Second Battle of Tempestus Valley

The Battle of Tempestus Valley took place in Tempestus Valley in the Storm Peaks in the year 624 K.C. between the forces of the Argent Crusade under Lord Commander Lantos Swiftsong and the Undead Scourge under the command of Death Captain Belric Legost and his main lieutenant, Death Bringer Fargul Nerok.

The battle ended on July 26th, 624 K.C, resulting in a victory for the Argent Crusade and Ebon Blade forces.

## Prior to the Battle

In the weeks leading up to the Battle at Tempestus there were strange reports being sent to local Crusade Command centers throughout Northrend of major Scourge movement. Though the movements were tracked no offensive was made against the Force as there were no forces to spare at that time to stop this force of Scourge from whereever they were traveling. By February of 624 K.C. all communications from the village of Gavin's Fall were lost, investigations by members of the Crusade, including former mercenary Xal, a member of the Argent Bulwark discovered the village had been completely sacked, with no traces left of the over two hundred people living in the village.

Scouting throughout the valley more, Xal discovered that the Scourge had retaken their former citadel of Brittle Bone Keep and had begun rebuilding it to its former strength during the War Against the Lich King. With this new information, the Crusade began planning an offensive against the Scourge forces within Tempestus Valley.

## Deployment

After reports of Scourge retaking Tempestus Valley being confirmed by Bulwark soldier Xal, it was decided by Argent High Command to create a task force to fight these soldiers, dubbed the First Tempestus Task Force, they were originally placed under the Command of Major Charles Reynolds. Within a few weeks, three companies were moved into the Task Force, the Commanders or officers of them being soldiers who had originally fought in Tempestus back during the War Against te Lich King. In total over a thousand men were gathered from B-Company, K-Company and D-Company of the Northrend Division. Also assigned to them was the Argent Bulwark who had members who had originally fought in Tempestus.

After weeks of building proper supply lines to Tempestus, the Bulwark was transported to K-3 where they marched for over five hours to the Valley and to Death's Jaw, from there they entered the main trench line of the Argent Offensive and it was there Lantos Swiftsong was put incharge of the Task Force.

## The Battle

### 21/6/14

While most of the Argent Crusade taskforce soldiers had already arrived in the valley in the weeks prior, the Bulwark and around a hundred fifty others hadn't arrived yet. The Bulwark and rest of the Crusader force took a teleporter pad, set up by the Goblins, from Hearthglen to K-3, from there they marched for a number of hours before arriving at the main Argent Crusader camp and trench line. Bunkering down for the night no major offensive planned yet.

### 22/6/14

While much intelligence of the valley had already been gathered, it was a known fact that if Brittle Bone was to be taken, the forces of the Argent Crusade needed to attack and take control of the ruins of Gavin's Fall from Belric Legost's forces. Lord Commander Swiftsong gathered together his soldiers in the main Crusade Command center, briefing them for a time on where they would be patrolling. After fnishing the briefing he dismissed the soldiers of the Bulwark and the Highguard to gather their gear and prepare to move out, when a Scourge bombardment began over the entirety of the Crusade's lines. The bombardment lasted for about fifteen minutes before stopping for around five, giving the Crusader's to get themselves dusted off and move the wounded to tents.

Within minutes of the bombardment ending another horn shot was heard across the valley, following this a decent amount of Scourge soldiers emerged from the woodlines, that were a few dozen yards from the trenches, being led by a massive Flesh Giant. For hours after, soldiers of the Crusade, Bulwark and Highguard battled against the Scourge soldiers, amazingly never losing much ground from their trenches. After many wounds were put into it by the soldiers, it was Commander Swiftsong who was luckily able to send a spear through it's head, ending the monster's life.

Gathering their wounded and dead soon after, the Bulwark and Highguard forces bunkered down after burning the corpses of their dead and their enemies dead. It was discovered the next day that the Highguard forces departed during the night, fixing their wounds and leaving the valley for who knows where.

At the end of the day, the Scourge lost three hundred footmen, and one flesh giant, with the Crusade having thirty five dead and eighty seven wounded.

### 23/6/14

While soldiers of other companies were sent out to patrol, the Bulwark was spared that for this evening, instead holding the main trenches and keeping a constant vigil over the nearby woods in the hope no Scourge forces struck out again.

### 24/6/14

Another lazy day.

