Battle of Lamion

The Battle of Lamion was the biggest battle during the Lamion War, becoming one of the few defeats that Vibius Calenus ever suffered in his career. It was fought between the Nirvan Republic and the Elves of Lamion.

## Background

In **508PR**, Vibius marched into the Varadin Forest at the head of a 19,000 strong army, consisting of 4 legions and Lorenzen, Thruim and Zelan allies.

After suffering from a hit-and-run tactic once entering the forest, the Nirvans eventually faced the Elves at the Battle of Mudon Hill, beating them back and making the hill their base of operations.

Embarrassed, King Mirion of Lamion rallied all fighting Elves he could, gathering them at the city so that they could go out and defeat the Nirvans, who now advanced to meet them. Rather than use any hit-and-run tactics, King Mirion found a nice open field to fight, spanning his troops from one side to the other.

## Command

### Lamion

Due to the size of the army, Mirion remained as the head of the army, though split the command between his cousin Laegdir, who fought at the Battle of Mudon Hill and Aessel, his wife.

### Nirvan

Nirvan command was similar to the previous battle. Though this time Vibius swapped with Decimus, leaving him to command most of the army while Vibius would push with the triarii legion in the centre, hoping to break through the enemy.

On the flanks stood Silas and Philip, commanding the cavalry.

For the legions, Aulus and Appis had the right and left wings respectfully, while Decius was placed in reserve with Decius.

## Battle

The battle began with both sides advancing, the Nirvans not having a good enough position to hold and the Elves wanting to kick the invaders out of their forest.

As the lines approached, projectiles were thrown. The Nirvan javelins found early success, taking the enemy by surprise since they didn’t use them in the previous battle. After throwing their javelins, the Nirvans charged, reducing the effectiveness of the Elven archers who couldn’t get a clean shot. Since the Elves weren’t heavily armoured, the legionnaires began pushing the enemy back.

On the wings, both Aulus and Appis spread out their soldiers in a way that could protect them from getting flanked or hit from behind, getting help from the cavalry who remained out of range from the archers but close enough to charge if the Elves began to surround.

Seeing the early success, Vibius decided against entering the battle straight away, instead waiting for the battle to pan out.

### Second Stage

The second stage of the battle consisted of a lot of Elven movements and Nirvan counter-actions. On the Elven right, two groups pushed against Appis’s flank, forcing him to send another cohort to go help. Though the rest of the Elves would remain, ordered by Aessel to watch the cavalry, who were previously determinants in the Nirvan victory.

On the left, commanded by Laegdir, it was a different story. While his Elves pushed up against the Nirvan flank, they were hit by a cavalry charge, significantly hurting their numbers and advantage. But, with the cavalry now in the battle, Laegdir ordered a group of soldiers to march around the lines, where they would meet Decimus’s reinforcements.

In the centre, the Nirvans pushed ahead, Vibius still unsure about when to enter the battle. In the melee, the triarii legion proved so effective that reserves were quickly called from the second line, which consisted of Elven elite, to block a hole created by the legion.

### Vibius Enters

The third stage of battle began when Decimus’s reinforcements blocked Laegdir’s move to surround the Nirvan right wing.

On the Nirvan right, the legionnaires still fought strong, the reinforcements led by Decius flanked by the Elven superior number, forcing them to call for aid from Aulus. Though the cavalry led by Silas still held strong, fighting two detachments of Elves by themselves.

The Nirvan left was a better situation, the cavalry now charging against the troops that remained on Aessel’s wing, stopping them from flanking the infantry and buying time for the centre.

In the centre, Vibius finally entered the battle, the situation taking too long to get the results that the Nirvans desperately needed for victory. Using all manner of magic and Psi, he tore through many of the low-quality Elves, making way for the Nirvans behind him to advance. Against the Elven elite is where he had more trouble as they had experience fighting against an Awakened of his level before.

Using their number, they expanded and surrounded the Nirvan general, forcing him to fight more cautiously. Seeing their general surrounded, the triarii legion gained a second wind, violently shoving or smashing through the enemy to his aid. By the time they arrived, Vibius had managed to take out a fair chunk of the elites, despite most having magical armour. Exhausted, he returned to the protection of his line.

### Nirvan Withdrawal

Feeling pressures on both sides, Decimus sent a messenger to Vibius, calling for the withdrawal of their forces. Frustrated but out of magic, Vibius agreed, giving orders for the lines to slowly withdraw from the battle, throwing their second set of javelins to keep the enemy back.

Despite losing, most of the Nirvans and their allies that were still alive managed to retreat, only hampered by the Elven archers who now had free reign.

## Legacy

The Battle of Lamion is remembered as one of the Elves greatest moments, fighting back against a much bigger nation and defeating one of their armies. King Mirion was hailed as a hero and near-godly figure in the city for his efforts, ignoring his past loss.

For Vibius, this battle marked the only time he lost as commander despite his own efforts to turn the tide. He would state it was very shameful for him but a good lesson.