The Battle of Caer Corwell was a series of clashes between the Ffolk of Corwell and Northmen raiders that marked the climax of the Darkwalker War of the Year of the Saddle, 1345 DR.[2][3] The fighting occurred around Corwell Town and the castle of Caer Corwell, in the southwest of the island of Gwynneth in the Moonshae Isles.[3]
History[]
Causes[]
The Darkwalker War was started when the Beast Kazgaroth killed and assumed the form of King Thelgaar Ironhand of Oman, and in this guise organized for a massive force of Northmen to attack and slaughter the people of Corwell. Victory would require him to destroy Corwell's capital at Caer Corwell, and so he sailed his forces to attack the town from the west by sea while sending two other armies, led by Kings Raag Hammerstaad of Norheim and Grunnarch the Red of Norland, to raze the eastern settlements of the kingdom and approach the capital by land from the east.[5]
Having learned of the impending danger of Northman raids, King Bryon Kendrick of Corwell arranged for Caer Corwell to be made ready for an attack, including summoning allies among his vassals, namely the lords of Dynnatt and Koart, as well as to have the nearby halfling settlement of Lowhill evacuated.[6] He expected his son, Prince Tristan Kendrick, to lead Corwell Town's defenders, however the Prince departed on a personal quest the night before he was to assume this command.[7]
Battles[]
Defense of the Harbor[]
On Flamerule 4, the fleet of "Thelgaar Ironhand" arrived at Corwell Harbor.[1] Their approach along Corwell Firth was hampered by winds summoned by a trio of druids, including Quinn Moonwane and Dierdre, until the strain of the magic caused Dierdre to expire of exhaustion. As the longships began to enter Corwell harbor through the narrow gap in the breakwater, catapults from the town launched flaming bales of straw and pitch at the bottleneck, Ffolk archers opened fire, and the two remaining druids used their spells to shatter one ship and summon a fire storm to destroy another. However, Kazgoroth stood at the front of the fleet in his guise as Thelgaar Ironhand, and killed both druids with his power without leaving his ship. He then caused a wall to collapse atop King Bryon Kendrick of Corwell, who was coordinating the town defense.[3][6] Even so, the catapults had successfully made the Northmen turn away from the harbor, forcing them to land just outside of the breakwater to the south of Corwell Town. They did not press the attack further that day.[3]
Fall of the Town[]
On Flamerule 6, Prince Tristan Kendrick took control of the defense of Corwell at his father's command, having just arrived the previous day after a minor victory over the Northmen at the Battle of Freeman's Down.[1][4] Meanwhile, Lords Dynnatt and Koart, each seeking to outdo the other, had deployed to the south and were routed by the Northmen, who prodded them to retreat into the town but did not pursue. Tristan and his father both understood that the town's low walls could not hold back the attackers, and that it was not safe to allow people to remain outside the castle. Tristan thus ordered a retreat to the castle against the protests of Lord Mayor Dinsmore and the silent disapproval of Lord Koart. Following the arrival of reinforcements in the form of the Sisters of Synnoria and a company of dwarves led by Finellen, the effort to evacuate the town began. The forces of Dynnatt and Koart were deployed north along the road to the castle, but the Northmen struck them hard. Koart's forces retreated back to the walls while Dynnatt's forces were wiped out, trapping the remaining defenders and wounded within Corwell Town.[3][4]
That night, following the arrival of the armies of Norheim and Norland from the east, Kazgoroth maneuvered his forces to wipe out Corwell Town: his plan was to attack from the south and east while feinting an attack in the north, thus pushing the defenders to attempt to flee north to the castle where they would be ambushed, including by his terrifying Bloodriders. The attack began just before dawn on Flamerule 7, and went according to Kazgoroth's plan until King Bryon's ward, Robyn, used the Staff of the White Well to summon a series of lighting strikes, causing the Northmen to break ranks and allowing Tristan and his forces to reach the safety of the castle.[1][3][8] This brought Robyn's druidic power to the attention of Kazgoroth, who infiltrated the castle that night as a winged monster and attempted to kill her.[9]
The defenders of Caer Corwell settled behind the safety of the walls while the Northmen occupied their town and began constructing mighty siege engines. Supplies were rationed to last the defenders until the winter, and it was hoped that the seasons would break the siege even if force of arms could not.[9]
Defense of Caer Corwell[]
On Flamerule 20, Kazgoroth's forces began their final assault.[1][note 1] The Northmen began to scale the hill on which Caer Corwell sat, using ropes, ladders, and spikes in an effort to scale the walls or at least damage them with fire pots. Meanwhile, great catapults hurled cauldrons of flaming pitch against the palisade while a company of firbolgs, led by Groth, carried an enchanted battering ram up the winding road to the gate. Protected by thick leather cloaks, the firbolgs made their way to the gate and broke through the outer door while many of the defenders rushed about trying to extinguish the fires along the walls. To prevent the firbolgs from breaching the portcullis, Tristan led his personal allies (Daryth, Pawldo, and Keren Donnell) and a handful of men-at-arms to fight them in the tight quarters of the gatehouse, succeeding only when they were joined by Finellen's dwarves.[3][10]
