The Adventures of Brandar Odaron
Book 1: The Hidden Continent
Chapter 23 The Warlord At War
The Army at the Tower of Vordurus was the largest on the Frontiers, for Brandar had made it so, bringing forces from Baertunas and Angust, and Domosus and Cwellan, and many other places besides. And he awaited yet additional forces from Baersunthas and Askondor, though he could not hope for more as he was certain all of the Borders north to south were about to come under dreadful attack, which came to be so.
This Tower was located where the Jungle and the Forest met and mingled, though the trees thereabouts, of many kinds, were thinly spaced. And Brandar divided his forces into three Legions of ten Regiments each, where the Second and Third Legions were positioned upon Lands west of the Tower, while the First he placed around the Tower itself, where he would conduct the defense from its top so that he could survey the Lands from its very great height -- for upon a clear day he could look from there far into the Forest westwards even without his Elven rod-of-far-seeing. And with him upon the Tower stood Tomas and the ever faithful Baeren, but also a few trusted Soldiers Brandar used as messengers and aids.
The trouble began one morning when storms moving in swiftly from the west dropped hail upon the region and brought thunderous lightening which set both Jungle and Forest aflame in many places, and where the hail or the lightening killed or wounded many a Soldier. Then terrible whirlwinds came down from the north; ripping up wide swaths of trees and throwing them upon the Army, while large numbers of Soldiers were carried off by the winds. And Brandar lost so many men to these storms that most of the North Legion and half of the Tower Legion were slain or swept away. Indeed, the winds tossed men so high that some disappeared from sight. And while many a body was later recovered, some of them several leagues away, hundreds of those poor Sereghran were never again seen in the lands of living Men.
With the passing of the hail and lightening and whirlwinds there came heavy rain that lasted several hours, and which, to Brandar’s relief, put out the fires. And as the rain began to dwindle in the afternoon, at which Brandar commenced to direct the reordering of his forces, a great and nasty flock of winged monsters dropped suddenly from the sky and so fiercely attacked the Tower and its defenders that Brandar and Tomas and Baeren must fight vigorously to keep the Tower from being overwhelmed, while several of the Soldiers there who had not descended quickly enough into the safety of the Tower were thrown from the tower or else clutched by the monsters and carried off.
Here were all of those kinds of creatures which Jesan had encountered but also many more; among them great vampire-bats and ugly Harpies, and strange beasts like the long-toothed Tigers the Emissaries had seen in Dolgondil, but with wings. And in the midst of this ominous flock flew a horrible Gryphon so huge that it could not have landed upon the Tower without breaking it, should it have desired to do so.
These, together with rat-vultures and Drakes, and Wind Demons and other vile creatures, assailed the Army with devastating effect. But the Wizard Calaren, by his great magical arts, flew up to meet the Gryphon in the sky and there did battle with it; grappling with it, and smiting it many times with blasts of mystic energy until at last they both fell to their ruin amongst the trees two furlongs to the north of the Tower.
And Brandar, witnessing the fall of Calaren, even as he fought, considered this a tremendously sore loss; wondering what he was going to do without the great Mage. But lo, Calaren suddenly appeared out of the wrack, flying unhurt into the air to fight then undaunted against the Demons and the Drakes. And when the Soldiers beheld this they gave shouts of joy and of victory, and fought all the more bravely.
Of course, the monsters soon learned to stay clear of the Tower on whose top stood Brandar and Tomas and General Baeren wielding their magical swords from which they sent lightening-bolts and blasts of flame and other energies so deadly that even Wind Demons were felled by them. And Calaren was flying to and fro slaying the worst of the winged-ones, and therefore saving many a Soldier. Yet, just when the men upon the ground began to believe that they may at last get the upper hand there came armies of Durwolc from the Forest, like to a rapidly moving migration of insects, and which attacked with such fury that it would not have been believed if it had not been experienced by the men who fought there. Then did Brandar from his vantage behold the extent of the forces coming against him, as evening was coming on, and thus did he lose any hope that aid would come in time -- for even should he yet have had his entire Army intact he would nonetheless have been hopelessly outnumbered.
