Battle of Ponte

The Battle of Ponte was a battle during the Imperial-Bresalian war resulting in an Imperial victory. The battle took place following a 3-month siege of Ponte during early fall of 3105 IE on the eastern side of Taran's Wall. It was a turning point in the war, halting the Bresalian army's westward march and leading to the reclamation of Imperial territory.
Having been unsuccessful thus far in breaking through Ponte's defenses, and having gotten word of a large number of Imperial reinforcements on their way, the Bresalian army made a final assault on the city. While successful in breaching the eastern gates, the Bresalian army found itself unable to fight its way across the many bridges of Ponte, and were eventually forced to retreat upon arrival of the Imperial reinforcements.

Background

Having been greatly weakened by the Lost Crusade and in the midst of managing the Great Unrest on their western border, the Exalted Imperium of Oriand was ill-prepared for an attack on their eastern front by the Kingdom of Bresal.
Bresal sought to conquer Imperial holdings on Adari that had been taken many centuries prior. Moving swiftly through the largely underdefended Imperial lands, the Bresalian army was slowed during the First Battle of Ambergrip Fortress, one of the few large Imperial military installations on Adari. Though Ambergrip Fortress was led by renowned Imperial leader Sabela Fenwynn, Bresal's superior numbers ultimately claimed victory, forcing the Imperial forces to retreat to Ponte.

Opposing forces

Imperial army

The Imperium lacked significant military force on or near Adari, relying solely on the troops at Ambergrip Fortress for defense. When the fortress fell, the approximately 12,000 survivors retreated to Ponte. Ponte held a sizable garrison of 2,500 infantry, led by High Constable Beldroth Valvaris. This combined force was still outnumbered more than two-to-one, and so the call was put out for rapid reinforcement and the raising of armies from nearby lands.
One such region called upon was the province of Kostimar, which included the dwarven hold of Saema's Rest. After the failure of the Lost Crusade the dwarves refused to spare any of their military forces, instead choosing to expel any Imperial nobility from the city and declare their independence. Imperial military leadership diverted an army of 12,500 soldiers to quell the rebellion, as well as meet up with the newly-raised Kosti army before going on to reinforce Ponte. Upon reaching Saema's Rest, the Imperial army was met with 18,000 Kosti soldiers siding not with them, but with the dwarves. Led by Lord Ulric Staverton, a prominent Kosti noble, the armies entered a tense standstill. What followed was two weeks of intense negotiation between Lord Staverton and Imperial nobility over the future of Kostimar¹. Ultimately, an agreement was reached and the two armies merged, along with a small contingent of 1,500 dwarven warriors, then headed to aid the beleaguered armies at Ponte.

Bresalian army

Led by Prince Isaac Braunstone and General Rawlin Drakeroar, the Bresalian army numbered 45,000 strong. After the First Battle of Ambergrip Fortress, Prince Braunstone split his remaining forces into a main force of 37,000 and a smaller secondary force of 7,000 led by General Drakeroar. The secondary force was sent to pacify the surrounding lands while the main force chased down the fleeing Imperial army.
This reorganization ultimately proved to be too time-consuming, allowing the Imperial army led by Field Marshall Fenwynn to successfully make their escape to Ponte. Prince Braunstone was forced to lay siege to Ponte, which lasted for three months before receiving news of a large Imperial army headed east. Having sustained sizable losses in previous failed attempts to break the siege, Prince Braunstone called General Drakeroar's army to join him as he prepared for a final massive assault.

Battle

First day

The Bresalian army made its first attempt to breach the walls shortly after dawn, using the sun at their backs to their advantage. The defenders of Ponte were able to rebuff the attackers, who pulled back to regroup before launching another assault. This second attempt proved more successful than the first, leading to heavy Imperial losses, though the Bresalians were still not able to enter the city. Seeing that the walls would not be held for long, Field Marshall Fenwynn ordered the bulk of the army to entrench itself on the western side of the city and prepared to use the iconic bridges of Ponte as chokepoints.
Many of the smaller bridges were destroyed to funnel Bresalian forces into areas where they could be easily shot by Imperial archers, but Field Marshall Fenwynn also made the controversial decision to destroy Bronze Crossing, one of Ponte's seven ancient bridges. Though High Constable Valvaris strongly objected to it, Field Marshall Fenwynn asserted that holding all seven bridges would be impossible and as the third-smallest bridge it was the best choice².

Second day

Once again the Bresalian army threw itself at Ponte, and by early afternoon the Imperial troops on the walls found themselves overrun. Field Marshall Fenwynn ordered a retreat across the bridges, drawing in Bresalian forces eager to finish the fight. Prince Braunstone ordered a charge across toward western Ponte, only to be suddenly halted by Imperial fortifications. Faced with mounting losses he ordered his troops to pull back to the eastern side of the city, where they began setting up defenses of their own.
A few hours before sundown, the roving Bresalian army led by General Drakeroar arrived to rejoin with Prince Braunstone's forces. With fresh reinforcements, Prince Braunstone was confident his forces would be victorious and chose not to press further that day.

