Battle of Avolen
Not to be confused with the Siege of Avolen from the Aurelian Civil War. The Battle of Avolen was a surprise attack on the capital of Aurelia by the white dragon Aenophentari and his cabal of supporters.
Attacking during the widely celebrated Winter's Tide festival, the objective of the attack seems to have been to steal something from Palace of Avolen. Despite the objective, the battle has become known for the now legendary stand that The Wayfarers took against Aenophentari in the throne room of the palace and the following disappearance/presumed death of the Wayfarers.
The battle was, despite its historical significance, rather short, lasting only a few hours. In that time certain parts of the city sustained damage, but ultimately Aenophentari's forces were not capable of holding the city in a meaningful matter as the garrison and the veritable army of visiting Rycerz and Rycerz Herolda pushed into the city from their camps and barracks.
The battle wound up having a bigger morale impact than a physical one, with the major exception being the palace which sustained massive damage from Aenophentari.
The Conflict
Prelude
The understanding of the attack is somewhat garbled, with the exact reason for the attack being shrouded in mystery if one wasn't there, but the end goal of Aenophentari seems to have been to steal something from the Avolen Palace Vaults. By this time, The Wayfarers had apparently gotten involved with his plans enough times to annoy him personally, so he chose the time of attack accordingly. Right as The Wayfarers were being knighted (officially) as Rycerz Herolda in the ceremony Aenophentari himself approached him in a humanoid form and, according to eyewitnesses, asked for "the tablets." When the Wayfarers, Queen, and Lady Vitri said no he began the attack.
Battlefield
Conditions
Overcast and snowy.
The Engagement
Once rejected, Aenophentari gave some sort of signal, and the massive Virnosian Air-dreadnought that Aenophentari used as a home base emerged from the overcast skies. It began firing upon the city itself while smaller airships began landing hardened Tharrisian troops, supported by Thoramir's automatons. The city guard and garrison were momentarily overwhelmed.
Groups began to split up to make their way back to the palace, it seems Zelena Stellings and Evoda Vitri rushed back to the palace one way, while the Wayfarers took a different route. During this initial time of chaos very little organized defense was available.
Several smaller battles raged throughout the inner city, especially in front of the palace, where the High Elf emissary Decanear met his end to one of Aenophentari's minions. Fighting spilled into the palace vaults as well, where Rycerz Dowodca Browdan Volak was killed in a fight.
Around this time the defense of the city began to organize. While Aenophentari's had the advantage of first strike, they were hopelessly outnumbered by the garrison and nearby soldiers. Rycerz and Rycerz Herolda that were camping outside of the city for the Winter's Tide tournament began to rally around Lord Balthuan Ulthuar of the Silverlands and Lord Vico Milatadies of Zachod Allod and pushed into the city, destroying Tharrisian battle lines as they went.
The Wayfarers, Queen Stellings, and Lady Vitri found themselves eventually in the throne room, where the now famous showdown with Aenophentari began. An airship was attached to the side of the palace to extricate Aenophentari and his men, but before leaving Aenophentari revealed his true form as a White Dragon and attacked the group. Lady Vitri was nearly killed by a fire blast, and the Wayfarer's put up a dogged fight. Due to the destruction of the stained glass windows, large groups of people on the ground could make out the apocalyptic image of the White Dragon fighting the Wayfarers. They could also make out when the dragon cast a spell that seemed to kill The Wayfarers (though it is now known they were merely transported to South Kalin).
Aenophentari then flew out of the palace in his dragon form and back to his air-dreadnought, and his forces soon retreated to their airships and back to the dreadnought. Several hundred soldiers and automatons were not able to retreat, and were either killed or captured by the advancing Aurelian army, ending the battle.
Outcome
The battle left a mess of Avolen. The city was damaged and many had perished. Additionally, The Wayfarers had vanished/died in the battle. Lady Vitri would also soon enter into a coma after the battle, leaving Starmont Allod leaderless and the Gir'An would also soon begin their great southern raid, leading to Fall of the Blood Shaper.
Aftermath
While the physical harm to the city was quickly repaired, the palace was in a state of heavy damage due to the battle for nearly 5 years after its conclusion. Further, the psychological toll it took on the citizens was measured both in anger at the sudden attack and fear of another similar attack. To avoid a similar situation from occurring Queen Stellings worked with the Schola Magus after the Year of the Dragon concluded to build magical warning signals that would alert of future aerial attacks before they happened.
Historical Significance
Legacy
The Battle is often seen as one of the first in The Year of the Dragon, though that depends on who is asked. It is also the true beginning of The Wayfarers fame, as they had been local celebrities until this point. Bards began to sing of their heroism and sacrifice (though the sacrifice part got toned down/removed when it was discovered that they were alive) throughout Kalin, and within a year everyone knew of the brave group of knights who had stood up to the last White Dragon, a compelling tale to say the least.
Start Date
Mid-Day Winter Lethaego 5th, 755 2A
Ending Date
Evening Winter Lethaego 5th, 755 2A
Conflict Result
Aurelian Tactical Victory, Aenophentari Strategic Victory
