Battle of Thurnik Hold

## The Battle of Thurnik Hold

The Battle of Thurnik Hold was a major battle during the Thurim War and the largest enemy force that the Nirvans had ever faced. The victory is remembered by the Nirvans mainly for how valiantly they fought and the reforms that came after when Vibius became Consul.

## Background

In **484PR**, Vibius Calenus raised an army consisting of 5 legions and Bhirnian soldiers to invade the Thurim Mountain Range, declaring a war of revenge, citing the raids that Thurim people had done on Nirva.

Before he even reached the mountains, the city of Vagh Thurim raised an army to stop them, marching out to beat them in the forests down below. This is known as the Battle of Ukan. Though the Nirvans were victorious and even captured Tynus Thurim, it showed them that the war was going to be tough.

Still within the year, Vibius captured a series of villages on the mountain with the help of his Bhirnian allies. When he felt secure, he marched ahead into Thurnik Hold. Since Thurnik Hold is such an important location both economically and strategically for the Thurim people, King Berok Thurim raised an army to stop them. With the time they had, Vibius found a very favourable location for the battle.

## Command

### Nirvan

The Nirvan command was similar to the Battle of Ukan. Vibius held the middle, staying in his HQ to manage troops and send troops when necessary. On the wings were Caius Grumio and Oppius Balbillus which commanded the left and right wings respectfully. The Bhirnian soldiers under Silgouth Gesrer were placed near the middle and the slingers under Servius Ennodius manned the cliffs.

### Thurim

The increase of troops meant the increase in commanders, all overseen by Rurfac Thurim, who was still respected in the Thurim court. After himself he split the command 5 ways. Each man was given 7,600 troops, each with different tasks. Gimrum Umnur and Urmbrek Thurnik had the most experienced troops, including those that had fought with them before in the Battle of Ukan.  The other two were Torgron Thurnik, who commanded the archers and Ermdahr Varsouth, who was given the new recruits.

Rurfac requested that the most experienced troops be placed in the centre, planning to break through the Nirvan middle and splitting their army in half.

## Battle

### Thurim Charge

The battle started with a charge from the Thurim troops, including many of their most experienced troops situated in the centre. But before the charge hit the Nirvans, they were hit with volleys of missiles from all sides. This mainly came from the slingers on the raised sides but also the Nirvan javelins, which were changed to have a better chance at piercing the Thurim armour.

Just as planned the Thurim soldiers began to push the Nirvan centre back, killing many in the process. Though on the wings they continued to take losses, being easy bait for the Nirvan slingers who could hit them cleanly without fear of friendly fire. To deal with it both Ermdahr and Torgon began to push up to Servius, hoping to take their cliff.

### Vibius joins the Fray

It did not take long for Vibius to receive the message that his centre was failing, requiring him to leave his HQ and join the fray. Vibius did not see this as an ideal situation, instead wanting to stay behind and send troops to fix the holes but his magic was too useful to remain where he was.

Grabbing units of triarii, Vibius pushed into the enemy, facing up against their elite soldiers. Initially it felt like he was not going to get there in time but some expert magic use forced the Thurim soldiers to halt for a second, giving him the small break he needed.

With the centre saved for the time being and more triarii being called to help the struggling line, Vibius moved for a new target, requesting his officers to do the same. His goal was to kill the enemy officers, knowing how successful it was in the battle before when he captured Tynus.

Vibius then moved to meet Urmbrek, keeping his personal bodyguard close by. Once he met Urmbrek a duel broke out.

### The Duel

Duels were very uncommon in Nirvan battles, as rather than individual prowess they focused on discipline and teamwork. This was not the case with Vibius, who ensured that he trained himself to be the best soldier he possibly could. While Urmbrek was the best duelist in Vagh Thurim, Vibius had magic.

When the two came face to face, space was made for them to duel. Urmbrek took the initiative by lunging ahead and swinging his axe at the head of the Nirvan general. Surprised, Vibius barely managed to avoid death, instead taking a wound across his chest. Now that he was bleeding, he had to make a move. Using magical lights, Vibius momentarily distracted the Dwarven officer, thrusting his sword in the man's thigh. Before his opponent could react, Vibius was able to slice his opponent once again, this time across the arm, making him drop his shield.

Furious, Urmbrek swung his axe again but was blocked by Vibius, opening him up to another sword thrust that he barely dodged. The two continued exchanging shots for some time, both missing and both bleeding from earlier hits. Knowing that he needed this victory, Vibius risked it all by using his magic another time, barely avoiding an axe meant for his chest. The magic did as planned, temporarily stunning Urmbrek and leaving him unable to defend Vibius’s sword aimed for his neck.

### Urmbrek's Death

The Thurim soldiers could only stand shocked as the body of Urmbrek fell to the ground, dead. Vibius was the opposite, quickly retreating behind his bodyguard to get someone to attend to his wounds, which at this point were life-threatening.

Seizing an opportunity, the Nirvans acted fast, stealing the body of Urmbrek and blocking the enemy from reclaiming it. At the same time, Caius and Silgouth were able to surround and capture Gimrum.

### Thurim Retreat

Now losing two of their officers, the remaining Thurim soldiers chose one of two options. Most, retreated with their general, dropping whatever they needed too if it meant getting away successfully. These soldiers were then chased by the Nirvan cavalry, if they weren’t killed by the slingers first.

The other choice was to fight to the death, which many of the experienced troops went with, much to the disdain of Rurfac. These men were surrounded and slaughtered, mainly through the use of slingers to avoid unnecessary casualties for the Nirvan infantry.

## Aftermath

The battle was a disaster for Thurim defenders. Rurfac had not only lost two commanders but many of his troops and almost all of his elite soldiers. With heavy difficulty, Vagh Thurim became their final stand, Rurfac gathering many of his scattered troops and marched them to the defence of the city.

The Nirvans had achieved quite a decisive victory but at a heavy cost, Vibius himself was heavily injured from the duel and fighting, forcing him and his army to sit put for some time. This time was spent sending many of the Nirvan dead back to their homes with full honours.