Battle of Sunspring Post

The **Battle of Sunspring Post** was a bloody engagement between the crusading forces of the Congregation of the Silver Hand and the allied Sin'dorei forces of the Dominion of the Sun and The Sunguard. Taking place at the partially ruined village of Sunspring in Nagrand, the battle was the second in a series of clashes between the Horde and Alliance over the Journal of Alleria Windrunner. The particularily grueling battle saw heavy casualities for both factions but ultimately ended in a narrow victory for the forces of the Congregation.

## Preface

After the resounding Alliance victory at the Battle of the Ring of Trials, Congregation and Horde forces began immediately repositioning for another engagement. With the loss of the eastern supply roads the Sin'dorei commanders were forced to look elsewhere in order to not only safeguard a reliable supply route into Garador, but also secure a route into Halaa. With the eastern and southern roads under Alliance control the partially destroyed village of Sunspring Post came under the scrutiny of the elven commanders.

Realizing that the Horde would be forced to attempt to take control of the village if they were to maintain a steady flow of supples, Grand Knight Erich Gottfried Manstein rallied the crusader forces once more in order to prevent the Sin'dorei from gaining a protected route into Halaa. In the hours before the battle Grand Knight Manstein appointed Lord-Chancellor Asuryan Caernough to lead the Congregational forces in battle. At the same time the Sin'dorei of the Sunguard fell under the dual commands of Arandur Brightsword, as Blood Commander Telchis Truefeather was rendered unable to join in the fray.

As both sides gathered their troops to assault the town, Lord Caernough lead a diplomatic team to meet with Sovereign Volanaro Ael'aran of the Dominion of the Sun and commander Arandur Bright of The Sunguard so that both sides would offer the traditional option to back down from the fight. In a surprise turn of events at the negotiation, Caernough offered the Sunguard commanders the chance for both the forces of the Kingdom of Lordaeron Restored and The Sunguard to recuse themselves from the combat: in prior months, as the forces of Lordaeron mustered for the Second Grand Crusade, Chancellor Caernough had concluded a secret treaty with Archon Felthier Truefeather, securing the Sunguard's neutrality in the upcoming assault on the Undercity in exchange for promises regarding the continued sovereignty of Quel'thelas. Though the letter of this treaty held no legally binding accord outside the realms of Tirisfal and Lordaeron, Chancellor Caernough invoked its spirit in a shrewd ploy which would have deprived the Horde of roughly half of their forces in exchange for only a minor fraction of the Congregational troops assembled. The offer, however, was rejected by the Sunguard commanders, who themselves cited greater loyalty to the endeavor they had willingly joined than the aforementioned treaty.

Though Caernough's offer was made with the intent of gaining considerable advantage for the Congregation by subtracting his smaller force from the body in hopes of depriving the Horde of a major portion of their own host, some present took umbrage with the Lord's naked pragmatism and the event would later become a matter of much controversy for Congregational leadership.

## Battle

The battle opened with confusion and disarray on both sides of the battlefield. For several minutes both sides maneuvered against one another in blindness in and around the town, eventually clashing in a tight-knit melee within the orchish town center. Faltering in the initial engagement, the Alliance forces were forced to retreat and cede the town proper to the Sin'dorei host.

Rallying quickly, however, under Lord Caernough's leadership the crusader force was able to flank the Blood Elf host, taking them by complete surprise and, after a clash of several minutes, managed to push them from the high ground surrounding the town center. From that point on both sides clashed in a series of prolonged and bloody assaults. Leaving little time for formalized charges or regrouping, both sides fought almost continuously for several hours, with each force occassionally losing and regaining control of the high ground surrounding the town center. During this time casualities ran extraordinarily high for both sides but the respective commanders refused to back down and continued to throw men into the desperate melee for control of the vital post.

As both sides began to suffer under the affects of exhaustion and weariness from the long engagement, it began to seem as if both sides would bleed the other dry into a stalemate for all. As the battle neared its end, however, the Congregational forces began to gain the upper hand. After managing to hold the town center for a respectible amount of time the Alliance crusaders began to fortify the position and entrench themselves, making it increasingly difficult for Horde forces to assail the position. After two final frenzied attacks on the Alliance position, the Horde was forced to admit defeat and retreat from Sunspring Post, thus leaving the western road into Halaa under Congregational control.

## Outcome

With the second defeat of the New Horde at Sunspring the Alliance managed to firmly secure their position for the upcoming Battle of Halaa. With both the east and west roads into the city, as well as the supply routes under their control, the Alliance was able to ensure that any Horde advance upon Halaa would be contained and vulnerable, as well as potentially dangerous as a result of Congregational isolation of Garador from its lines of supply.

While casualties were heavy on both sides as a result of the meat grinder nature of the guerilla battle within the ruined post, the armies of both factions remained relatively intact and functional. The superior numbers of the Sin'dorei buffered them from any crippling injuries the costly battle might have visited upon them and the Alliance's unassaible and efficient supply routes allowed them to quickly reinforce their beleagured host.

## Post-Conflict Negotiations

In the hours after the Horde defeat Sovereign Volanaro Ael'aran requested a parlay between himself and the Congregational leadership. Choosing to answer the Sovereign's request Grand Knight Erich Gottfried Manstein, along with Sir Kerdic Lothinil, Sir Alverdo Blackmoor, and a smattering of others meet with the Sin'dorei at the neutral ground of Aeris Landing.

After an exchange of quips and verbal darts between one another, both sides eventually began talks to peaceably end the conflict over the Journal of Alleria Windrunner. It became readily apparent, however, that both sides harbored little trust for one another and the discussion on how exactly both sides could achieve their goals (the locating of Sir Turalyon for the Alliance and the safeguard of Quel'Thalas' secrets for the Horde) without the other betraying them was heated.

Eventually Grand Knight Manstein, after hearing an offer from Volanaro to parce out the relative parts of the tome to each side whilst allowing an Alliance observer to theoretically ensure that the Sin'dorei did not glean too much from the tome, decided that the two parties would meet once more the next day at the same location to provide the Sovereign with an answer. In the meantime the Grand Knight proposed a twenty-four hour armistace between the two factions, with both agreeing to draw no sword against the other for the allotted time as well as agree to make no move upon Halaa. Alen'aran agreed to the proposal and so the temporary truce began.