The Battle of the Crimson Vale

== Overview ==
The Battle of the Crimson Vale took place on 1102 AS in the Crimson Vale, in the Dwarvish Kingdom of Glaishkanurg on the continent of Barasud. The battle saw the death of Keith and the subsequent dissolution of his empire, the rise of Fromuk as Glaishkanurg's most respected figure and future king, and the establishment of Sorixis by the Institute on Barasud, the first and currently the only permanent settlement of Barasud by non-Barasudians.
Its participants were the nations of Glaishkanurg, Myrklanradth, The Institute, and Skarl.
== Dwarven Recounts ==
The last survivor of the battle of Khurn Thoram didn't have to go far to find his kin. Less than 100 miles away the mighty host of Fromuk was gathered. Armies of the dwarven realm combined with volunteers from Myrklanradth, the institute, and an auxillary of Skavers were gathered to end the threat of Keith once and for all. Fromuk himself, the brothers of the hammer, and Drular, the king of Khalidhal and fromuk’s first cousin twice removed marched at the head of the host. There was also news that further reinforcements were on their way from Khalidhal, but the dwarves could wait no longer. Keith was trapped and vulnerable.
The sole survivor joined the army and mighty host marched tirelessly for two days and nights until on the cloudy morning of the third day they arrived at the rocky outskirts of Khurn Thoram. Anticipation hung over the battlefield as the army looked upon the scattered bodies of their enemy and the severed heads of their kin. Fromuk took a step forward and made an oath that every warrior heard, "I shall not leave this battlefield, until the head of Keith is removed from his shoulders and my countless kin are avenged!" The brothers of the hammer then repeated his oath, and the army moved into formation. The institute flame wielders covered the flanks while the combined forces of Myrklanradth and Glaishkanurg formed a half circle around the gate of their fallen hold. Crossbows lined the rear and Fromuk and his army filled the center. A small group of volunteer miners and the skaver began digging, together they would have to collapse the gate and cut Keith's army in two.
Together Fromuk and Drular approached the shattered gate and called for the "coward Keith to show his face so that we may remove it (actual words were far more vulgar)" only a few minutes passed before the orc hordes began to emerge. A tense air came upon the combatants as Keith and Fromuk stared each other down from across the battlefield. Keith then pulled the ancient skull of Fromuks father from his side and tossed it down the slope towards his dwarven adversary. With that Fromuk cursed and charged, followed soon after by the combined army.
Both sides charged at one another until finally the sound of clashing metal rang out. Iron against steel, sword against shield, hammer against face. The dwarves were outnumbered nearly 10 to 1 but still they fought on. Keith withdrew into his ranks and simply waited as the dwarves cleaved through his armies. The orcs continued pushing hard against the flanks but each time were repelled by the institute flame wielders.
However after hours of combat the dwarves began to grow tired, the blood began to turn the ground into mud and still the orcs kept coming. Dwarves began to become separated from their formations and were cut down and the ranged warriors began to run out of ammo. Crossbows and runeguns were abandoned for swords and axes and soon nearly every warrior was in combat. Morale among the dwarves began to falter and soon it would fail. As the dwarves began to take more and more losses a great orcish cry of victory was heard as from atop a large rock, Keith held the severed head of king Drular, recently beheaded. The dwarves began to retreat as the orcs finally broke through the flanks. Defeat and death ran among the army.
It was in this darkest moment when a flaming ray of light appeared. A cry of rage came from behind the army as the red dwarves from khalidhal had finally arrived led by the king's son prince Belrim. Upon seeing the head of his father, prince Belrim screamed three simple words “Keith dies today!”. With him the red dwarves charged in a furious rage. Seeing this Fromuk rallied his forces and together they entered the fray once again. Keith couldn't resist finally destroying the dwarven bloodline and left the safety of his horde to face both Fromuk and Belrim in combat. The two dwarves and Keith clashed blades as Keith unnaturally regained his strength and recovered from his wounds. Time and time again the two dwarves cut into their enemy with little effect while taking wounds themselves. For nearly an hour they fought until Keith threw the battered and weary Fromuk to the ground. Keith raised his sword high but as he swung down Fromuk took his axe and with a mighty swing hew Keith's sword arm off. As Keith turned to flee, there was great rumbling and the open gate of Kharn Thoram collapsed from beneath as the miners and Skavers finished their task. Keith stood shocked for a moment before prince Belrim ran up with his crimson stained axe and beheaded Keith. He then held the severed head high and with a rallying cry called the entire army forwards to eradicate their enemy once and for all.
