Battle of the Galifar Heirs

Military action

The first major engagement of the last war, fought on the western shore of Scions Sound, just south of Flamekeep.

By moving quickly, Thalin and Wroann caught the outmanned forces of Cyre as they gathered on the road west of Traelyn Bridge. Thalin was eager to strike the first blow; he, after all, spoke loudest against the succession, claiming his “divine right” of kingship. He was also on his home ground. With 500 heavy foot, 800 light knights, and 2,000 peasant levies at his command, his was by far the most dominating force. Breland brought only the Queen’s Swords, an elite force of 150 heavy foot, and the Free Company of Archers, a group of 200 longbowmen. In all, the newly declared Queen of Galifar faced over 3,500 enemies. By contrast, Cyre had mustered only the 200 elite cavalry of the Queen’s Guard and the 500 heavy halberdiers of her Honor Guard. In hostile territory far from the Aundairian border, Mishann realized that she would be decimated whether she fled or stood her ground. Still, she prepared to sell herself and her forces dearly. Miraculously, Wrogar’s Wardens of the Wood arrived at the Cyre camp by magical means, passing without trace to appear in full battle order. His forces included some 1,000 elves, druids, and centaurs. Although the loyalist forces were still outnumbered, the outcome of the battle was no longer a foregone conclusion.   The two armies lined up, heralds met and exchanged challenges, and finally, about noon, the armies clashed. The Queen’s Swords of Breland engaged directly with the Queen’s Guard of Cyre, and a rumor circulated that Wroann had been slain (she was only wounded). The Aundairian forces rained arrows and magic upon Thrane’s peasant levies, and the undisciplined troops soon broke and ran. Still, Cyre and Aundair had no answer for Thalin’s heavy cavalry, some of the best troops on the continent. Their thunderous charge after the peasants broke smashed into the left flank of the Cyre army and scattered the Wardens of the Wood. The arrival of Aundair’s force, led by their ferocious bearlike king, had made a difference, however. His troops allowed Cyre to retreat in good order to the south. The next morning, the forces of Kaius arrived, too late. The militant Karrns had missed the first battle, much to their new king’s displeasure. His riders pursued the Cyran and Aundairian forces, but to no avail. Mishann and her remaining troops crossed the sound north of Aruldusk and reformed in the fortress at Eston. The queen ordered most of the army to hold the city, maintaining it as a staging ground, ensuring that House Cannith’s base of operations remained intact, and preserving access to crucial iron and adamantine sources. She then returned to Metrol to oversee the mustering of greater armies.