Here were all manner of Durwolc, such as Gobba and Kobo, and Gress and Trollo, and Giants, and many other monsters; among them Minotaurs wielding axes, and Werebeasts of different breeds, and Alphyn, like huge mutated lions so swift and strong that no number of Soldiers not holding some sort of magic could slay even one. But worse yet, crushing everything in its path, including the Durwolc, was a great Basilisk Dragon so enormous that the ground trembled beneath it.
Seeing this, Brandar sent Tomas to fight with the Dragon but Baeren he sent to take command of what remained of the Tower Legion; solemnly asking him to make ready to move his forces westward at command. Then did the two salute Brandar and went down to do their duty, knowing that it could very well mean their doom.
Tomas thus challenged the Basilisk, and they fought long with no quarter while night fell. But as it seemed neither could slay the other, with many combatants upon both sides being trampled by the Dragon, Brandar was determined to go himself to assist his countryman when the winged monsters renewed their assault upon the Tower; having noticed that Tomas and Baeren were now occupied elsewhere. And Brandar was hard pressed to keep the Tower clear of those creatures.
Then Brandar, as was his nature, went mad with fury and by the skill that was his alone repulsed the vermin of the airs, freeing the skies above the Tower just as Calaren was chasing away northwest above the battlefield his own winged foes.
Coming down from the Tower Brandar had Baeren reordeer those Regiments that remained near the Tower such that once again did they surround the Tower, though their ring of defense was much smaller than that which had been formed earlier by the Legion. Then Brandar went to aid Tomas as Calaren continued to fly this way and that, directing and assisting the embattled Soldiery beneath him while the fighting upon land about the Tower continued chaotic and bloody.
By the magicks of his sword, Beliscaertos, Brandar hacked through the enemy and came to where Tomas ferociously contended with the great Basilisk. And together the Northrons slew the beast, at which all of the nearby Soldiers cheered and praised them while the enemy there fell back in surprise. But the two went back to the Tower grounds and met up with Baeren, so that the three renewed their formidable team and went about slaying score upon score of the Durwolc, and the Minotaurs and Alphyn, and a great many other monsters, while the unconquerable Calaren continued directing the defense from above, keeping the sky free of winged creatures. Then did it seem that the tide had now turned and the Sereghran began to take heart and so fight all the more hardily.
Thus was the Grypon brought down and the Basilisk slain and the Tower saved, and the advantage in numbers of the enemy was also greatly reduced. Yet, the Warlord’s Army was now down to a third of its former size, and remained surrounded upon all sides to half a league deep in all directions. What is more, there came more of the Giants, and with them Mages who, to the surprise of all in the Warlord’s Army, appeared to be Men. And by this it was assumed that the Mages were evil Sereghren, mayhap possessed and therefore enslaved to the Demon Lord just as Duke Vastus had been.
Therefore, at the first sign of magical attacks, Brandar ordered a retreat to the Fortress of Baertunas; deeming that retreating into the Tower would be but to trap them all therein with no chance of escape. Now, however, only he and Tomas and Baeren remained of the higher-ranking Officers, though the increadible flying Calaren was yet overhead, assailing the enemy’s Mages and thwarting as many of their attacks as he could manage. Then Brandar asked Tomas to protect the north flank and called to Calaren to defend the south flank while Baeren he asked to remain in the rear of the retreating Army, so that Brandar may cleave a way forward through the enemy, going east into the Jungles; aiming to reach the road to Baertunas.
Loath was Brandar to ask Baeren to fall back, knowing that it was a sure sentence of death. Yet, he believed Tomas and Calaren would be the most effective at defending his flanks, leaving Baeren to command the Soldiers unfortunate enough to be caught in the rear. But Baeren took the request in stride, embracing the task with the utmost urgency, and turned to go and command the defense of the Army’s rear.
Leading a frenzied assault eastwards, Brandar again literally carved for himself a path through the enemy’s ranks to provide an escape for his remaining forces. And that would be held as one of the Warlord’s most valorous of deeds, for the enemy were as thick as maggots upon a long-dead carcass, and never flinched at being slain by the dour Northron; while the night was full wrought, though for a while the Moons lit Brandar’s way and he was glad of it. Yet, just as Brandar was breaking through, after hours of fighting, the stars and Moons were covered by a darkness coming swiftly from the West.
So it was that Brandar must abandon the Tower to the enemy and make his way to the Fortress of Baertunas, owing that no aid would arrive soon enough to save him. But when finally he broke free of the enemy he ordered his men to run hurriedly upon the road while he went then back himself to lend aid to the harried Baeren.