While soldiers of other companies were sent out to patrol, the Bulwark was spared that for this evening, instead holding the main trenches and keeping a constant vigil over the nearby woods in the hope no Scourge forces struck out again.

Soldiers in B-Company under Major Charles Reynolds led a patrol near the lake south of Gavin's Fall, there they discovered the Scourge were attempting to construct more and more flesh giants with the remains of many villagers of Gavin's Fall. Quickly retreating back after a minor engagement with Scourge they reported it to their commanders and rested, hoping they weren't in the force to attack the village.

Scourge loses - 15 Footment

Argent loses - 2 injured.

### 25/6/14

With recent reports coming in to the Taskforce Command Center it was discovered fifty men had deserted and had been traveling further into the valley, unlike leaving like thought they would. It was then decided by Taskforce Command that major forces couldn't be spared to hunt down these men so it was left to the forces of the Argent Bulwark and whatever forces they could muster to hunt down these traitors.

After a quick briefing on the situation on hand by Lantos Swiftsong, the Bulwark gathered their gear and departed, traveling for over two hours before coming upon the camp of the Crusaders. What they discovered though was only suspected by few, but feared by all. Side by side stood the banner of Scourge and Crusade and from within the ruins of a titanic structure it was seen ten Crusaders, deserters, consorting with Necromancers of the army of Belric Legost. With no other options Lantos split his soldiers in half, having the second group flank around the ruins. When both groups were in position Lantos ordered a charge with his own group. His group charged forward, drawing the attention of Crusader and Necromancers who focused upon them, not seeing the group being led by Xal coming on their rear. Crusader's and Necromancers fought hard against the Argents, aided in part by Bishop Nelany Ellerian, but they were little match to the martial prowess of the Bulwark members. In total, eight of the Crusaders were killed, two more were taken in, one who was knocked out by Lantos and one who surrendered and gave information to Xal. Of the necromancers all five were killed in combat, the minor battle ending when Xal hunted down and killed the last one as he attempted to flee into the woods.

It was discovered that those ten soldiers had sold out the others, giving the other forty men to the Scourge so they could recieve free passage out of the Valley. What else was discovered was that all forty other Crusaders had already been slain and risen by the Scourge, after getting every last bit of information they could out of them. Returning back to the basecamp with the two prisoners the Bulwark laid down for the night, with Lantos, Huntress and Xal debating on what to do next for a time before they all went to their respective tents as well.

## Gavin's Fall

### 26/6/14

Forces of the Argent Crusade and the Bulwark gathered enmass at various points in their trenches, briefings being given on their next mission; Gaven's Fall.

All across the trench lines, five hundred Argent Crusaders were selected for the attack, within two hours the force of Crusaders were on the move, the Bulwark and a small force of Crusaders leading the vanguard in attacking the South Point Guard Tower, that which watches over the entire road leading into the village.

After a vicious battle with Scourge forces, and a brief duel between Argent Bulwark forces and a Death Knight Field Lieutenant the Bulwark and allies turned out victorious, capturing the South Point Guard Tower, allowing Argent Crusade soldiers to enter a massive multi-day battle to take the village from the Scourge.

### 27/6/14

With the South Point Guard Tower taken the previous day and with it, the main road into the village, forces of the Argent Crusade and Argent Bulwark began their assault on the village. The Bulwark, led by Lantos, moved through the exterior of the village before heading in, engaging in multiple minor fights with Scourge forces. Before long the Crusaders were able to capture a few buildings within the village before bunking down for the night. Over the weekend, forces of the Bulwark pulled back to the Command Center at South Point Tower.

Over the next few days, forces of the Bulwark joined with the Crusade attack force, eventually after a battle with Undead Gnomes and a Giant Gnome Flesh Giant creature, Fargul revealed himself to the soldiers then quickly retreated out of the Village with whatever forces he had left. After nearly a week of attacking the village, the Crusaders had finally captured it.

Loses stood at 238 dead, and 124 wounded.

With Gavin's Fall finally, the Crusader task force took a few days to lick their wounds and secure the area. After this was done the Task force, numbering around six hundred began their long march toward's Brittle Bone Keep, taking several days as the forest and weather blocked their way. While in the forests in their travels, the Scourge set off dozens if not hundreds of small ambushes, even grabbing and assassinating soldiers who weren't in groups of three or more.

