Iron Clash

*"To those who doubt our chances of victory, remember we are the swords of the Blademaster. As he has never let us down, neither should we do the same"*

-Tharos during the first stages of the siege-

## Iron Clash

The "White mountain" was nearly destroyed in its entirety during the siege

## Forces

### Defending forces

-Garrison at the White mountain:1,000 knights

20,000 Karthemas regular soldiers

30,000 irregular militia

Reinforcing army:

5,000 knights

100,000 regular forces

### Attacking forces

500 knights200,000 between regulars and militia

## Commanders

### Commander of defending forces

Tharos (commander of the garrison)Aithusa (reinforcing army)

## Casualties

### Defender casualties

More than half of the garrisonVery light for reinforcements

### Invader casualties

75% of invading forces either destroyed, captured or changed sides

Taking place in the planet of Ata'Virisch, the siege known later as the **Iron Clash**was one of the most brutal sieges of the Yadran Civil war. Fought by forces of the generals of the previousSecond Quadrumvirate, it assured the position of Blademaster Aithusa as the most powerful Karthemas besides the supreme rulers of the Kingdom of Yadra and the Enlightened Kingdom of Ra'Tagrass. Furthermore, it broke the back of Singe's own forces, forcing him to retreat and fortify in the remains of his own territories. He would never have the same power he wielded during the Iron Clash.

While the battle is still considered by many historians as a duel between Aithusa and Singe, more and more new historians focus on the important part played by the Blademaster's most trusted general, Tharos. Taking charge of the garrison at the "White Mountain", he no longer managed to hold back a strong force commanded by a veteran of a thousand sieges, but also hold the line for long enough for Aithusa to arrive and deliver the blow which finished Singe's attempts to become the most powerful commander in the remnants of the Kingdom of Yadra.

Also unlike many of the battles of the civil war, the Iron Clash was unique in the lack of civilian casualties. As he considered himself the new ruler of Ata'Virisch, Blademaster Aithusa made sure all civilian population in the area was evacuated or at least given the weaponry and training needed to join the defence of the main fortress. Acts like this would win the good will of the billions living in the planet, a good will which would last even during the invasion of the Enlightened Kingdom as it tried to recover their lost ground.

Finally, the Iron Clash is considered to this day to be the last important victory in Aithusa's long and bloody career. While it is true that he continued to achieve victories against the forces of the Enlightened Kingdom and the Kingdom of Yadra, none had the lasting effects of the Iron Clash, or earned him as much glory.

## Background

### Singe, second best

As the vanguard forces of the Enlightened Kingdom of Ra'Tagrass began to either fall back or create independent armies of their own, generals like Aithusa  and Singe were soon amongst the most powerful warlords, their larger and better-trained forces easily beating smaller, less-prepared armies they had once fought side-by-side with.

Even then, Aithusa was always ahead. Unwilling to once more fight under his command, Singe instead chose to retreat to this own conquered territories, territories he had fortified and knew Aithusa would not list taking in fear of losing to many forces. Because of this, a stalemate ensued between the two previous allies, one which Aithusa milked as much as he could to continue his conquests and raise new armies.

In the meantime, Singe prepared his own forces. Never as popular or charismatic as his rival, he knew that, if he waited to much while doing nothing, some of his own generals would change sides and maybe join Aithusa. He needed a victory, one which would finally show everyone the merit of his constant efforts and the sweat and blood he had spilled over the years. Soon, he had an army at the ready and a fleet which could take him to the heart of his rival's dominion.

Now, the only thing he needed, was a chance.

### Troubles at the border

That chance arrived during the last days of the year 2300. Forces from the Kingdom of Yadra were trying to conquer lost ground and had already created a few bases on the system. Unwilling to let a "rival realm" take territory Aithusa felt was rightfuly his own, he took the core of his forces in an attempt to push the invaders back.

Being a veteran strategist however, Aithusa did not leave the heart of his little empire (the planet of Ata'Virisch) undefended. Tharos, his best and most trusted general, was left behind with a strong garrison to hold any possible attacks from Singe. Younger yet experienced in hundreds of battles out and within the Kingdom of Yadra, Tharos accepted the command, even if reluctantly. During the whole civil war, he had mostly fought under Aithusa, making this his first independent command of the conflict.