Too late did Brandar arrive at the rear of his forces, for as he came within sight of Baeren he beheld the heroic Sereghran being hewn down by a great press of axe-wielding Trollo, with the aid of one of the enemy’s Mages. And there was nothing Brandar could do to save his friend, not even to take his vengeance upon that Mage and the Trollo, for Baeren was too far away, with many Soldiers between, and the enemy was attacking the retreating Army as never before. Then many enemy Mages came forth and began to slay Soldiers in ever greater numbers, while the enemy brought torches with which to see their victims in the night. Thus was Brandar forced to go forth in opposition to the Mages, using Beliscaertos to blast them with the great mystic force of his sword. And he held the enemy long enough for Tomas and Calaren to funnel the rest of the Army into the Jungle upon the road to Baertunas, at which the two joined Brandar to keep the enemy back while the Soldiers escaped. And they all came at last to Baertunas, having gone without rest for two more nights and days within the gloom of a stiffling darkness from the West.
Right ill-fated were Baeren and the Soldiers who fell with him, protecting the retreat of their fellows. And they were later named the “Nobel Rear Guard”. By their sacrifice Brandar was able to get the remains of his Army into the Jungle, too dense for the enemy to pursue in waves; forced therefore to follow as they could upon the road.
Brandar and Tomas, and the amazing Calaren, kept the enemy from continuing to attack the rearward Soldiers so that they all made it wearily at long last to Baertunas with little further loss. Yet, the enemy never ceased their pursuit and poured out to surround the Fortress as soon as Brandar and Tomas had entered, shutting its great Western Gate, while Calaren flew above and kept away flying enemies in the sky which had come and flown over the Jungle, keeping the fleeing Soldiers in sight.
The Army of Baertunas had been sent under Jesan’s command to the Border due west of Kombros but for a few Companies Jesan had sent to Vordurus, so the Fortress was left with but a small Army of the People’s Brigades; mostly younger Sereghran from nearby towns and villages, ordered to wait there as reserves under the command of Duke Flaven. And these were astounded to see the Warlord himself arriving with a frighteningly reduced Army, pursued by what seemed an endless number of Durwolc flowing out of the Jungle from the westward road. Furthermore, the Warlord’s coming to Baertunas offered to him only a brief respite, for there came such an assault that clearly the old stronghold would offer no lasting refuge, so vast were the enemy’s forces.
The siege of Baertunas lasted several nights and days without interruption, in which the Durwolc launched wave upon wave of attacks; throwing up ladders made from wood they cut from the Jungle, and grappling-hooks with ropes they must have brought with them, and digging tunnels to go beneath the wall, and then bringing great siege towers which they rolled up on wheels to overcome the wall. And it was counted an awesome feat that the Brigadiers held back the enemy for so long, at first, while the remnant of the Warlord’s Army obtained a day of rest. For even Brandar and Tomas and Calaren must get some sleep, lest they fall from sheer exhaustion.
Nevertheless, the defenders cause was hopeless, and most of those Brigadiers perished, for there came more of the Wind Demons which swooped down unlooked for to assail the Sereghran atop the outer wall, though Flaven and Calaren were able to keep them from flying into the Fortress itself. Yet, there came also more Giants wielding great mauls with which they railed against the Gates, while Trollo carried in logs used as battering-rams against the man-sized side doors.
Then tramped many huge Thunder-Lizard Dragons which went about tearing down places in the outer wall itself, even some of the wall’s watchtowers. And in these ways the enemy broke through and entered the grounds within. But with that, Brandar ordered his meager forces to retreat into the Inner Compounds and shore up its doors as best they could. Then Brandar placed Flaven and Calaren in command of the defense of the inner walls while he and Tomas went to make a stand upon the newly rebuilt roof of the Great Hall. And back-to-back Brandar and Tomas contested the Wind Demons and slew them by the score or drove them away by the power of their swords in an astonishing display of adeptness at using their magicks. Then the two cleared completely the skies above the Fortress from all winged monsters. And so did the Northrons bring pause to the siege as Flaven and Calaren, by their own great magicks, were preventing the enemy from breaching the inner walls and the side doors.
