Battle of Ranger's Peak

The **Battle of Ranger's Peak** ended the Drysdale Rebellion against King Gauren Kaulden of Nordain, when its leader, the regional Commander of the Grey Aelaide Drysdale, was cornered and slain in the Grey Order fortress of Ranger's Peak, along with most of her supporters. As a result, Gauren's branch of the Kaulden bloodline secured the throne of Nordain, while the Grey Order was banished from the kingdom for two hundred years.

## Background

The King of Nordain died leaving no heir, and fighting for the throne began immediately, with the young Gauren competing fiercely with his first cousin, Jarless Aelaide Drysdale, for the crown. Gauren won the throne through a campaign of intimidation, butchering nobles to garner support through fear. Drysdale was imprisoned for treason when she pushed her claim, pending execution. However, many continued to support her claim, and were appeased after Drysdale was permitted to join the Grey Order.

## Prelude

Aelaide Drysdale flourished in the Grey Order, and dazzled her brethren with her skill and charm. She soon was raised to the rank of Ranger-Commander of Nordain, and transformed the once redundant Nordish Rangers into an elite, respected, and popular order. However, Commander Drysdale remained bitter about her failed bid for the throne.

Meanwhile, King Gauren became perceived as increasingly cruel, perhaps even insane, after he slaughtered Jarl Olavard, and his entire family, simply for criticizing his spending. Many nobles turned to Drysdale for assistance.

Drysdale set in motion plans for a rebellion, jeopardizing the Grey Order's neutrality, which disgusted some of her fellow Rangers, driving them to leave Nordain in protest. Aelaide even allowed her own personal blood mage, Vicorin, to practice blood magic on the Nordish nobles in order to nudge them and keep the Rangers' secrets safe.

Aelaide Drysdale's secret conspiracy could only go so far without powerful allies. The Rangers of the Grey sought to obtain the support of Jarl Sorelden but was met with an ambush by Gauren's guard. Ranger-Commander Aelaide and Vicorin barely escaped with their lives.

## Battle of the Peak

When King Gauren learned of Drysdale's plot, he sent soldiers to lay siege to Ranger's Peak, and a long, bloody battle ensued in **7A05**. The Ranger Master-Scout was slain, and the Rangers barricaded themselves within the keep.

Commander Lodvus, leader of the King's forces, intended to fight a war of attrition, attempting to starve out the remaining Rangers despite there being months of supplies within the keep.

Eventually, the Nordish forces stormed the keep, where fierce fighting begun. The Rangers fought valiantly, though were pushed further and further back. Eventually, Commander Drysdale ordered her most senior mage and ardent supporter, Vicorin, to do whatever he could to push the King's men back.

Vicorin used blood magic to summon a tide of demons; however, he soon discovered he could not control them, and so the demons began to slay both the Rangers, and the Nordish soldiers. The magic had tore open the Veil and caused Ranger's Peak to be overrun by demons.

## Aftermath

Ranger's Peak was claimed by demons, while Aelaide Drysdale was never heard of again, nor were any of her Rangers or Nordish soldiers who went there. King Gauren declared his triumph over her by exiling the Grey Order from Nordain, and stripping the Drysdales of all lands and titles. The order retained a villainous reputation in Nordain for 200 years, until, King Baylor Kaulden permitted the Rangers back into his nation.