Siege of Brokenwall Keep

Military action

An important siege in the War of Three Heads, the Fire Wasps, along with Lieutenant Daria Havengard and soldiers of Owlbear Company, held off orcish forces, then slew the orc chieftain Gruzhgarn, beginning the end of the war.

In mid 1079 SKR, the War of the Three Heads was raging. Lieutenant Daria Havengard of Owlbear Company took the ruins of Brokenwall Keep back from Orcish occupation. During her capture of the keep, she also captured Lurgrak, son of the orcish warlord Gruzhgarn. This got the attention of the local commander, Blurgruk, who laid siege to the Keep, trapping Daria and her men inside.   On Juth 15 1079, Daria’s brother, Kidalis Havengard, and the rest of the Fire Wasps were sent by Commander Merei Greenspear to lend her support, as they understood a major orcish offensive was planned. The Fire Wasps arrived on Juth 24 and infiltrated the sewers below the Keep to make their way in, before destroying the sewers behind them so that the orcs could not infiltrate. They found Daria badly wounded and her men demoralized.   The Fire Wasps helped shore up the Keep’s defenses and aided the men in throwing back various attacks by orcs throughout Juth 25 and 26. In the evening of Juth 26, Blurgruk came and offered surrender, but he was rejected. A failed attempt at night by the orcs to infiltrate and rescue Lurgrak by stealth also failed.   On Juth 27, Gruzhgarn himself arrived. Because Blurgruk had failed, he was forced into the vanguard of the attacks that day and was slain. His rhino (soon named Breaker) was taken by Eustace as a mount, and Tilly Thistleshanks’ sharrash, O’goun awoke during this battle.   After repelling several more attacks, the Fire Wasps found Gruzgarn himself taking the field, flanked by a powerful necromancer who kept raising the dead soldiers of the Summerling and Kalrentai to use against their still living friends. Despite this, Gruzgarn was slain, and, when the necromancer was slain by Eustace’s scythe, a blessing of Shandalene caused much of the stolen life energy the necromancer had gathered to flow into the scythe, causing it to glow with life and light. Eustace named it Hope and carries it to this day.   With Gruzhgarn fallen, the orcs tried to rally to defeat the wounded heroes, but the timely arrival of Prince Belerion ap Kadishai and the air cavalry of Gryphon Company caused them to retreat in rout. Most mark this battle as the beginning of the end of the War. Daria and Kidalis were both made Captains of Owlbear Company and the other Fire Wasps were given ranks as Lieutenants, as well as being named to the Order of the Jade Owlbear.