Battle of Varul (1157)

The Fourth Battle of Varul took place on the 16th of Pentur 1157 of our Age near the city of Varul, at the time in the Duchy of Emirìa. It was fought between Imperial forces and the armies of Aranwaën. The battle marked a turning point in the Second Wine War and resulted in the Siege of Varul being lifted. The battle's importance is exacerbated by the fact that it saw the first use of gunpowder-weapons on the battlefield. Although the Imperials were decisively defeated, they only suffered light casualties and were able to retreat with most of their forces.
The Imperial army had begun the war by besieging Varul five years earlier. The Araner forces attempted to lift the siege but were beaten back by the Imperials. Although completely dominant on land, the Imperials found themselves unable to blockade the wide Varil river, and so the city was able to regularly receive supplies. The Araners with the help of their dwarven allies developed gunpowder canons and an army was assembled with around 20 field canons in early Beser of 1157. The Araner army arrived on the 13th of Pentur. Both armies were unwilling to engage, but ultimately the Imperials launched an assault on the Araner camp in the night of the 16th.
The Araners were alerted of the Imperial attack beforehand by spies and had prepared for it. The Imperials were relying on a surprise charge of the heavy cavalry to quickly rout the Araner forces. This plan was foiled by the Araners making proper battle formations. The Imperial cavalry was however quickly routed following the firing of several of the gun batteries, as the horses were terrified of such loud noises. The bulk of the Imperial army which was still near the camp did not even engage, and upon seeing their heavy cavalry retreat retreated as well.
The battle was devastating for the Imperials. Though their casualties were minimal, so were the Araner casualties. They also had no answer to gunpowder for the time being. The worst loss for the Imperials was however their commander, Marshall Zanop Vemyrk, who was gravely wounded during the battle. He would ultimately survive these wounds, but he would be unable to lead the army during the following Battle of Maranca, where the Imperials were again decisively defeated but this time being inflicted many more casualties. The battle also cemented the importance of gunpowder weapons which would become crucial to future warfare and a central piece of Araner military doctrine.