Battle of Vagh Thurim

## The Battle of Vagh Thurim

The Battle of Vagh Thurim was the final battle in the Thurim War, as the final attempt of the Thurim people to defeat the Nirvans in open battle and avoid starving through a long siege.

## 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. Being an important location for the Thurim people, they marched out to meet them in the Battle of Thurnik Hold.

After the defeat, the Thurim soldiers under Rurfac lost two good commanders and most of his army.

Vibius chose to remain still for the winter, returning to the Nirvan Republic in order to replace the troops he had lost. When he came back to his troops in **485PR** they marched on Vagh Thurim, besieging the city.

Once again it didn’t take long for the Thurim people to react, King Berok ran around the city gathering every available person he could and arming them for the battle to come. When he felt confident, he marched out to reach the Nirvans.

## Formations

### Nirvan

The Nirvans formed in their normal way, leaving the hastati in the front and the principes of the second line, using the remaining of their Bhirnian allies near the centre. While the cavalry were on the wings, they were not to be used in this battle.

### Thurim

The Thurim soldiers were not using the same tactics, instead of having a strong middle, King Berok made it quite weak, placing his archers there to punish the enemy. On the wings stood his best and finest troops, or what remained of them. These troops were not exactly experienced but instead heavily armoured, using the best equipment available to them.

The rest of the soldiers were lightly armoured which was uncommon in Dwarven battles.

## Battle

### Nirvan Advance

The battle started with the Nirvans advancing, entering their testudo formation once they got closer to the Thurim archers. When the armies were close enough, the Nirvans charged, hitting the weak centre of the enemy and almost forcing it to retreat immediately.

On the wings the Nirvans were not as successful, instead holding their ground against the Thurim heavy infantry.

### Mid-Battle

As the battle raged on the formations began to change. As expected, the Nirvans and Bhirnians pushed ahead in the centre, forcing Berok to even move his HQ back a bit, rather than join the fray. The wings were a different story, the Nirvans under Caius and Oppius managed to figure out the Thurim strategy and instead of going against it, played into it.

The two officers gave the command to feign a retreat, instead using the cavalry nearby to hit them from the side. In hindsight, it was an incredible move that they both executed at the same time, even though they had little communication between one another.

### The Wings Crumple

The blood-lusted Thurim soldiers fell for the ploy, pushing ahead and away from their lines. It didn’t take long for them to see their mistake, being flanked and then hit by the cavalry with an effective charge.

Hit from the side and most unable to retreat, the Thurim elite were slaughtered on the wings, being killed nearly to the last in some groups.

### Berok's Retreat and Betrayal

Losing his wings, King Berok called for his troops to withdraw to the city, hoping the archers he placed on the gates and walls would be able to cover them. Being closest, he was first behind the walls with his bodyguard. Then, he closed the gates.

The soldiers left behind were stranded, walls on one side and Nirvans on the other. Scared and not thinking clearly, the soldiers threw themselves at Vagh Thurim’s wall. Instead of defending the city, it was now them that besieged it, using their weapons to break down the gate and finding whatever they could to try and get over the first set of walls. This was shocking to the Thurim Monarch who ordered his archers to shoot ‘any person trying to get into the city’.

The Nirvans could only watch as they saw the city slaughter their own people, wasting arrows on allies instead of enemies.

Eventually, Berok himself was betrayed. Instead of following orders, some of the archers, who had family members on the other side, snuck down and opened the gate. With the gate opened, the Thurim survivors poured in with the Nirvans right after them.

### Inside the City

With the Nirvans in the city, they slaughtered what was left of the guard, never holding a chance. On the other end, the exhausted Thurim soldiers did whatever they could to escape, tearing down the inner gates.

During the chaos, King Berok was captured.

Fighting continued for the rest of the day, the Nirvans slaughtering whoever stood in their way until they reached the throne room where the fighting stopped as the city was finally conquered.

## Aftermath

This battle goes down in history as a confusing one, with a series of tactical blunders from King Berok and confusing decisions. When everything calmed down in Vagh Thurim, they saw the Nirvans as liberators, helping with the take over. Though, just like Vagh Bhirn, Vibius left the city with a lot of independence, forcing them to become allies and give up tributes.