## The Siege of Brittle Bone Keep

With the task force finally arriving before Brittle Bone, Belric Legost greated them from attop the Keep, laughing as he summoned forth hundreds of ghouls, giests and zombies in front of the fortress. Closing the keep's massive gates the forces of the Bulwark and Crusade were engaged in a massive battle with the Scourge and after hours of fighting finally were able to push forward and destroy the first force of Scourge. All along the keeps walls the Crusaders made their camp, the Scourge's architecture saving them as a massive overhang was created, allowing them to sit under their walls unhindered.
Hours after the Crusaders reached the walls and their supply lines caught up to them, soldiers of the Crusade detonated explosives by the gates of Brittle Bone Keep and after many were fired off, the gates were brought down. A charge was called and the Crusade entered the keep courtyard, ripping through vast hundreds of Scourge as they neared the ramp to the main fortress.

For hours, the forces of the Crusade pushed forward against the tide of undead, forward and forward closing in on the stairway that would lead them up to the main keep. Until the unexpected happened, the Scourge stopped their assault and pulled back, forming a ring around the army of the Crusade. Above them, stepping forward was Belric Legost, clad in his saronite forged armor. He made a small speech to the Crusaders, offering them their lives if they surrendered, and put down their arms. As he made his speech, around the ring, two flesh giants and what seemed to be dozens of abominations appeared in the ring of Scourge soldiers surrounding them.

Knowing how Belric operated Commander Swiftsong refused the ultimatium, swearing that they would never surrendor to the likes of the Cult of the Damned and the Scourge. What seemed to be regret passed over Belric's face as he ordered his soldiers forward, and a massive battle started around the Argents. Captain Xal and his squad, with Lantos and his squad of soldiers felled both Flesh Giants and a number of abominations. Around them, solders of the Crusade continued to fight, bringing down a great number of minor Scourge and abominations, but the toll could be felt, scores of Crusaders fell from a mix of exhaustion and the pure power of the undead. Within more time though, more Crusaders fell and Lantos ordered a retreat. As the call for retreat was heard from the Crusaders, a new sound arrived, horns signalling the arrival of reinforcements. It seemed the Argent High Command had sent a force of six hundred men to assist the Crusade's Tempestus Task Force. As the reinforcements arrived at the gates of Brittle Bone they went to work fast, holding the gates for the forces under Lantos to retreat and get back to their camps. Of the four hundred soldiers who charged into Brittle Bone, only fifty two came out alive, but Scourge losses were major, with around fifty to sixty abominations destroyed, their two remaining flesh giants destroyed and around two thousand other minor Scourge being killed. With the remaining Crusade force back outside the Keep, they began tending to their wounded and preparing for the next assault.

    Within two days the Bulwark renewed their assaults on Brittle Bone Keep, with reinforcements to supplement their loses, members of the Bulwark and their squads of soldiers began a tough attack to fight their way to the top of the Forge building within the Keep's lower courtyard. During the fight to the Forge building, an abomination of monsterous size, with five heads and six arms revealed itself, it was during this time ghouls dragged away the soldier Anthony Harman during the battle.

After a long fight against the aboination like creature was destroyed and the Bulwark were able to rest for a time. Two days later, the Crusaders pushed forward into the Forge building. After a long fight against skeleton smiths, undead and others the Bulwark discovered a group of civilians, those from Gavin's Fall, half frozen, very sick, the Bulwark was able to call in medical reinforcements in time to get them out.

With the civilians secured and brought out of the Forge building, the Bulwark pushed forward into the abomination stiching area where they faced more undead smiths and those who assemble the abominations. Finally after many long fights they found the Forge Master, a death knight who was a renowed blacksmith in life, and killed him. With the capture of this building, almost the entire lower compound was secured, with only the reanimation yard left.

Two days later, the Bulwark assembled again, refreshed and ready to move they set out from the lower courtyard and entered the Reanimation Yard. They initially came upon brittle corpses, freshly raised with little to no weaponry as they had been cut off from the Forge. The soldiers of the Bulwark struck them down easily, moving onwards in where they faced corpses of Crusaders, those who had been raised following the first battle in the courtyard of Brittle Bone Keep. After slaying them while taking minor wounds, the Bulwark then faced a group of necromancers and dispatched them easily.

