Battle of Narals/Niss

Belligerents	Za'ah 	Yehar-Elamian Coalition
Commanders 	Yi'za Yzali  †	Keldar Val Horgoz-Kelaz
Strength 	7 000 	27 000
Losses 	7000 	16 000
Result 	Defeat 	Victory
==Background==
Yeharene-Elamian troops were marching from the east, and had newly arrived in Kelaz which the Za'ahenes had given up without a fight. They find that around half of the enemy troops have been evacuated to the western side of the river to root out Yeharene presence there. The remainder are under the command of the Ni'za Yzal, who is commanding 7000 men and several female captains.
Keldar deploys forces on the south east of the territory with 27.000 men. The enemy had 7.000. The chances of a Yeharene-Elamian victory were favourable from the start.
Ni'za Yzal decided to evacuate the ruins of Kelaz. While the Yeharenes lacked a functioning fleet and has marched forward slowly, their numbers were frankly surprising, and their war drums are echoing, slowly coming closer. There is a ridge south-east of the small tributary of Niss. The Za'ahenes needed to try to hold it, with insufficient numbers of men, at least for forty hours, which is the time when their reinforcements are expected to arrive through the fleet.
==The Battle==
The coalition scouts return as they have located the enemy. They have put their force on the western edge of the Narals ridge, with the by-river of Sasun in their back. Prince Keldar held a rousing speech, which was greatly received, telling that the enemy today will meet their judgement, and be thrown back to the Hell which they came from. The enemy are fewer than expected, and their army - clad in black leather with copper plates, with round shields and obsidian spears look puny. But they have a great defensive position.
Keldar's forces advanced. Their numbers were staggering, and estimated by Za'ahene scouts to be nearly or slightly above 30.000 men. Some of the Za'ahene commanders encouraged Yzali to keep his defensive position until they were able to withdraw to the other side of the river. The enemy was however characterised by idiosyncratic equipment, and seemed to sport banners from several different kingdoms, which could have gone against them.
The Yeharene army is marched in three lines, the Elamians on the right flank and the southerners on the left flank, with the centre consisting of volunteers and professional levies from the Yeharene main army. They give out three moans and stomp with their spears in the ground for every fifty steps, then continue to march forward, banners fluttering for the wind.
The Za'ahene force stood still, their black banners with the green sun fluttered for the soft breezes from the sea. Then suddenly, as if governed by one mind, the Za'ahene force moved forward running down the slopes of the hill. As the enemy appears, the first line of skirmishers threw their spears, and enemies fell down. However, before the second line can throw their spears, the Za'ahenes broke into the Yeharene first row. Wood splinters, arms and heads flowed over the ground as the skirmisher line was broken. Often, the Za'ahene Ar'yah chose to just cut off arms and legs of the enemy. They fought in a coordinated way, often with two soldiers fighting side by side, one defending the other while the other cuts up Yeharenes. The skirmishers were slaughtered and spread over the battlefield. The Za'ahene archers had small arrows which did not penetrate bone, but nevertheless they caused major pain. The feeling of being hit by a Za'ahene arrow, often just with a wooden tip, was like being burnt by fire, if fire was a hundred times more painful. And these shooters who run around shot once every two minutes. a massive barrage of small arrows.
As Keldar's forces approached relatively slowly, they attempt to make an encirclement. According to the Za'ahene plan, their entire army runs down and falls into the lightly armed skirmishers. Though their resistance was stronger than expected, The Za'ahenes manage to kill or incapacitate a third of the main line. However, their armed forces were now not enough united to break through the line of heavy and medium infantry.
The Za'ahenes fail to break through, because of surprisingly hard enemy resistance. Their army leaps the risk of being enveloped by numerically superior forces. However, the skirmisher units were worthless, and the copper infantrymen are yielding. Za'ah has one last chance, though it leaves 1500 men disposable for an attack to break the enemy line.
As the Za'ahenes press with almost 3000 men against the Spears of Faith, a Sofalssian unit equipped with obsidian spears. Though enduring massive losses, they did not yield and were just pressed back a little, losing 511 men in dead and wounded. The other Sofalssian unit, the Shields of Righteousness, were cut against the furthermost Arýah Diamond Formation on the Za'ahene right flank, enduring losses themselves but slowing down the enemy's approach considerably and killing many enemies.
In the centre, two skirmisher units are broken, many wounded and killed, but no prisoners. Survivors rush to gather weapons from their fallen comrades and join functioning units, with great personal risk. Due to these brave acts of resistance, the Za'ahenes fail to utilise the breakthrough they made and the centre is holding - for now.
Meanwhile, the envelopment is slowly forming around the enemy army. For the Za'ahenes, the situation is dire. Really dire.
The Za'ahenes regroup their forces while Yehar reinforcements move in to strengthen their centre and their rear forces were completing the encirclement. However, the Za'ahene redeployment did not work properly due to the Sofalssian units who continued to harass the right flank Ar'yah, despite massive losses.
Soon however, with the redeployment of 400 Ar'yah, the most bloody (as of yet) the Za'ahene offensive is occurring, and they almost broke the Yeharene centre, killing several noblemen and even the prince of Tolz. The Elamian skirmishers arrive just in time before the centre is breaking, giving renewed morale and fighting spirit. The Ar'yah are now more fighting to hold their ground than to press through, and while not collapsing, their lines were too weak to make an offensive.
In spite of the realistion that Yehar has won, the surviving Za'ahene soldiers choose to fight to the bitter end rather than surrender. Ni'za Yzali decides to take poison and burn down his archive.
Category:Battles
Category:History
Category:Za'ah
Category:Yeharenes
Category:Empires