The Battle of Nebonius

The Battle of Nebonius, a village in northern La Zalma,
formed part of the La Zalma Campaign of the War of Loti, and was fought in and
around Nebonius, La Zalma on June 3, 399 ABB. It was the first organized land
action of the war (though generally viewed as a skirmish rather than a battle),
as well as the first L3K victory.
After the commencement of hostilities at Fort Sumter in
April 399 ABB, lord Darian Balir planned an offensive into the northwestern
counties of the Commonwealth of La Zalma, which he hoped would lead to a
campaign against the OoL capital of Arindear City, Arindear. His immediate
objectives were to occupy the territory that the OoL had gradually seeped into,
to protect the largely pro-L3K populace in the counties along the boarder. However,
the story of the battle celebrated it as an epic triumph, and this encouraged L3K
leaders to call for the drive on Arindear city that ended with the L3K defeat
at FirsT Divan in July. It brought overnight fame to lord Balir.
On June 3, the La Zalma column set off to converge on Nebonius.
After an overnight march in rainy weather, they arrived at Nebonius before dawn
the following morning. Morris had planned a predawn assault to be signaled by a
flaming arrow. The village OoL volunteers had failed to establish picket lines
for perimeter security, choosing instead to escape the cold rain and stay
inside their tents. An OoL sympathizer, saw the approaching La Zalman troops
and sent her son on horseback to warn the OoL soldiers. As she watched, she saw
La Zalman pickets capture her son. Enraged, she dipped an arrow’s head in oil,
lit it, and fired at them. She missed, but her shot began the attack
prematurely.
The La Zalman attackers began firing a salvo of arrows,
which awakened the OoL soldiers from their slumber. The OoL volunteers and
soldiers alike broke and began running north to the Arindear boarder, some
still in their bed clothes. This caused tale tellers to refer to the battle as
the "Races at Nebonius." The first La Zalman column entered the village
from the bridge but the second column had arrived from the north on the wrong
road and were unable to block the OoL retreat. The OoL soldiers retreated as
far as Clutch Mountain, about 38 kilobricks to the north.