Battle of the Ford

* House Taralor

The **Battle of the Ford** was the battle that ultimately determined the outcome of the War of the Shrine. The battle was fought between Arana and Larethal forces on a ford in Corbolo river of the Nibenay Basin of Cyrodiil. It ended in a victory for the Arana forces, resulting in the deaths of King Cenedelin III, and his son and heir, Taegol, leaving his second son Lymis as the heir to Delodiil's throne.

## Prelude

After the defeat and death of his wife and son during the Battle of Crimson Streets, King Anumaril's rage grew a thousandfold. In his lust for bloody vengeance he commanded his assembled army to once more begin a march, this time to track down and destroy King Cenedelin and his host for all they had done.

Believing the war to be over, Cenedelin had his youngest son, Prince Lymis, run ahead of the Larethal army to re-gather the populace of Delodiil and usher them back into their capital, assuming that the Arana host had left the area. This left King Cenedelin and his heir Prince Taegol in command of what remained of their army.

The siege of Abagarlas occurred two nights prior, and after a two day's march, at mid-day the Larethal host was prepared to set up camp for the night near a ford of Corbolo river in the Nibenay Basin, so that they might use the river to feed them and sate their thirst.

As the tired Larethal soldiers unwound, collected materials for camps, and hunted fish and game for food, the evening sky began to dim into a twilight. It was then that the Arana army emerged upon a hill overlooking the Larethal camp and the battle commenced.

## Opposing Armies

### Arana Forces

House Arana's amassed army consisted of:

* 4.200 slave-soldiers
* 2.000 mounted knights
* 1.000 men-at-arms
* 1.700 archers
* 1.000 spellcasters
* 2.800 risen undead (risen from the corpses of both Cenedelin's army, and from the corpses of the slave-soldiers in Prince Malyon's army after the Battle of Crimson Streets)

This force consisted of House Arana's own levies as well as those of their vassals', including those of House Vaeliar, whose lord was too aged to participate actively in the War of the Shrine.

### Larethal Forces

House Larethal's amassed army consisted of:

* 1.100 slave-soldiers
* 6.000 domestic slaves (taken from the homes of Abagarlas after the Battle of Crimson Streets and conscripted as soldiers)
* 400 mounted knights (200 mounted knights were taken by Prince Lymis when he left to re-gather the hidden populace of Delodiil to lead them back home)
* 300 men-at-arms
* 1.000 archers
* 500 spellcasters

This force consisted of House Larethal's own levies as well as most of their vassals', though diminished a great amount after the Battle of Crimson Streets where a rushed early assault on Abagarlas cost many lives. However, it was bolstered by newly collected domestic slaves taken from the slaughtered households of Abagarlas, which were forcibly conscripted as soldiers until the host could return to Delodiil.

While the Kingdom of Delodiil had it's own fighting strength, it was not as devoted to combat as their counterparts in the Kingdom of Abagarlas. This meant that some of King Cenedelin's vassals did not have the fighting troops to adequately contribute to the host, preferring instead to keep what armies they had defending their own lands. Additionally, House Larethal's own levies were not as numerous or as well-trained as those of House Arana, which had dedicated itself to excelling in combat and warfare.