Many more hours passed until at long last the final orc was cut down by a Myrklander dwarf. However there was no song, or victory feast that night. The dead numbered beyond the count of grief and a veteran from the institute later estimated that nearly 3/4 of the combined army had perished while the rest were wounded in some way. Very few of the Skavers or miners survived as their tunneling had been intercepted by an orcish tunnel, many miners and Skavers sacrificing their lives to bring down the gate. The dead numbered far too many to bury and so every tree nearby was used for a great bonfire upon which the bodies of the victorious dead were burned. No tree ever grew there again and the cliffs were forever stained red. The battle thereafter was known as the battle of crimson vale. Many institute veterans had grown to care for the harsh land in which they fought and after long negotiation were granted permission to settle in the northern edge of red dwarf territory by the now king Belrim. The Skavers had suffered too many losses to operate their ship and were instead taken home by a myrklander ship. As for Fromuk, the battle had a profound effect on him and soon after he began making plans to reclaim the ancient capital…
== Institute Recounts ==
On the dawn of a new century of 1101 PC, ambassadors from Myrklanradth came forth with an interesting offer. In Barasud, a land declared off limits for their chief inhabitants, the dwarves, were fanatically xenophobic, a strange new political climate had formed. The Orcs, intelligent species from the Barasudian interior, had gathered under leadership of a great leader, Keith, and were now threatening the Dwarves and Myrkland militarily. After their first battle, which had been disastrous, Myrklander ambassadors came to the Institute asking for military aid, in exchange for limited opening up of Barasud for scientific purposes. News of this spread throughout the Institute, where even before the decision was made by the Speakership to agree to this deal, many young adults within the Institute volunteered to join this expedition and become the first to explore the enigmatic continent. Under public pressure, the Speakership agreed to send 2 battalions of 1000(base-12) men, equipped with agnioleum hoses, steel shields, speedhorse cavalry units, and experimental weaponry such as firespirits and long-range catapults. Names the Adbarasidmilitae, the first battalion would be lead by General Hebron (Avalon), and the second by General Kano (Strynger).
Among those who volunteered and were accepted into the ranks of the Adbarasidmilitum was Uriij (Pjuurak), and his friend Pirim (Anstrian). Together they sailed on sailless Myrklander ships, eager to see the southernmost continent with their own eyes. After reaching their destination of Isvaktin, the Myrklander outpost on the Stepstones and the island on which First Contact with them had occurred, they were given further training by the Myrklander military. This was mostly focused on defending against Orcish mass attacks and keeping oneself warm from the freezing cold of the Antarctic. Uriij and Pirim would share the same room in the Isvaktin barracks, huddling together to keep warm.
One night, after a particularly exhausting drill, strange noises could be heard from outside their barracks. As it was later revealed, a distress call had come from the Dwarves, who had gathered all their remaining forces with their allies to take a last stand against Keith. In the dark and cold of the Antarctic night, Pirim and Uriij went aboard Myrklander ships, to be sailed off into their battle on the enigmatic and hostile continent.
Where the Adbarasidmilitae landed was eerily silent. Empty villages seemingly raided by Keith's orcs dotted the white landscape, though it seemed as if their population had been already evacuated. Upon reaching the dwarves' final stronghold, the generals went in to the tent in which Myrklander and Skaver generals and what seemed to be the dwarven commanders were formulating a plan. Looking around the stronghold, Uriij and Pirim could see that the mood was dire yet hopeful, and though the dwarves were kind, the disparity in language and culture still gave an air of distrust between them.