Just a few weeks after the fleet of transports and light ships had left orbit, news arrived of an invasion force coming from Singe's own territories.Forced to leave garrisons behind and trusted troops to make sure there would be no rebellions, the force lead by Singe might not have been as large as the ivasion forces of larger empires, yet it was still formidable, especially when compared with the troops under the command of Tharos. Nevertheless, the young general did not allow fear to take command. After sending a message to his commander, Tharos ordered all forces within the planet to concentrate on the strategic location known as the "White mountain". A city so tall it pierced the skies, it was also at the very core of the planet's infrastructure and roads, its long-range heavy weaponry able to pick off both transports and infantry formations.

If Singe really wanted to take control of the planet, he would need to take the city. While a daunting task, the the invading general still felt confident. After all, for him this was only a new city to siege. Sooner or later, its walls would fall and victory would be his.

## The Siege

### Shatter the skies

The first battle which took place was not on the planet's surface, but its skies. Anti-air weaponry of all calibers and ammunition released their fire on Singe's fighters and bombers, the transports coming right behind and as far away as possible from the city guns.

Devoid of any powerful fleet which could support him, Singe was forced to land far from the city, the only air support being that of screens of small, old aircraft, their weaponry doind little more than distract the city's defenders as he began to unload his armies. In this however, Singe showed his experience. Just a few hours after the first ship had landed, nearly 100,000 troops were already on the planet and advancing at good pace towards the city, their journey filled with empty villages, towns and fields.

That was, until Tharos appeared.

### Grind to the walls

From the very start, Tharos knew victory against the invaders was all but impossible on his own. Instead of waiting in the city walls then, the general and a few banners under his command began to deliver quick, lightening attacks on Singe's forces. Using the native's knowledge of the terrain to his advantage, Tharos prepared all manner of ambushes and surprise attacks. Unlike what was traditional warfare amongst the Karthemas however, he did so from long range, his objective slowing down the enemy forces rather than killing foes at close range and putting his troops under risk of counter attacks.

   Used to leading his own troops during combat, Tharos fought in many of these ambushes, most of which had as a target Singe's heaviest siege guns and supplies. Thrice, the invading general and Tharos saw each-other during battle. Once, they even traded a few blows, with Tharos nearly being killed after a blow from Singe's hammer shattered his armor. Luckily for the younger Karthemas, his knights managed to entertain the besieger for long enough to he could be evacuated, a move those knights paid with their lives.

After that near-death experience, Tharos accepted the demands of his officers to remain in HQ far from any bullet or sword. From there, he continued to prepare more ambushes as he healed from the wounds he had suffered against Singe.

The road to the White Mountain was then a difficult one for the invading forces. Still, Singe was relentless and, under his command, invading banners finally saw the white walls and towering buildings of the White Mountain. While an impressive sight on its own right (some even go as far as to call it "One of the Pearls of the old Kingdom"), for Singe, the city was just a bunch of walls and towers he needed to breach.

### First Breaches

Knowing numbers were on his side, Singe did not at first send all his troops to the same side of the walls. After quickly surrounding the city, the Karthemas general began a general bombardment of the defender's own batteries, the duel of shells not only damageing the defender's morale, yet also acting as cover for Singe's sappers and engineers.

Had he been fighting against any other foe, Singe's strategy might have worked. In just a few days, a few tunnels had managed to come just a hundred meters close to the city's walls. Already, engineers were preparing powerful charges, more than strong enough to destroy entire wall sections and all Karthemas defending them, in a heartbeat.

However, Tharos (like Aithusa) had served many years at Singe's side and seen many of the besieger's tricks. Counter-mines had already been built, even before the first ship made landing on the planet. Some were built to explode the moment an unsuspecting besieger reached them. Others led to death traps or groups of heavily-armed defenders ready to cut their foes down. This "War of Rats" took place during good part of the siege and was just as brutal as the one taking place above.

At the same time, Singe was also prepared to face Tharos and his troops. Of the seven important night sorties made during the siege, few managed to reach their targets and almost every single one ended with heavy losses for the defenders. Turning the besieger's camp into his own fortress, Singe made it nearly impossible for Tharos and his troops to slow down construction of forward trenches or new batteries. After a while, breaches had been made, a few of which the defenders managed to repair during night hours. Still, the pounding continued until, soon, Tharos was forced to choose between which holes he could seal and which he would be forced to leave open.

It was at that time, that the true carnage began.

### The Red Gate

Built in many levels, the White Mountain gave Tharos the chance to retreat to new walls, something he constantly exploited as the defence of the outter walls became impossible. During the night, the defending commander moved all forces to the second level of the city. Buildings and fortifications left behind were either blowed up or covered with explosives to be detonated once the attackers entered the city.

