Battle of Teavlon

Date September 13th-14th, 377
Location Teavlon, Rangos
Result Brunian-Brelsh Victory	Date September 13th-14th, 377
Location Teavlon, Rangos
Result Brunian-Brelsh Victory
Belligerents 	Belligerents
Kingdom of Brun
Kingdom of Brell	Kingdom of Rangos
Commanders and Leaders 	Commanders and Leaders
King Bard Gilead
Lord Markul Blackdaw
Rossarch
Lord Louis Herod	Lord Protector Varagyr Witvote
General Claus Weighmat
Strength 	Strength
18,000 (13,00 Brun, 5,000 Brell)	14,000
Casualties and Losses 	Casualties and Losses
3,506 (2,840 Brun, 666 Brell) 	3,112
Preceding 	Subsequent
* Sacking of Garrick
* Battle of the Barrow's Den	Siege of Montgomery
Having just finished off Tryr at Garrick, Bard turned his sights to their ally, the Federation of Rangos. The natural pass into the country from the south was currently guarded by Lord Protector Varagyr Witvote’s army, and they were strong. Bolstered by his lieutenant Claus Weighmat’s forces, the Rangosian army numbered 14,000: 5,000 from Varagyr’s forces that went into Tryr, as well as the 5,000 he had left with Weighmat who had managed to muster 4,000 more. Varagyr had to survive a withering process to oust him as Lord Protector due to the catastrophic loss at Twoffes Wood. Bard did not really have a good point of attack, and his main army was greatly depleted: after Garrick, he had just under 9,000 effectives. Confident and flush with victory as he and his troops were, he was fighting on unfamiliar territory, outnumbered, and against a cautious but competent commander. As he rested his troops on the Tryrian-Rangosian border, Bard received a missive from the King of Brell, his new ostensible ally. King Patrem Locke extended to Bard the offer to replenish and rearm his troops in Brelsh territory. Lord Caeseth Craw advised against it, warning that it was trust in outsiders that had led to King Brack’s death. The other Brunian commander in attendance, Markul Blackdaw, was shocked to hear Caeseth speak so frankly, and offered a differing perspective: the chance for Brun to grow beyond the need to defend itself alone. If this war had proved anything, it was that Brun had few friends, and an ally was a powerful thing to have, if even just to take away from one’s enemies. Bard pondered on this, and perhaps, as if his bloodlust had been sated after his actions at Garrick, he decided to accept Patrem’s request. Caeseth decided to depart the army and returned home to Toth. His wound from Bitterbird had still not yet completely healed, and he took Bard’s decision to align himself with Brell as a sign that he was not properly aligned with the proper strategy. After all, he was no soldier. His resignation was accepted graciously by Bard, who was sad to see him go. Caeseth would participate in no further battles of the war, but served as a loyal and steadfast supporter of Bard who rallied political and financial support. 
Bard marched his troops down south, into unclaimed lands beyond the reach of the river kingdoms, and east into Brell. There, they sheltered at the City of Salisfield, ruled by Duke Louis Herod. Herod was a convivial host, and the Brunians, though rough compared to common Riverlander standards, were warmly welcomed by the Brelsh. The Brunian army recovered its strength, and supply lines were reoriented to bases in Brell. Bard was farther away from Brun than he had ever been. Communications between his homeland and his army were few and far between. However, the sparse reports he received relating to the situation in Brun were positive, and he fully trusted Snowfire’s ability to achieve victory. By the end of July, Bard’s forces had recovered to about 11,000 in strength, and he believed he was ready to go on the offensive. Lacking a number of sufficient battlefield commanders, he asked if Snowfire was capable of sending any to support him. To his pleasant surprise, just a week later, he was delighted when Rossarch arrived with 2,000 men in reinforcement carrying news about the victory at Barrow’s Den that had driven Laashburk from their homeland. Now with his mind at ease, Bard was able to commit fully to vanquishing Rangos.
While preparing to launch his campaign, Bard was approached by the Brelsh chief military commander, Lord Protector Gavrick Gaymard. Gaymard offered Bard the support of the main Brelsh army, some 20,000 troops, even offering him direct military command over their entire force. Bard was uncomfortable with this request and refused, stating he did not feel up to the job. When Gaymard offered Bard half that number under the command of a Brelsh leader of Bard’s choice, he similarly refused. Understanding Bard was going to bring this conflict against Rangos to a conclusion on his own, Gaymard parted ways with the king to lead the Brelsh army. However, Brell would not let Bard go without some support. In addition to supplying his army, Herod was ordered by Patrem to accompany Bard and to “prosecute the act of war so long as it takes to find peace.” Herod mustered his personal levy of 5,000 men and moved to join Bard’s column. Bard was once again reluctant, but recognizing it would be foolhardy to refuse, he acceded. 