Even so, the Fortress would not stand much longer without aid coming soon in great numbers. But of that, Brandar had little hope, though he knew, from his Aefarin, that help was indeed on the way.
Of a sudden, enemy drums and horns heralded the coming of the dark Dragon of the Forest himself, Balkurmis, whose name means “Devilish Serpent”, and who broke apart the Main Gate and its towers to the dismay of the Sereghran who saw it, and so entered the grounds within and stood before the doors of the First Compound. But with him Balkurmis had brought many other dragons, some from his very own brood and others of his kind, along with Devils and Demons, and evil Mages of all sorts. But while the sound of the drums and horns and the howling and cheering of the Durwolc and the bellowing of the Giants and the roaring of the Thunder-Lizards was bad enough to disconcert the defenders in the Fortress, the sound and the sight of Balkurmis spouting flames into the sky was as a death-knell to the Warlord and his surviving forces.
Here would all the Sereghran in the Fortress meet their doom, perhaps even the Lords Brandar and Tomas, and the Wizards Flaven and Calaren, as the size and power of the forces surrounding them now was so much more than adequate that Brandar felt that further defense was futile. Yet, fight on he would, to his very last breath.
Unexpectedly, just as Balkurmis rose up to strike with fire-breath the defenders in the Compound, a bright ball of lightening sailed in from the northwest and smote the Dragon upon the side of his head, putting out his eye and leaving a long bleeding scar across his face. Then Balkurmis, in pain-maddened rage, forgetting the Fortress, turned to seek out whoever it was that had dared to attack him.
There, just now engaging the northern ranks of the enemy, strode Aetas and Ergon slaying all in their path, with a mighty following of magical Mariners. But from the northwest came Jesan with many companies of Soldiers, accompanied by the vengeful Wizard Palphus who had created the ball of lightening and who now sent another; striking Balkurmis upon his shoulder, burning there a second deep wound.
And coming also behind Aetas was Captain Denus leading a vast following of the People’s Brigades. But beyond these, seen in the distance north, was Admiral Stanon, with the exceedingly wrathful Men of Geranost.
Thus did Balkurmis stomp off and went out to engage the Wizard Palphus, taking yet another lightening-ball upon his chest as he came. And he attempted to burn Palphus to cinders with a long tongue of his fire-breath as he approached. But here, though men around him perished in the flames, Palphus stood unharmed and again sent a lightening-ball to strike the Dragon upon his belly.
Then the front lines of the new-come Sereghran drove into the ranks of the enemy with great slaughter. And for the rest of that day and through the night and long into the next day these forces strove violently against one another, while the men in the Fortress observed from atop walls and houses, and from the windows of towers, and from the roof of the Great Hall. For the enemy had left off their siege, and had turned fully their attention to their foes in the battlefields north.
Alas, while the coming of Aetas and his Mariners brought the siege to a halt, and the enemy put on the defensive, not all of the magic and might of the Sereghran there would avail to bring the enemy down in short order, not even the magicks of Palphus. For the mighty Dragon Balkurmis, though wounded many times, could not be slain, and continued to do battle with the Wizard. And so, the enemy continued to fight on.
Seeing a stalemate coming, Brandar, by that power of Beliscaertos which his brand alone possessed, transported himself with a word of command to just behind the Dragon, as the beast had halted before Palphus, towering above the man with the intention of pounding down upon him and then tearing him apart by tooth and claw. But then Brandar climbed swiftly upon the Dragon’s back ere the monster kenned what was happening and drove Beliscaertos deep into the creature’s back, between its broad shoulder-blades. And with that, as Balkurmis lifted his head, howling in pain and surprise, Brandar spoke another word of command and suddenly the monster’s innards blasted out, to leave a great bloody hole in its stomach. Then Balkurmis, heaving a last strangled spout of flame, fell ungracefully with a thud upon the ground whilst Brandar withdrew Beliscaertos and leapt deftly from its back, landing lightly upon his feet, at which he turned to stand victorious by the flaccid hulk as all the nearby enemy stood back in amazement. And thus did the dreaded Dragon Balkurmis, Lord of the Forest, live no more.
In the moment Balkurmis fell the Sereghran there kenned that a terrible weight had been lifted from them, while the enemy hesitated and seemed to lose their will to go on. But next, a clean wind blew in from the East and soon swept away all of the smoke and fumes, and the ash and soot, and the darkness, and the horrible stench in the air.