Third day

Now greatly outnumbering the Imperial army, the Bresalian army made a strong push toward the western side. Though they endured many losses the Bresalians were able to take control of Roaring Winds Bridge, allowing them access to the southwestern side of Ponte. The Imperial army, now faced with enemies on two sides, was forced to retreat and regroup.
As the Bresalian army closed in, word reached both armies - the Imperial reinforcements were but a few hours away. Prince Braunstone, realizing that his reckless strategy had weakened his army too much to finish the Imperials off in time, sounded the retreat. Field Marshall Fenwynn took advantage of this opportunity to quickly push across the northern bridges, flanking the Bresalians. General Drakeroar led a detachment to cover their retreat, successfully buying time for the Prince Braunstone's forces to escape the city, but his unit was surrounded in the process. Unwilling to surrender, he led his troops in a final charge against the advancing Imperial line and was killed.

Aftermath

After meeting up with the defenders of Ponte, the joint Imperial army chased after Prince Braunstone. The Bresalian army retreated to Ambergrip Fortress, incurring heavy losses on the way. The Imperial army lay siege to the fort, eventually retaking it in the Second Battle of Ambergrip Fortress.
In recapturing Ambergrip Fortress, the Imperium also took captive Prince Braunstone. Using him as a bargaining chip, coupled with additional external threats to the Kingdom of Bresal, the Imperium was able to negotiate a peace treaty that brought an end to the war.

Legacy

The battle of Ponte marked the end of the Bresalian offensive, though the Exalted Imperium was not in a position to press the advantage. Although it helped bring an end to the war, the Imperium still ended up ceding large amounts of territory on Adari to the Kingdom of Bresal. A new border was established two-days travel east of Ambergrip Fortress, once again under command of Field Marhsall Fenwynn.
Though Bresal had not met its ultimate goal of taking control of Ponte and gaining a foothold on Gracia, it was still recognized as a major victory over the empire that had dominated the twin continents for so long. Prince Braunstone gained significant popularity for his valiant battles against the Imperial armies, though some questioned if his leadership had ultimately lost Bresal the Battle of Ponte. The death of General Drakeroar was a serious blow to Bresal's military, and when his remains were returned he was given a full state funeral and posthumously awarded the Venerated Ivory Star, Bresal's highest honor.
The loss of territory on Adari marked the first time since the Imperium was founded that its borders had shrunk. Many scholars point to this as the start of the Imperial decline³, and it certainly heralded the end of the reign of Imperatrix Oribella Neriphine. At this point her madness had reached its peak, and she was quietly removed from public view as her advisors fully took over her duties. Her daughter, Lialeth Neriphine, began an accelerated education to prepare her to take over as the next Imperatrix as soon as she came of age.

----- ----- ¹This would eventually result in the formation of the Duchy of Kostimar.
² Field Marshall Fenwynn's reasoning was that the larger bridges could not be destroyed in time, while the smaller bridges were easily defended and better used as chokepoints. Bronze Crossing was also located directly next to another one of the bridges, which would have made it too difficult to defend such a key central location.
³Scholars tend to be split between this, the Great Unrest, or the Lost Crusade as the exact start of the Imperial decline. Regardless, it is understood that this decade marked the peak of Imperial prestige.

----- -----

Battle of Ponte

Part of the Imperial-Bresalian war.

-----

-----

Date

20th of Judgement, 3105 IE

Location

Ponte, Taran's Wall

Result

Imperial victory

-----

Belligerents

The Exalted Imperium of Oriand

The Kingdom of Bresal

-----

Commanders and Leaders

• High Constable Beldroth Valvaris
• Field Marshal Sabela "Ambershield" Fenwynn
• Lord Ulric Staverton

• Prince Isaac Braunstone
• General Rawlin Drakeroar

-----

Strength

Initial

• 2,500 local garrison
• ~12,000 Imperial survivors from Ambergrip Fortress

Initial

• 34,000 Bresalian soldiers

Reinforcement

• 12,500 Imperial soldiers
• 18,000 Kosti soldiers
• 1,500 dwarven soldiers from Saema's Rest

Reinforcement

• 7,000 Bresalian soldiers

-----

Casualties and Losses

• ~8,500 Imperial soldiers dead or wounded
• ~1,650 others

• ~13,200 dead, wounded, or captured

----- -----

Related Historical Events

• 19105
  Battle of Ponte
• 19105
  Siege of Ponte
• 19105
  First Battle of Ambergrip Fortress