Battle of Kulak

The Battle of Kulak was the first skirmish between the Gonarundu Carto alliance against Ilaka during the War of Revenge. It revealed to the world that despite the overwhelming odds against the Ilakans they were able to successfully stand their ground, putting the allied armies in an odd situation.

## Background

In **581PR** Emperor Adonis Carto of the Carto Empire and King Miguel Fidalgo of Gonarundu entered a military alliance, presenting a unified front against Ilaka and the nations previous oppression of the region. Threatened, King Aetios Kostides of Ilaka began a recruitment drive in order to boost his armies numbers.

On Mak **583PR** the Gonarundun forces led by Prince Daniel Fidalgo crossed the Kunan River and met up with Adonis and the Carton forces. After discussing their plans the two marches across the border into Ilakan territory, declaring war and officially beginning the War of Revenge.

First, the allied armies had to go up against a series of fortresses the Ilakans had made for border defence. Despite their larger number they struggled, making it a slow process that gave Aetios ample time to not only boost his numbers further but train them and give them proper equipment.

At the same time he sent out troops to harass the invaders, using recruited tribal members more experienced in the method.

In mid **584PR** the final fortress fell and both sides marched out to meet one another in battle, both confident they had the advantage.

## Leadership

### Allies

The allies command structure was much more complicated. Despite their military alliance, the relationship between the two armies was still strained at best, neither having a good understanding of one anothers doctrine or tactic. This didn’t help when Daniel took personal command of his elite cavalry on the left flank, leaving Samuel in command of the army.

On the Carton side their force was much smaller, instead focusing on quality rather than the quantity of their military. Thus, Adonis placed his strongest troops in the centre (or his left wing) and the right wing. He oversaw command of the infantry by himself. On the flank he gave command of the cavalry to Eubulus.

### Ilaka

The Ilakan command structure was split three ways. Having capable commanders in the higher ranks, Aetios was still lacking in low to mid level. To counteract this, he placed himself in the middle to micromanage while Cycnus and Peritas held the wings. With his more capable leaders on the wings he could give them the harder tasks using the Atkan and Companions to their advantage.

## Battle

The battle commenced with an aggressive push by the allies against the fortified position of Aetios. Believing that the Ilakans were weak, they decided that they still held the advantage despite the former having access to a hill. As they got closer, the Ilakan Pratan behind the line (uncommon for the Ilakans at the time) began firing arrows into the enemy, using their better position to target individual soldiers with greater effect.

One positive for the alliance was their centre, the Carton elite relatively untouched from the Paratan and up against much weaker Drakos. As the two collided, it was only the Ilakan location advantage that kept them from cracking early.

On the wings and flanks it was a similar story for the Gonarunduns, Daniel and his cavalry were unable to defeat the Ilakan Companions, instead getting bogged down in a melee battle where they began taking heavy casualties. In the infantry, the Gonarunduns were losing heavily to the Ilakan Atkan, pushing them back after the already heavy casualties from the ranged attacks. For Adonis he was doing much better, his elite soldiers holding their ground against the Atkan, who were hit from the side by Eubulus and his cavalry.

As the battle raged on, the centre began to crack for both armies, the ranged attacks and skill of the Ilakans too much. In the cavalry Daniel was knocked unconscious, hit over the head with a hammer that almost killed him. With their Prince and commander down, the Gonarunduns began to fall back. Adonis’s centre was the same, the soldiers morale quickly falling despite their Emperor being right there. Feeling the battle was a loss, he called for a retreat.