This brought the Brunian-Brelsh combined force to a total of 18,000 men. Bard’s aim was to force a surrender by the government of Rangos in terms that were favorable to Brun, mainly one that would prevent Rangos providing a threat to Brun in the future. He aimed to achieve this by seizing their capital, Montgomery, located in the center of Brun along the Brell was looking to perhaps take the swamps of Darneim, a key central defensive location along the Mineralian River that could ward off attacks from other River Kingdoms. Rangos was looking on the other hand to minimize its losses. They hoped for a white peace, with no terms on either side, but expected to lose a bit. Varagyr had 14,000 men, which he had marched from the west of Rangos to face the Brunians. Varagyr was fully expecting to face the entire Brelsh army as well, 30,000 men, and was thusly planning on a prolonged defensive conflict where he bled the Brunians and Brelsh in a series of sieges. He was therefore surprised when his scouts told him of the size of the forces arrayed against him. It opened up the possibility of a more mobile war. Varagyr placed his troops on the northeastern road that led to Brell, the most expected route of attack. Bard saw this on his maps as well, and decided to execute a much more dramatic plan. He ordered Rossarch to perform a feint on this road as if that would be where he would attack, while he took the bulk of his force through the swamps of Darneim. Herod’s commanders thought this an insane tactic. The Second Mineralian War fought twenty years previous had proven the swamp as a dangerous obstacle that greatly slowed a possible advance, and could be catastrophic for heavily armored or cavalry units. Fortunately for Bard, his troops were not heavily armored, nor did they have a surplus of cavalry. They were rather heavy though, and this would be a difficult challenge regardless, especially for his supply wagons. Bard hoped through his attack he could sneak behind enemy lines and seize Rangos’s own supplies. He also knew it had been a very hot and dry summer, and was hoping the swamps were rendered more passable. 
The plan worked quite well. Varagyr was so fixated on Bard’s likely invasion route that he hadn’t at all expected a subversion from this. When Rossarch’s demonstrations began on September 8th, Varagyr viewed this as confirmation of his suspicions, and prepared his troops for an attack from the east. Meanwhile, Bard’s troops cut through the swamps of Darneim, heading northwest directly to Montgomery. The march was surprisingly swift for going through swampland, being completed in just four days. Varagyr spent most of those days fully expecting the dragonborn to come down that road, though he became steadily more uneasy the longer it took without sight of their main force. When news came in from local residents of great salamanders emerging from the muck of Darneim, he realized he had been fooled, and immediately spirited his army west. The normally lethargic Varagyr was uncharacteristically decisive and speedy with his march, and elements of his army arrived before the Brunians at the village of Teavlon, located between Montgomery and Darneim. 
The Brunian army had completed their tough march, and were rewarded for all of their hard work with the Rangosians now blocking their path, though not in force yet. Bard launched an attack with his forces, and the resulting battle was a long, grindy affair. Both sides pushed against the other with neither able to achieve decisive victory. Bard was disappointed by the lack of aggressiveness displayed by Markul, who was far more cautious than his other commanders. Finding himself missing Wulroth Ironhand’s ferocity, Bard was disappointed that by nightfall the Rangosians still held their position. Varagyr conferred with Weighmat, who had led the last of the Rangosians onto the battlefield. Weighmat was in favor of retreating from their position and assuming the defensive positions around Montgomery, currently garrisoned by 5,000 men. With the addition of Varagyr’s army, they could have an impregnable fortress that Brun could never take. Varagyr considered this seriously, but ultimately demurred. He knew at this point that giving Bard the initiative was extremely dangerous, and he wanted to be able to maneuver his army without locking it down. No, they would continue the fight at Teavlon. By this point, the night of the 13th, both sides had assembled their full forces. Herod’s 5,000 troops, forming the rear of the column, arrived, and Herod anticipated the battle the following morning. However, he was disappointed upon meeting with Bard to find that his troops would be held in reserve. On the morning of the 14th, Bard personally led an attack on the Rangosian right, which to his frustration managed to hold. He reluctantly ordered the Brelsh to assist him, and Herod responded with gusto, charging in and managing to overwhelm the Rangosian line. Weighmat attempted to lead the Rangosian reserve in a counterattack, but reinforcements brought in by Bard turned them back. Varagyr recognized he had been defeated, and began to pull his troops back to Montgomery in good order. 
Bard had achieved victory, though Varagyr escaping after the fight at Teavlon had effectively ensured Montgomery would not be easily taken. The Brunian-Brelsh combined force suffered 3,500 casualties compared to the 3,100 of the Rangosians. It was an evenly fought battle, and Bard left doubly impressed, both by the Rangosians and the Brelsh. He had not expected Herod’s forces to be so energetic, nor so effective. With a siege now inevitable, he allowed his army to rest, sending cavalry under Rossarch to secure supply lines to Brell.