Rout at the Royal Keep

The Rout at the Royal Keep (a.k.a Steel Knight Campaign or Siege of Royal Keep) is the name given to the invasion of Graille by the Steel Order from August to October 170 under their new liege Jiri Baathúr. The name was given to it when the Steel Knights suddenly began a mass rout from the outskirts of the Royal Keep, the capital of Workhold when no direct threat was present.
==Background==
The Steel Knights joined the Royalists half-heartedly for they mistrusted them greatly due to their mishaps in the past. In fact the Steel Fort is often known as the Steel Ruins for the Worvians wrecked it during the Unification Wars. Nevertheless, the Steel Knights saw the Royalists as the best option at first. Early autumn 170 saw the Battle of Fon Gate where the Steel Knights suffered heavy casualties after a idiotic charge lead by Nils Niskain the grandmaster who was the uncle of King Hanren. The Steel Knights then routed into the Red Forest where they participated in the confusing Battle of Red Forest where they routed the Baathúr Warriors and captured Maakor Silven II. After this battle, the Steel Knights returned to Fon, this time under a white flag. The bargained with Jiri and Jiri promised them religious independence from the Kingdom. This allured the Steel Knights who now pledged their allegiance to Jiri. The Steel Knights then participated in the Battle of Dives where they charged the Peasant Army and routed them.
After the decisive victory of Dives, Jiri wanted to push the advance and capture the capital, Royal Keep. Jiri decided to allow the Steel Knights to go ahead through the Eastern-coast whilst Jiri himself would march his army inland to the Royal Keep.
==Steel Knights Campaign==
The Steel Knights began to ride from Dives to Steel Ruins. They wanted to secure their sacred castle ruins fast before the castle would be desecrated. The Knights eventually reached the castle uninhabited which relieved the Knights. The Knights began to ride fast toward the Royal Keep, intending to enact revenge for their old Castle Ruins.
===Siege of the Royal Keep===
The Siege began in October when snow was already falling in. This was bad news to the Knights. The Knights were also outnumbered by a lot. Little did they know that the Royalists had a reserve force of 1,000 men in the Royal Keep. The Knights only numbered around 600. The Royal Keep wasn't really concerned about the Siege for they knew they could breakthrough if they wanted to. The Steel Knights however, suddenly began to rout hecticly. This was very odd to the defenders, but they didn't think about it.
Post-War accounts from the few knights that survived say the following:
"What we witnessed was not reinforcements or the defenders trying to breakthrough. It was something mortifying, an Amagad walked near the Royal Keep. A Huge one, one like a demon. Probably 15 meters tall. No wonder Nils called for withdrawal. It was worse than the invasion Jamur few months later. I am still not sure it it was even real."
Category:Battles
Category:Edelmaa Great War