Battle of the Chasm

The Battle of the Chasm was one of the early engagements between the Bedine tribes of Anauroch and the Zhentilar soldiers that sought to take control of the desert for their Zhentarim masters.

Location
The battle occurred in the canyons around and leading into the Well of the Chasm oasis in the Sword region of Anauroch.

Battle
After wiping out the Qoha'dar and the Mtair Dhafir tribes, the Zhentilar army marched upon the Well of the Chasm and sought to destroy the Raz'ahi. As Sheikh Utaiba led his warriors in defense of their home, Sheikh Sa'ar and the Bait Mahwa marched down the canyon pathway behind their forward scouts, led by the young Mtairi warrior Kadumi.

When the Mahwai arrived at the siege, they found the Zhentilar soldiers and their asabi mercenaries positioned between the two tribes, with no rearguard in sight. After letting loose an initial volley of arrows, claiming many asabi deaths, a single Zhentarim wizard let loose arcane fire upon the Mahwai vanguard and scattered their forces. The witch Ruha was able to eliminate the wizard with a conjured sand lion as the asabi returned fire their crossbows, and an full-on melee broke out.

Just as the Mahwai gained the upper hand against the asabis in the canyon, the camel-mounted Raz'hadi warriors were able to break the siege line and route the Zhent assailants. The asabi mercenaries began to mount and climb the canyon's walls to circle back and gain advantage over the Raz'hadi, but were stopped by Ruha when she brought the sands of the canyon walls down like streaming water and buried the lizards beneath it.

Outcome
"It was a great victory for our tribes, Sa'ar. Your warriors fought splendidly, and we Raz'hadi have reason to be glad they did."

- Sheikh Utaiba.

The united Bedine warriors were victorious, having defeated a force that was many times greater their number in size. It set the stage for the battles that would follow, and forced the Zhents to begin using more underhanded and devious strategies such as assassination and mass-poisoning.

History
The Battle of the Chasm took place during the series of skirmishes that arose between the Bedine and the Zhent forces during the. As the first battle in the ongoing conflict, it was followed by Battle of the Fissures at the southern end of the Wall of Fallen Djinn mountain range.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Parched Sea