Just as Pirim and Uriij were making stew in the middle of the night, a distressing sound of horns blowing could be heard from everywhere around. A great flood of black figures - probably orcs - were advancing toward their stronghold in great speed, and everyone began hurriedly preparing their weapons. Institutemen were ordered to head to the flanks, where they would be defending the army's flanks. Uriij quickly grabbed the steel shield half taller than his height and ran to the flanks, while Pirim would quickly follow him after cleaning the hoses from which Agnioleae would be dispensed. While the night was cold and the air around them bitter cold, the bronze hose was still very warm from all the exercises and drills from Campis to Isvaktin.
Though the wall of steel shields protected the Institute military from their enemies, the atmosphere was that of fear. Though the first volleys of the catapults were fired from the distance, this only added to the fear in the air, as it only signaled the approach of the great orcish army ahead. Uriij clang tightly to his shield when the urahs of the orcs could be audible, and when their forms could be viewed with the naked eye, Pirim released a flood of fire on them, burning their lines to the ground.
However, as bodies began to mount, the orcs started using the charred corpses of their brethren as shields against the fire. Bodies pushed on the shields with sheer strength, and some shieldmen gave way to the orcs by force, who were then mauled by the clubs and swords. Uriij, whose Pjuurak body was little and ill-suited to the cold despite his genetic therapy, was the first to give way, whose body was chopped and scavenged beyond recognition.
Pirim, who was still quite far from Uriij's deathplace and was now fighting with his steel swords after his agneolea ran out, was fighting a desperate battle of survival. With a newfound Avalon friend giving his back to him, they fought off the attacking Orcs, thanks to the genetic enhancement and his inherently strong Anstrian body. While the battle was grim, long, and hard, when the sun peeked from the snowy mountains as to signal the end of the long nights of the southern continent, Pirim could see that he had been one among the lucky survivors. What were his comrades when the battle started, had mostly turned to cold corpse by dawn, mixed with the corpses of their enemies. Pirim shouted long and hard to find his friend, Uriij, but even after hours of searching by himself and several others, he was not to be found. Only after a week, when the DNAs of the corpses were analysed, could Pirim gaze upon the fragments of Uriij's fingernails.
After a week of rest, the survivors were invited to the underground cities of the Dwarves to receive gifts, honours, and to share friendship with those they had fought with. Their king, Fromuk, spoke with the help of a Myrklander audio device that amplified his voice, to thank all those who had fought to save his kingdom from total collapse. He raised his golden goblet of dwarvish ale (there were rumours that those were infact his own blood) as a cheers, to which Pirim applauded grimly. Though he had received great treasures and gifts as a result of this war, he still could not forget his friend Uriij, whose finger the Dwarves had placed in a silver box for him to keep and remember. One night, hundreds and thousands of these silver boxes were laid out as Institutemen wished for their well departure, remembering their deeds of desperate heroism. Though some Institutemen wished quickly to return to their families back on the Institute, some, including Pirim, wished to stay where his comrades had fallen. And in response to Institutemen's wishes, a tip of Barasud's peninsula near the Stepstones was granted to these veterans, who also were given the exclusive right to trade with the dwarves for their masterful smithing crafts.
Several years after the end of the battle, a small fishing village made of shapewood was constructed in their piece of Barasud, now called Sorixis (lit. Southernmostland). Pirim had now married his girlfriend back from Proanstris, and now had 4 children to bear his name. The town, though humble and meager now, would over the centuries become a shining jewel of both the Institute and Barasud, as on it rested the families of veterans who excersised their monopoly of trade with the dwarves to amass great wealth. Still, to this day, in Pirim's family mansion, a great fire burns unextinguished from centuries, with a silver box bearing the fingers of the certain Pjuurak resting upon its stone decour.
Meanwhile, after hearing of Fromuk's apparent immortality, General Hebron asked to be given a small portion of his blood. While the offer might have seemed rude, Fromuks simply laughed and cut his own palm to squeeze out some of his own blood. "You have proven yourselves worthy in battle. This, shall be your reward." The vial containing his blood was then quickly shipped off to Primellis in the Institute, where Institute Archivists worked day and night to analyse it for the secrets to immortality.
== Portals ==