The Battle of Beeg

We cannot continue. Our men are drowning in the desert.

— Nefralean General

History

Beeg is one of the oldest Huxoth cities in the Great Northern Desert. On the banks of the Rippling River, the Huxoth use the river as a means of trade with other Huxoth towns and even more distant cities in other locations. In 1728, the Nefralean King decided to take the city in the name of Nefrale in order to use the river for his own trade purposes. During the month of Pegemd, the king sent a messenger to Beeg that the Huxoth were not citizens of Nefrale and were living illegally within the country's borders. The announcement gave them five weeks to vacate the city or they would be forcibly removed. For their part, the Huxoth, having lived in the city longer than the existence of the national border, saw no need to leave and prepared to stand their ground.

The Nefralean army arrived on 6 Bent, 1728, with the intent of driving any remaining Huxoth into the desert. Though they outnumbered the people of Beeg, they were not used to desert living and the Huxoth had the Joyal on their side. The people of Beeg merged their magics, forming a magical barrier over their town, and the Nefralean army laid siege to the city for seven days.

Appealing to the Mermish

Notably, one clergyman, Yonzaz Chin, did not join the Joyal, instead arguing that this would not be enough. Simply, the desert was not killing the Nefralean army fast enough, and when the Huxoth dropped their barrier, they would be exhausted both physically and magically. In a desperate hope for reinforcements, Chin sent a message along the river to any Mermish who might intercept it as a plea for help. As a clergy who worshiped the god of rivers, rather than wind, he hoped to appeal to the Mermish by reaching them through their own medium and suggested that if Nefrale drove the Huxoth into the desert, they might next try to drive the Mermish into the oceans.

After seven days, the Huxoth barrier fell, leading to a bloody battle between two weary armies. The next day, a group of Mermish fighters arrived up the river to fight against the Nefralean army, drowning a number of soldiers before the Nefraleans retreated. Though they had been sent to eliminate the Huxoth, Nefrale's long coastline made military engagement with the Mermish a foolish venture.

Aftermath

In the month of Saulen, the Nefralean king and Huxoth leaders met with Mermish leaders who negotiated a truce. The truce allowed the Huxoth to remain in their towns on the Rippling River, but also opened Beeg to more trade with Nefrale. This led to the building of the main road in and out of the city. The battle also resulted in Beeg opening their borders to Mermish people, and eventually to others, which has led the city to have the diversity it is known for today.

Yonzaz Chin is remains a hero of the city, and his temple has become the most widely visited temple in the city. Beeg remains one of the Huxoth cities in which the water gods are worshipped more widely than the gods of wind, and after the Beeg dam was built, a new, larger Huxoth temple honoring the water gods was built on the edge of the dam.

Content Warning: war, drowning, starvation

by Birmingham Museums Trust

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Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

6 Bent, 1728

Ending Date

14 Bent, 1728

Conflict Result

Beeg remained a Huxoth city. The battle was also a step in the road to Huxoth being recognized as a sovereign nation in Nefrale.

by Artbreeder

Yonzaz Chin