizard Tramd o' the Dark, before the wizard’s avatar faded to dust.
Tramd o' the Dark was born Tramd Stonestrike, a male Theiwar mountain dwarf wizard who was fairly strong in magic. He would use different avatars to interact with people away from his real body, which was hidden away in a far-off fortress. This body was completely helpless, and over the years, his flesh scaled, he had rotten teeth, and his beard became white and in tatters.
Before Tramd took his Test of High Sorcery (sometime before 142 AC), he was a very strong and hearty dwarf, but the test ruined his body so badly that he kept himself alive by sheer force of will and his magic. He was left blind and couldn't leave his bed or feed himself due to both his arms and legs no longer working. He could create avatars to interact with the world and would change them like most people change clothes. His true body would remain at his citadel on Karthay.
After joining the Dragonarmies, he has served as Phair Caron's chief wizard through an avatar. Most people thought he was mysteriously bizarre. He would shapeshift into a human, dwarf, or ogre, whatever best served his purposes. While in the Red Dragonarmy, he mainly looked like a human barbarian with thick blonde hair and a beard, and would ride on a red dragon named Doom. Tramd was instrumental in the invasion of Nordmaar and the now ongoing Silvanesti Campaign.
Ylle Savath, Master of House Mystic, was part of a group of wizards that attempted to thwart the invasion with an illusion. Phair Caron found where they were performing their magic, and Ylle attempted to hold the spell, but red dragons descended on them, and she was killed in an explosion of fiery breath from a red dragon. Dalamar watched it, as Ylle's face had a look of such horror that he had to turn from her body. Ylle Savath is killed.
The elven defenses were considerable, and they used the terrain to maximum advantage, keeping the dark forces busy in the dense forested environment for the remainder of the summer. This came at great cost, however, for the elven strategy of feigned retreat, followed by a rapid encirclement of the enemy, slowly decimated the elven ranks.
Cooshee elven dogs, whose masters have departed in the exodus, roam the empty streets of the abandoned towns and cities. Ultimately, the towns were overrun, and the supply lines for the elven forces were cut off. As the Red Dragonarmy pushed the elves back and prepared to assault Silvanost.
...
Selene watches as the elven army puts up a brave fight, but the encirclement makes it impossible to save them without giving away their own position. She looks at the other girls’ beleaguered faces of her secret cabal, Seraphelle, Kalana, and Inari, then over at Dalamar.
The wildrunners with Dalamar all agree. The combined elven warriors were one of the last groups to get out. They look at the burning countryside and mourn for all of the death they have witnessed, thousands of elves defeated, most of them cut down, the other taken prisoner.
Selene quietly mentions to Dalamar that she is sorry how things turned out with the plan. He thanks her but masks his bitterness, for his plan worked; it was the Wildrunners that failed to do their part, but he keeps that to himself in this mixed company with the wildrunners. His plan to save his Silvanesti went up in flames as he and the others watched the Red Dragons lay waste to their homeland.
Dalamar decides to confirm with Selene that their Shalafi Ylle Savath died in the attack. So many years of Selene’s life were stolen from her because of that woman. Selene is unsure how to feel about the news of her demise. Either way, she thanks Dalamar for telling her. The group makes haste to get through the woods to the Thon-Thalas River. Already, they can hear the City’s emergency horns being blown. The evacuation must already be getting underway.
Red Dragonarmy troops are now flooding into the Forest for the final push. Joining the humans, draconians, and ogres in the invasion force, the Auxiliary troops were made up of hobgoblins, bugbears, goblins, gnolls, and kobolds.
Elven Defenses Broken: A victory seemed assured. Ariakas provided Phair Caron with critical information about the elven defenses, which he acquired from Silvanesti exile Feal-Thas. The elven forces lost communications and support from Silvanost. Despite ongoing losses at the hands of the elven Wildrunners, the dragonarmy troops forced the elves into withdrawal. The gates of Silvanost were only a week’s march away, and Highlord Phair Caron’s conclusive victories spurred her onward to the elven capital.
Inside the city, everyone is running to the port. A mad scramble comes to what had been an orderly exodus up to now. Unknown to Selene and the others, a countdown is on, and time is waning. A wizard who is familiar with the Wizards of House Mystic by the name of Vanasar Ambrodel comes to them, and tries to get his words out; he is so shaken. He tells them, "They need to get out of the city immediately." He hurries to others around him, to get them to leave now, too.
