Illrigger's Landing

Military action

Wupan begins to truly contribute to the war effort, emboldened by the victories and tenacity of Margrave Gims.

Bailiff Waner of Vaneti marches along the beach with 1797 of the West Wupan Balatar towards Lonesome Hill Fort. Thanks to clever scouting, they narrowly avoid an ambush by the Gray Tide, and hunker down in the beachside dunes using sandbags for bricks to rapidly build a makeshift fortification. They are outnumbered twelve to one. Waner sends Earic Hallensted, the best runner in his militia, to Lonesome Fort with a plea for help. Margrave Gims is hesitant after the disaster at Victer, fearing another trap. Bailiff Wilde volunteers to go relieve the Wupan Balatar, and marches south with his small contingent. The battle of Illrigger’s Landing begins two weeks after the West Wupan Balatar digs in, just as the sun begins to set. Bailiff Waner personally oversees the defense of the makeshift wall, which repulses the undead but fails to inflict significant casualties. The dead mass just out for another attack, this one sure to overwhelm the defenders. The undead stumble through a withering barrage from Waner’s slings. Just as the ragged frontline meets the defenders, horns sound over the hill and the South Cambreath Balatar rush into view. They cause temporary disorder in the mob as they cut down two wight lords in their initial charge. They use the advantage to carve their way into the fort to reinforce the defenders. They repulse two more attacks, destroying thousands on the open dunes and losing only a handful each time. Between these attacks, they furiously dig out entrenchments, complicating and extending their defense. Each time, these earthworks inflict even more damage than the time before, though the defenders are still losing people at every clash and even these minor losses are significant when you’re so seriously outnumbered. By the dawn’s light, they lose control of the trenchworks. Driven out by the onrushing ocean of living corpses, they make the undead fight for every inch. As the sun rises enough for the defenders to take stock in their situation, they begin to lose hope. 20 South Cambreath Balatari are dead, and 187 West Wupan Balatari have been killed. Despite the staggering losses of their enemy, there still seems to be no end to the Gray Tide. Taken by a desperate idea, Wilde convinces Waner that they might push through the north. If they can penetrate through the line, they can flee to Lonesome Hill Fort. By late morning, all preparations are set and the trapped balatari begin a barrage northward, unloading as they had during the Battle for Lonesome Hill. The intense barrage weakened the enemy and drove them away to naturally swarm just outside the southern wall. Wilde and Waner lead a charge, hacking their way through the undead in the vanguard of a boar’s head formation. They are stalled three quarters of the way through, and a terrible scrum begins during which Waner loses his shield arm. This will be the single most costly portion of the battle for the balatar, during which they lose 407 collectively. As morale wavers, more horns sound. Eight sloops of the Wupan navy rounded a tall reef on a routine patrol. Seeing the mass of undead swarming the beaches, they unleash a barrage of their own, clearing a beachhead for a contested landing of marines. Major Illrigger of the 9th Wupan Marines leads his company on longboats almost to the shore, then dismounts in knee-deep water to form a cohesive line before crashing into the enemy. Realizing that the undead were being pressed on their south flank, Wilde shouts, “We’ve surrounded them right back! Get the killing done!” The boar’s head becomes a hollow square, and they fight in every direction. The dead reel from the renewed fight and from Illrigger’s infamous habit of seeking out and slaying enemy leadership. The remaining wight-lords marshal what forces they can and flee east, though they are still within sight of the cheering balatari when the Cambreath Griffin Knights appear from the northeast. They swoop, gouging great bloody chunks in the enemy lines even as they flee. At the end of the day, 554 of the Wupan balatari are dead leaving 1224, and the Cambreath balatari lose 52, reducing their number to 89. The Wupan Marines lose 6 of their number, leaving 225 to join Gims at Lonesome Hill. The sailors of the Wupan Navy head back to their home city to bring news of the victory. In exchange for the 612 total deaths, the living have inflicted final destruction on 48000 undead, the single largest loss of undead individuals throughout the war.