Soon after, the Northmen successfully breached the eastern palisade, but the defenders (led by Tristan's friend Gavin) managed to hold the line with the help of Robyn's druidic magic.[3][10] With an opening in the wall now made, Kazgoroth's Bloodriders enacted a ritual to grant themselves and their steeds supernatural speed,[10] which they used to race up the hill and carve a bloody path through the defenders, killing Gavin and beginning to slaughter the Ffolk in the castle courtyard. The Sisters of Synnoria mounted a charge from the courtyard stables, drawing the Bloodriders' attention and luring them into position for Robyn to annihilate the riders with a wall of fire save for their leader, Laric. By this time, Kazgoroth (still in the guise of Thelgaar Ironhand) had scaled the hill with his forces and arrived in the courtyard, where he was confronted by Tristan wielding the Sword of Cymrych Hugh. In the chaos, Laric abducted Robyn and fled the battle, intending to consume her life essence and betraying his master Kazgoroth to do so.[3][11]
Meanwhile, the Pack had arrived from the north. This violent "child" of the Ffolk's Goddess consisted of thousands of wolves from across Gwynneth, all currently being led by Canthus, Tristan's own prized moorhound. The wolves tore into the Northmen's rearguard, overwhelming and slaughtering them. After King Raag of Norheim fell to the wolves, King Grunnarch of Norland decided to retreat back to his longships, abandoning the fight. As the tide turned against the Northmen, Kazgorth's anger overwhelmed him, causing him to lose control over his shape and assume his true, monstrous form.[3][11] He too then fled the losing battle, following Laric's trail toward Myrloch Vale, and immediately the remaining and confused Northmen lost all morale and fled for their ships. As they ran, they were cut down by the Pack as well as by the pursuing Ffolk, now led by the surprise reappearance of their badly injured King Bryon (who had been strapped into his saddle to allow him to ride). Rather than join the fighting, Tristan and his companions hastily outfitted themselves for travel and raced in pursuit of Laric and Kazgoroth, hoping to save Robyn and end the threat to the kingdom.[3][12]
Aftermath[]
The Ffolk victory at Caer Corwell marked the end of the fighting with the Northmen in the Darkwalker War, although the threat of Kazgoroth was not ended until the Beast was slain by Tristan on Eleasis 5.[1]
The Pack, which had been summoned by the Earthmother to fight Kazgoroth, dispersed once the Northmen had been driven from Corwell Town,[12] and was not seen again for many years.[13]
The great deeds of Tristan and Robyn at the Battle of Caer Corwell soon spread, marking them as threats to the evil schemes of Cyndre, leader of the Council of Seven, who arranged to have them assassinated.[14]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Dates for the events of the Darkwalker War and the Battle of Caer Corwell are given in a timeline provided in The Forgotten Realms Atlas (p. 30). However, this timeline is at odds with the novel Darkwalker on Moonshae (ch. 19), which states that the final assault on Caer Corwell occurred "eight days after the fall of Corwell Town", whereas the timeline indicates twelve days. As The Forgotten Realms Atlas is both a more recent publication and higher in this wiki's canon hierarchy, it is assumed to be correct for the purpose of this article.
Appearances[]
Novels & Short Stories
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Karen Wynn Fonstad (August 1990). The Forgotten Realms Atlas. (TSR, Inc), p. 30. ISBN 978-0880388573.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Brian R. James (December 2007). “Grand History of the Realms: The Moonshaes”. Dragon #362 (Wizards of the Coast). Archived from the original on 2009-06-01.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 Karen Wynn Fonstad (August 1990). The Forgotten Realms Atlas. (TSR, Inc), pp. 43–45. ISBN 978-0880388573.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 17. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.
- ↑ Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 7. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 16. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.
- ↑ Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 6. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.
- ↑ Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 18. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 19. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 20. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 21. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 22. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.
- ↑ Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 48. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ Douglas Niles (May 2011). Black Wizards. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 0. ISBN 978-0-7869-5970-9.