Naturally, the enemy were dismayed at the fall of the Dragon. And a deep ripple of doubt spread rapidly throughout their ranks. But the Sereghran roared in triumph, then returned to the fight with a new sense of purpose; believing the field was now theirs. And the enemy began to fall before them in ever growing heaps.
Brandar and Tomas went out, clearing a way through the enemy, and met soon with Aetas and Ergon. And glad indeed was that meeting. Then the four went about slaying others of the Dragons and all the Thunder-Lizards they could catch, while other Lords and Officers that had come led battles against the demoralized enemy. And Flaven and Calaren emerged from the Fortress leading the remainder of the Army of Vordurus and survivors of Baertunas, fighting so vigorously that none could withstand them, be it Dragon or Drake, or Devil or Demon, or Giant or Trollo, or any other monsters within the ranks of the enemy. Yet, the fighting nevertheless went on long and brutally.
Thus did it seem for a while that a wide victory was now assured to the Sereghran that day. But the tide was, at length, to turn once again, because of the immense number of enemies there, and because of the many Mages and other minions of the Demon Lord and also the winged creatures which had returned in even greater strength than before. And after two days more the Sereghran grew weary and began to waver, here and there, and thus began to fall more and more.
A numberless host of Durwolc and many Mages had been placed upon that field, and remained a potent threat despite the fall of Balkurmis. So, the war was not yet won, and battles raged on; continuing unrelenting and more widespread as the days and nights progressed. And there was to be no stalemate.
Here were row upon row of Gobba and Kobo and Orgu, along with Gress and Trollo and Ukros, led by fell Giants of the kind named Yhutoros, whose name means “Long-Boned Beast”. And here too had come anew many Minotaur and Devilkin, and Werebeasts and Vampires. But worse still were Demons of Fire, named Nsurudin. And there were now Korligen in the south, hearded by Swamp Drakes, and in no small number. Then more Wind Demons had come, leading Gargoyles, and yet more Harpies, and many another winged monster nigh as fearsome.
Therefore, at dusk of the fifth day of fighting, though Balkurmis lay dead, it seemed that a grand contest was yet to be decided, for not even the powers of Brandar and Tomas, nor the majesty of mighty King Aetas, nor the magicks of the Sereghran Wizards, nor the valor of the Mariners and Soldiers and Brigadiers, nor even the wrath of the Men of Geranost would be enough to defeat the enemy at Baertunas at that time.
But ere the first Sun sank beneath the horizon here rode Medhyos from the south with the Army of Baerhesperos. And to his east rode Lord Phaedus leading the Army of Baersunthas. But following these two mightiest of Armies was the Elf Lord Turlin of Askondor leading many Companies of the Lowland Elves, wild eyed and fey. And the arrival of these forces was enough to tip the balance.
The enemy was routed as the dark of night descended upon the corpse-littered ground around the Fortress. And the foul Durwolc were the first to turn and run, followed soon by all of the other monsters, no matter how fearsome -- for the magicks of the Lords of the Southlands was too great for them to counter. So, the Durwolc fled into the West pursued far into the deepest regions of the Forest, which took many days. But when Brandar would chase them even unto the mountains those Lords counseled against it. And Tomas said: “The Warlord has won this fight, and has himself slain the feared Balkurmis. Now is the time for resetting the Borders and for healing the wounds of war.”
Brandar heeded their words, declaring a great victory for the Sereghran, and returned to Baertunas where all of the Sereghran there cheered him, and praised the victory, and gave to him the highest of all honors which they had to give, and also Tomas, naming the two Northrons the “Saviors of Baertunas”. But praise was also given throughout the Lands to Aetas and Ergon, and Jesan and Denus, and to Admiral Stanon and his Mariners, and to all of the Soldiers and Brigadiers who survived, and also to Medhyos and Phaedus, and to all the brave Elves of the Southland Realms.
That war was named “The Victory of the Warlord Odaron” and as the “War of the Saviors of Baertunas”, and also as the “Freeing of the Borderlands” and as the “Last Frontier War”. But it was not widely celebrated because of the number of those who had fallen. Indeed, later in the Lore of the Serghran was it renamed the “Odunas Palagas”, which is the “Devouring Assault”, as it had devoured so many a good Sereghan.