First Battle of New Hallownest
At the end of The Necropolis War, while the Rune Bearers were making their way to the final confrontation with The Dark One, a last major battle occurred between the coalition forces and those of Ancient Alvidar at the Underdark city of New Hallownest. The coalition defenders were well-prepared, and after the necropolitan leading the Ancient Alvidarian forces was destroyed, the attackers withdrew with nothing to show for their efforts.
The Rune Bearers detonated the Dark One's necropolis and ended the war not long after.
The Conflict
Prelude
The coalition gathered a substantial army in New Hallownest in preparation for an assault. The Thorandul Empire contributed some 180,000 dwarves, and thousands of other allies were present. The dwarves laid a rail line from a friendly city, set up a train station, built a fortified command center, and prepared other defenses. 2,000 of Rapsity's armsmen, under the direction of Rapsity himself, prepared a ritual that would shut off all magical abilities in the area. Ngel Sfet summoned her army of Void ants to serve as expendable troops and aid in surveillance and communications. Positions were chosen, and lines were drawn.
Deployment
The defending forces were split between a front line and a central reserve, with the frontline forces concentrated at the fortified northern and southeastern entrances into the New Hallownest cavern. Detailed deployment was not recorded, but the following is known:
500 of Rapsity's armsmen at each entrance
1000 of Rapsity's armsmen defending the ritual
the Nailmasters (Oro, Mato, and Sheo) at the "rear" (southeast?) entrance
Ogrim, God Tamer, the Mantis Lords, and Quirrel on "front" (north?) entrance
Knight, Hornet, and Ngel Sfet in the command center, with Knight roaming as needed
The attacking forces arrived from both north and southeast, aiming to strike both entrances simultaneously. The composition of these undead forces is not recorded, but their numbers were great enough that they were not exhausted by the battle's end. Their leader was a necropolitan mounted on a dracolich. His name is unknown, but he had encountered some of the defending adventurers before, and he had developed an enmity for Knight (and wanted a rematch).
Battlefield
The battle took place at the edges of the New Hallownest cavern, with some fighting spilling into the cavern proper. The defenders had fortified the two entrances to the cavern, one in the north and one in the southeast, creating chokepoints that, if penetrated, would force the attackers to cross a long bridge to reach the city, where they would find another chokepoint.
Rapsity's ritual was set up in the old drow temple on a ledge on the southern edge of the cavern, directly on top of a leyline. While this was not within the second line of defenses, it was difficult or impossible for an army to reach on foot from either entrance.
The Engagement
The undead hit the outer defenses at both entrances simultaneously. The defenses held out well, grinding through countless undead with few defender casualties, but there was no end in sight.
The arrival of the necropolitan general was the turning point. Knight responded quickly to his appearance, and the general's hatred of Knight allowed Knight to distract him from the larger battle and draw him into a game of lethal hide-and-seek. This came to an end near Rapsity's ritual site, where a psionicist caught the necropolitan with an immobilizing effect. With him held, Knight was able to hit him until he collapsed, and the attack tapered off after he fell.
Aftermath
With the attack repelled and the Dark One destroyed shortly thereafter, the threat to New Hallownest by Ancient Alvidar was largely dissipated. Undead remnants would be hunted down by adventurers and coalition forces for the next few months. New Hallownest would serve as one of several bases and fallback points for these efforts.
Included under Conflict
Conflict Type
Battle
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
June 2nd, 23 ARL
Ending Date
June 2nd, 23 ARL
Conflict Result
The coalition defenders held the city.
Location
Belligerents
Alvidarian coalition
Ancient Alvidar
Strength
Casualties
No notable casualties
Objectives
Maps
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New Hallownest map
A smaller-scale map of the city of New Hallownest.
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