Siege of Makenth

The Siege of Makenth 	The Siege of Makenth
Date October 20-February 17, 376-377
Location Makenth, Brun
Result Laashburk Victory	Date October 20-February 17, 376-377
Location Makenth, Brun
Result Laashburk Victory
Belligerents 	Belligerents
Kingdom of Brun 	Colony of Laashburk
Commanders and Leaders 	Commanders and Leaders
Lord Damos Fragas (POW) 	Magnate Tevoth
Strength 	Strength
2,000 	Initial: 15,000
Later: 4,000
Casualties and Losses 	Casualties and Losses
2,000
(688 killed, 987 wounded, 325 captured or missing)	872
(312 killed, 859 wounded, 1 captured or missing)
Preceding 	Subsequent
Battle of the Western Pass	Siege of Teraholm
As the war between the Brunians and the Tryrians had reached its second year, other powers saw an opportunity. Laashburk, a large surface-level colony of drow granted protection from the sun by their goddess Lolth, was looking to expand. It controlled a swath of territory around the Testverek mountains, and rather than engage with the established kingdoms to their southeast, Brun appeared soft and vulnerable, and Grand Matron Fruselthau saw them as a perfect target. She issues marching orders to her commanders, and soon 15,000 drow set out south from the Black Gate towards Brun.
This force was commanded by three Magnates, military and administrative leaders of Laashburk. They were Lenna, Tevoth, and Hossoth, with Lenna the most senior of the three and thereby taking command. The host passed through the wilderness north of Brun undetected, and by mid-October, arrived at Brun's northern border in Fragas territory. 
Faced with enemies to the west and the east, the dragonborn were not expecting another enemy to the north. The drow were particularly merciless, cleaving through Fragas territory and slaughtering or enslaving everyone in their path. Damos Fragas soon found himself with an entire army at his doorstep as he holed up in his stronghold of Makenth. Damos was heavily outnumbered, 10:1, but he was a stoic and belligerent soldier who would never yield to his foes. Realizing that they would not easily surrender, the drow settled in for a siege, reluctant to assault the fortress and receive unnecessary casualties. 
By December, Snowfire had returned to Teraholm with 2,000 men from the Western Pass, and he was considering going to arrest Cravis Brownback for his repeated insubordination and lack of support to the war effort. To his surprise, he found Wulroth Ironhand, who had been convalescing in Teraholm after his wound received at the Battle of Hentoil's Hill, readying the troops to march north and face the invaders at Makenth. Markul Blackdaw had gone northeast to the Blackdaw territory to raise more troops and organize a defense of his territory. Casting aside his desire to handle Cravis, Snowfire joined forces with Wulroth and swiftlywent to relieve the siege with 8,000 men. They were alarmed to find the enemy in much greater strength than they anticipated, almost doubling their own size. After some skirmishes between their scouts, Snowfire realized the enemy was far more dangerous and well-trained than the Tryrians or the barbarians of the Western Wastes, and that Makenth was likely to be lost. Wishing to centralize the Brunian forces for a stronger defense, he ordered a general retreat back to Teraholm, much to Wulroth's dissent.
Unaware that Snowfire's troops were ever even there, Damos was hopeful that his fellow Brunians would show up to relieve the siege. He took on an active defense, fending off any Drow assaults and performing small sallying raids. Casualties were relatively light, but Lenna began to grow impatient. The longer this siege stretched on, the more of a chance the dragonborn had to rally further troops and organize a defense of their territory. While the dragonborn under Snowfire had turned back, Lenna knew that force still existed out there, and was likely only growing stronger. At the beginning of December, she resolved to continue on, leaving Magnate Tevoth in command of 4,000 drow to continue the siege as she took the other 11,000 down south into the Brunian heartland. 
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, and the dragonborn still held the line. By February, the Fragas's position was getting desperate. The drow's siege weapons were extracting a heavy toll, and access to food had grown sparse. Tevoth, recognizing the chance for an end to the siege, offered another chance to surrender for Damos, this one far more generous than the past. If they surrendered, they would be spared their lives. Damos, stubborn as he was, did genuinely care for his people, and starvation makes mincemeat of one's principles. On February 17th, a mere two days before the Battle of Twoffes Wood he surrendered. Tevoth took Damos and his men prisoner, destroyed the fortress, and moved to reinforce Lenna down in Teraholm.
* 2,000 Fragas