| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Battle of South Hope took place on the 15th of Frostfall 4E 217 between The New Kingdom of Atmora and the mysterious race known as the shadows. It ended as the Atmorans first victory of the war and proved to them that the shadow menace could be destroyed by courage and force of arms.
March of Tears[]
After the siege of Lot Drem the Atmoran’s fled their capital to make it to the port town of Lost Shelter, a retreat known as the march of tears. The Atmoran morale was crushed by the loss of their beloved city and more and more of them succumbed to exhaustion and hunger out in the snowy wastes.
After about a day out in the snowy landscape, Natalia’s read guards caught sight of a large shadow host far outmarching their own. The told Natalia and the newly appointed Commander Kalin that they had only a day before the Shadows reached them or a two days if they marched full pace. Natalia and Kalin knew that even if they marched full pace they would never make it to Lost Shelter their intended goal in time. So they concluded that they should wait until the shadows made it to them and let some of the beleaguered Atmoran rest before facing them.
Preparations[]
Natalia knew that her army was unprepared to take on the might of the shadows but she had a plan that may help even the odds. Natalia using what little wood they had ordered the making of sharpened stakes to be placed around the base of a large hill where Natalia hoped they would make a stand. She also armed everyone that had the strength to fight with whatever they could find, such as rocks knives and a few were given throwing spears. These people were placed at the very top of the hill in order to rain down their weapons onto the enemy. With the 87 trained soldier’s Natalia had left, she put them behind the stakes in a shield wall formation ready for attack. With the preparations set, all the Atmorans had to do was wait for the inevitable.
The Battle[]
As night begun to set over the Atmoran makeshift fort the shadows approached probably hoping to make a surprise attack at the last hours of the day. However the Atmoran’s were more ready than expected and this first probing attack was pushed off by the Atmoran with only a few wounded. This destroyed the Shadows chance of a surprise attack, for all the Atmoran’s were ready in positions to fight.
The battle that insured was a bloody one, with the shadows unleashing their full strength against the Atmoran’s. A wave of the shadowy creatures smashed against the makeshift stake wall; pushing it apart and taking the fight to the Atmoran warriors who counter charged and met them with full fury. The Atmoran’s fought well but lost ground to the attackers as they surged forward pushing the army back and wounding many. At this moment Natalia ordered the armed militia to throw their projectiles at the shadow’s taking many down giving the army breathing room to recuperate. This attack using ranged weaponry proved effective against the shadows as their horde begun to dissipate allowing the main warriors to charge in using a shield wall formation; pushing the shadows back. Seeing an opportunity Commander Kalin asked Natalia if the militia could charge and break the rabble of the shadow lines. Natalia seeing the logic in this allowed him to lead the charge and within a couple of minutes the ranks of the fighting men swelled pushing back the shadows further.
The tide turns[]
As the battle continued, the shadow horde begun to falter against the Atmorans and were pushed back inch by inch. The combined forces of the militia and the army now held the advantage, as the shadows begun to die by the dozen at their blades. Eventually as the battle continued for a few painstaking hours, the shadows numbered few; and with one final charge made by Natalia and Kalin routed them from the field.
Aftermath[]
The shadows were defeated, and their numberless dead littered the battle field. But this was at a great cost to the Atmoran defenders who had lost many of their militia and a few soldiers of the army. However the exact number of the Atmoran dead is unknown due to the quick departure of the Atmoran forces following the battle.