Finally, Dalamar goes and grabs hold of the wise old wizard and demands to know why they must hurry.
“The Speaker, he has a Dragon Orb, he is going to use it when the Dragonarmy comes across the Thon-Thalas river.”
Dalamar briefly considers going back before hurrying with the girls and the old wizard to the southern end of the island, to Phalinost, and soon they have boarded a sailing vessel, one of the last. They sail out of the Cooshee Gulf and into the southern Courrain Ocean, and are sailing into open water.
Selene makes sure they have space for them. When she returns, she watches Silvanesti start to fade in the distance. She joins the group, standing and saying goodbye to their homeland.
At the Tower of the StarsSpeaker Lorac walks towards the emerald throne. He has already set up the Orb in place in a fitted stand that Lorac had made specially for this item. He sits and looks towards the orb.
As the Dragonarmies charged toward Silvanost for the Battle for Silvanost. The Speaker of the Stars ordered the last evacuation of Silvanesti, sending his subjects on ships to Southern Ergoth. This is what created the break in the flow of supplies to the elven armies.
A calculated risk on the part of the Speaker, he waited until the end of the summer, when the Dragonarmy was closing on Silvanost.
Moments before, Lorac is thinking back when he was young again, and he thinks back to his dear, dear, Iranialathlethsala, in their halcyon days with their dear, princess, Alhana….
The unthinkable occurs. The Speaker of the Stars, Lorac Caladon, used the dragon orb to destroy the invading forces. Before ordering the orb to destroy the dragons. The orb, however, seizes control of Lorac and grips his mind, driving him mad. Rather than working as desired, it wrought his nightmares onto the land and the invaders, driving almost all of them mad. The unexpected result of this was the projection of Lorac’s fevered nightmares out across the forests of Silvanesti.
Waves of preternatural horrors swept over the Red Wing, sending the troops into mind-altering states of fear and paranoia, and, ultimately, insanity.
Highlord Phair Caron, who was at the head of the invasion forces, instantly went insane and screamed as she tore out her eyes. Her personal guard, their minds clouded with their own horrid phantasms, babbled incoherently; cut down the "horror" they saw before them. They fell upon her with swords.
This kind of thing happened throughout the ranks, leaving the Red Dragonarmy to flee in disarray, leaving the forests abandoned to Lorac and a certain green dragon...
The Blue Wing had already completely withdrawn.
The Green Wing
Salah-Khan. His green dragon mount was named Chokingdeath. Salah-Khan and the Green Army survived the Silvanesti campaign and retreated to Khur.
The Silvanesti Exodus The ships bearing the Silvanesti elves
Families forced into confined quarters, sharing with other elves from different houses. It is a situation of absolute misery; there is no firm ground beneath their feet. They don’t know for sure if where they are heading is a mirage or not. The girls make it onto one of the last ships that departed Silvanesti, and they stay together on the ship traveling to Southern Ergoth. It is eight weeks to reach Southern Ergoth.
The Dragonarmies retreated, abandoning the Silvanesti forest to a green dragon and the nightmares of Lorac. With the elven forces depleted, King Lorac sent the elves away from Silvanesti so he could use the Dragon Orb. Lorac's attempt to use the orb backfired, creating what was known as Lorac's Nightmare.
The Silvanesti Campaign was a pyrrhic victory for the dragonarmies. Although the elven kingdom had been brought low and its people scattered in ships on their way to exile in Southern Ergoth, little was gained in the way of annexed territory or substantial resources. The Nightmare rendered the forested region useless for occupation forces, and Salah-Khan was forced to keep his Green Wing regiments in the border forests far from the capital.
Cyan Bloodbane, a particularly cunning green wyrm who, by all accounts, had once aided the renegade wizard Galan Dracos in the Third Dragonwar against Huma, served as the only warden capable of withstanding the Nightmare’s effects. Indeed, it was later said that Cyan Bloodbane was responsible for keeping the elven king in his tormented state, further propagating the twisted horrors that are coming from Lorac’s mind.
Whatever the case, with Highlord Phair Caron dead and the Red Wing diminished to as little as half its initial strength, the Dragon Emperor knew that most of the following year would be needed to regroup and recover from such heavy losses.
Ninety percent of the 3rd and 6th Red Flights, along with twenty-five percent of the Green Wing forces, were almost completely wiped out. The lesson of this campaign was clear: more work needed to be done before the highlords and their dragons could achieve the ambitions of the Queen of Darkness...
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