As they went further into the yard they watched as Fargul Nerok landed before them on his undead drake. His drake dropped a sake down besides him, opening it up to reveal Anthony Harman. An excerpt from the encounter with him, following the revealing of Anthony.

*"He gives the group a wide, evil grin before driving his blade down into Anthony's stomach.  Anthony lets out a loud, agonizing scream as he's stabbed, looking to the others as he does, hoping one of them will rush to his rescue like the heros in his stories.  Before he gets the chance to see what happens next though, Fargul's axe descends on his neck, removing the boy's head from his body.  Fargul lets out a deep laugh as he kicks the headless body toward the Argents."*

After killing Anthony, Lantos Swiftsong, by some stroke of luck, threw his spear forward at Fargul's drake and pierced it's eye, Fargul remounted his drake after this and flew off back to the upper levels of Brittle Bone. Lantos and his men brought the corpse of Anthony and the other Argent Crusaders they previously cut down to their camp outside the Forge Building and proceeded to burn the corpses, allowing those Argents to find a true death.

With the lower courtyard secured, all that was left was the upper courtyard and the Keep itself. Over the course of the entire weekend, the Bulwark was allowed to rest and recover as they began waiting for their mission to start once more on Monday evening as they initiated their push up the ramp to take the upper courtyard.

Starting Monday evening, the forces of the Crusade assembled once more at the stairway to the upper courtyard of Tempestus. After a speech and briefing by various commanders within the Argent Crusade, the forces started a charge forward. For over three hours forces of the Crusade fought their way up the stairs, after many minor losses and gains the Bulwark and Crusade army eventually got to the top of the stairs, where a weird change of events happened. Within the keep of Brittle Bone, Belric sent out three blasts on a horn, signalling a retreat to the Scourge. Within moments the Scourge force was once more inside the Keep and the entrance to it was locked. In total, over six hundred Scourge fell with only around one hundred forty Argents being killed and around a hundred being wounded.

Over the next day, forces of the Crusade began their assault on the Keep, using thorium explosives the Crusade Task Force detonated the first two gates and fought their way inside the Keep. After a fierce battle the Crusaders secured the entrance and were able to begin building a barricade. Overnight though, it was discovered a force of one hundred Kinights of the Ebon Blade arrived, with them holding to their oath in the Ashen Verdict to help the Argent Crusade defeat the Scourge. The next day the Bulwark forces began pushing past the "lobby" of the fortress. After a few minor encounters with ghouls, giests and a squad of bone golems they encountered the first of Belric's creations. Following a fierce battle with it, members of the Bulwark were able to defeat it and continue on.

Pushing forward the Bulwark members encountered more of Belric's scourge minions as they fought a hard battle down a long corridor. After more hours than they could count they entered a round room and seated on it, on a throne of skulls was hm, Fargul Nerok. After a fierce duel between Xal and Fargul, only one could be the winner and in the end, it was Xal, proving himself to be the better warrior.

With Fargul now killed, Argent forces pushed forward and moved their forward camp into the large chamber where the duel took place. Clerics and other medical staff helped heal any wounds the Bulwark members had. The next day they pushed forward, entering a never ending staircare and walking up it for what seemed like hours, while Belric taunted them. Finally a side chamber revealed itself and traveling through it brought them to a platform outside of the keep on the mountains of Tempestus. It was here the Argents faced Fargul's, now half blind, drake and after a fierce battle that rendered Lantos unable to use his right arm and Huntress with wounds too terrible to let her keep moving on, they killed the dragon..

Advancing on back into the Keep up the unending staircase they were still taunted by Belric, never once encountering anymore Scourge as the rest of the Crusade task force fought down below. Finally after what seemed to be hours they reached the top room of the Keep. Now, the small squad of Argents, numbering less than ten, charged into the fray against Belric Legost.

After a long and horrendous fight though, in the end Xal was able to disarm Legost, allowing Lantos to get the final blow, killing Legost. After over a month of battling within Tempestus it was finally taken by the Argent Crusade.

## Aftermath

With the valley now taken by forces of the Crusade, the Argent Bulwark was redeployed back to the Plaguelands, with Major Charles Reynolds was left incharge of the remaining forces within the Valley, tasked with minor clean up and to begin the resettlement process, already since the fall of Gavin's Fall the Crusade was beginning to move supplies and people back into the village.