Battle of Hadrin's Fall

**The Battle of Hadrin's Fall** was the deciding conflict between The Night's Watch and the Wildling horde under the command of Hadrin Stormaxe.

## Prelude

Hadrin Stormaxe, formerly the High-Chief of the Haunted Forest, had declared himself King Beyond the Wall, and all clans save the Thenns had bowed to his rule. Hadrin himself wielded a mighty axe that he claimed to have found under the cover of a great storm, for it could slice through other wildfolk's blades like they were water. No other clans could oppose his strength, and after they united under him, Hadrin saw fit to march upon the Wall.

The Night's Watch were aware of the movements, however, thanks to a ranging personally led by the First Ranger. Soon they marshalled their strength, and a united host of near seven-thousand was led by Lord-Commander Bryce Webber, to shatter the amassing horde. They sought to give battle before the wildling horde grew to an indefatigable size, and marched into the Haunted Forest to find their foes.

## The Battle

Hadrin had his host encamped half a mile north from the borders of the Haunted Forest, and the oncoming crows are first noticed in the black of the night, when the sentries of the Wildlings spotted torchlight in the darkness. Per the command of Sylas Shallowgrave, a former man of the Night's Watch, the Wildlings began to form ranks and were prepared for the oncoming formations from the crows.

Sylas' awareness was crucial for the wildlings to reorganise and begin to use their numerical advantage against the men of the Night's Watch, and despite a two-pronged attack (each column under the command of Bryce Webber and Rickard 'Rick' Locke respectively) the Wildlings were able to surround the crows after having baited them deep into the camp. Visibility was extremely limited for both sides due to a fierce snowstorm, and it was no wonder the Night's Watch fell for the bait.

The seven-thousand black brothers were quick to form two defensive circles, their shieldwall(s) proving difficult for the wildlings to shatter, until a rallying charge from King Hadrin himself broke through, the King Beyond-the-Wall's axe shattering shield after shield. It was the Lord-Commander's formation he had broken, and as Hadrin personally charged forwards to face Webber, his wildling horde was suddenly under assault from the rear.

It was Commander Gyles Blackmont, who had been ordered to hold the Wall in Webber's absence, who had arrived with a fresh battalion of men from the Shadow Tower. His cavalry charge shattered the Wildling rearguard, and Blackmont cut a direct path between himself and Hadrin. By the time he reached Hadrin, the King Beyond-the-Wall was locked into a hard-fought duel with the Lord-Commander. Gyles intervened, saving Lord-Commander Webber's life, and beginning a duel of his own with the King Beyond-the-Wall.

Of all the tales later told of the epic duel between Gyles and Hadrin, one thing the singers would be consistent on was the noise of the brawl. Answerer and Thunder's Call were both Valyrian Steel, and every time they crossed steel a rapturous roar erupted. Blackmont had the better of Hadrin, though, and after near seventeen minutes he removed Hadrin's head from his shoulders.