The battle for the second level, more than the first, became one of the bloodiest moments of the siege. A large breach achieved thanks to the constant barrages of the near entirety of the besieger's guns was fought time and time again by both sides. Nearly one kilometer long and covered by a mixture of broken wall and floors of broken stone, defenders and attackers lost and won the "Red Gate" so many times soon they were forced to climb over the corpses of the dead and dying to continue the fight.

   Growing tired of his troops' failures to secure the area, Singe  himself fought at the breach, his heavy armor deflecting many a shot and blow while his hammer and eviscerator cleaned their way through the ranks of defenders. Once more, Tharos moved to the head of his own troops to counter his rival's attempts to take the breach. This time however, Tharos did not attempt to face the larger, more experienced warrior. Instead, he moved his troops around to prepare killing grounds, ones which forced Singe to chose between a bloody carnage and a timely retreat.

Yet even Tharos knew he could not hold forever. As the numbers of wounded began to surpass those still fit to fight, the commander once more ordered a retreat. This time however, it was a bloodier affair, a desserter telling Singe of the plan just in time for him to launch a new assault. Fighting street by street, Tharos lost many of his knights, including almost every member of his guard as he tried to secure exits for his remaining forces to fall back. A few pockets still remained in the second level, yet nearly all were crushed as Singe made preparations for yet another step of the siege.

## The Iron Clash

### To the last drop of blood

February arrived to a city in ruins. Forced to make his defence on the last levels of the city, Tharos knew he would not last for long. His reserves of ammunition were nearly gone, his knights either wounded or dead. Militia forces now outnumbered regulars nearly ten to one and even then there were just not enough to protect every single meter of wall and tower.

At the same time however, morale in the besieger's camp was also at an all-time low. Never a loved general, Singe had pushed his troops mercilessly, going as far as to humiliate in public one of the generals who had refused to send his troops to the carnage of the Red Gate. It mattered not how much he lead by example, his soldiers were far to exhausted to keep going at the same rythm he demanded of them. Some, the most daring ones, had fled to the countryside. Those who were captured and brought to Singe were never seen again.

Nevertheless, Singe still felt like there was hope left. The defenders were nearly all dead. The fortress, while battered, could still be rebuilt. Moreover, the planet and its infrastructure were mostly intact, so he would have more than enough supplies and manpower to use once Aithusa dared to come back from his campaigns.

What Singe did not know however, was that the Blademaster was already in orbit.

### Aithusa arrives

   Generals for years to come have both praised and damned the plan made by the Blademaster during the last stages of the Iron Clash (and they will probably continue to do so for generations to come). Indeed, Aithusa's plan was a risky one: To truly catch Singe and his armies unprepared, he would not deploy his forces kilometers from the foe, but land amongst enemy forces, the ships of his small fleet providing some cover fire while he did so.

Still fixed entirely on the siege and fighting at the front lines, Singe did not hear of the attack until the first fleet shells made impact on the camp of the besiegers. At the front of a force of nearly 5,000 veteran knights, Aithusa led an impressive charge which obliterated most of the besieger's batteries and sent reservce forces either fleeing in terror or made them surrender on the spot.

Knowing of the importance of terror and hope, Aithusa's powerful helmet speakers boomed with promises of pardons and even rewards to those who fought the "traitors" and brought him the head of the siegemasters. Exhausted and tired of their commander, many troops obeyed until soon, Singe found himself fighting not only Aithusa's reinforcements, but his own, previously loyal troops as well.

For a few hours however, Singe still refused to give up, taking instead fortifications within the city to hold back the attacks of Aithusa and Tharos. Once more, the Red Gate saw battle, the stars of which where this time Aithusa and the besieger, Singe. Younger, faster and well rested, the Blademaster's energy blade scored more than a few wounds, yet still Singe managed to survive to fight another day. Finally seeing how the battle was lost, he took what transports he could find and fled the planet, his army a broken shadow of what it had once been.

## Aftermath

Aside from Aithusa himself, the true victor of the battle was indeed Tharos. Unlike some of Singe's generals, the young Karthemas had stayed true to his lord to the very end and was thus rewarded, becoming the official second and heir of the Blademaster.

Singe, on the other hand, would never become as powerful or threatening ever again. For the rest of the war (and his life), he would fought to keep control over his fortresses, his small armies unable to face the retribution force which would end him during the Taking of the Fortress Moons.