Battle of Funar

Deployment of the opposing forces inside the Funar Pass.

## Belligerents

The Kakeuet Rebels
Lordship of Gherrapp

## Commanders and Leaders

**Att-Rishgunn**
Kharawhur (WIA)
Eppesûhow
Ëmbono †
Peddír †

## Strength

**3500 men*** 1500 cavalry
* 1200 infantry
* 800 archers

**6500 men*** 5200 infantry
* 1300 archers

## Casualties

500 men
**6500 men*** 5700 killed
* 400 captured
* 400 wounded

The **Battle of Funar** was a battle between the Lordship of Gherrapp under the command of Ëmbono and the Kakeuet Rebels under the command of Att-Rishgunn. The battle of considered as one of the most pivotal historical points of the Tari Peninsula.

## Background

The main reason for the battle was the bad relations between Att-Rishgunn and the nobles in Gherrapp. These tensions came as a result of Att-Rishgunns quick rise to power which upset the aristocratic view shared by most of the Gherrapp nobility. This escalated during the later part of Lord Kerheneks reign when a plot to assassinate Att-Rishgunn was uncovered followed by a violent confrontation in which Att-Rishgunn defenestrated the leader of the plot, who happened to be Ëmbono. It all came to a head when Kerhenek died in 33 BC with a 3 year old heir, leaving all the power to the nobles. Immediately upon gaining power over the lordship the nobles sentenced Att-Rishgunn to death, who fled to the fortress Kakeuet. Att-Rishgunn had once saved Kakeuet from an enemy invasion and so he was able to recruit many of the citizens to his cause, resulting in the population of Kakeuet being labelled as rebels, which only strengthened his following. Although the battle was probably also a part of Att-Rishgunns ambition to seize power for himself.

## Prelude

### Battlefield

Att-Rishgunn knew he would be outnumbered and so he chose a narrow pass where his enemies couldn’t take advantage of their superior force. The pass he chose was the Funar Pass, a narrow pass with steep cliffs on three sides. The location is today a popular climbing area with many infamously tough routes. The pass is also located not far from the town with the same name, famous for being the birthplace of the prominent rock climber Dírík Pëhínrík (1913 - 1942).

### Opposing Forces

The forces of Att-Rishgunn numbered in around 3500 men. It consisted of 1500 heavy cavalry, 800 Archers and 1200 Infantry. The infantry was further divided into spearman, equipped with long-spears, and shield bearers, carrying a Kakeuet Shield. The Kakeuet shield was an invention of Att-Rishgunn made for withstanding any and all infantry. It was a thick metal plate, two and a half meters tall, with deep metal spikes attached to the bottom. The shield was meant to be fastened into the ground using the deep spikes, making it near impossible to move, while simultaneously being tall enough to hinder the enemy from jumping over it. The result was a solid wall of metal, nearly impossible to break through, while spearmen standing behind would discourage anyone from trying to climb over it. The infantry was led by Att-Rishgunn while the cavalry fell under the command of his cousin, Kharawhur. The archers were the most professional soldiers in Att-Rishgunns army, commanded by the experienced 64 year old commander Eppesûhow.

The forces of Gherrapp numbered in around 6500 men, consisting of around 5200 infantry and 1300 archers. The infantry consisted mostly of peasant recruits armed with short-spears and small shields and were commanded by Ëmbono while the archers were under the command of Peddír.

### Tactical Deployment

Att-Rishgunn had prepared for the battle days before it began, choosing and preparing the location carefully. His plan was to use the spearmen in a faint retreat in order to lure the enemy into pass. There his shield-bearers would raise the heavy Kakeuet Shields transported to the location in advance, creating an impregnable wall of metal. He would also place his archers at the very back of the pass so they would be out of range from enemy archers. Meanwhile his heavy cavalry was divided in two groups, each hiding in the woodlands outside the pass in order to attack the enemy from behind when they got into the pass.

The forces of Gherrapp where initially organised with the infantry positioned in a breadth since they hoped to flank and encircle Att-Rishgunns forces with their superior numbers. The also had archers stretched out behind the infantry to cover their advance. The lack of cavalry can be attributed to the merciless raids performed by Att-Rishgunn during which his raiders slaughtered horses and burned fodder.

## Battle

### Initial Moves

Early in the morning of 2 July 32 BC the Gherrapp forces spotted a sizeable unit of Att-Rishgunns infantry. Ëmbono briskly assembled his forces and pursued them as they pulled back. Because of their size the Gherrapp forces moved slower which allowed Att-Rishgunns infantry to retreat without getting into any skirmishes with their enemies. After finding the rest of Att-Rishgunns forces in the Funar Pass Ëmbono didn’t hesitate to move his entire army into it, thinking that they were trying to hide and that he could easily finish them of with superior numbers. Att-Rishgunn had counted on this overconfidence, deceiving his enemies to underestimate him and thus acting less rational. Not long before impact Att-Rishgunn raised his shield wall and braised his men for the battle to come.

### Main Confrontation

As his infantry pushed into Att-Rishgunns shield wall Ëmbono began to realise some of his mistakes. He quickly saw that he had been fooled and although his men tried desperately they couldn’t bring themselves to overcome the shields. He had also not foreseen how much the narrow pass had stretched out his forces which resulted in his archers in the back being out of an effective range. Although he still believed he could break the wall if he could just exhaust his enemy long enough. Meanwhile Att-Rishgunn prepared to unleash his cavalry and equipped number of men with horns. As they blew a simultaneous blow of horns Kharawhur gave the order to charge at the enemy from behind. The sudden appearance of Kharawhurs heavy cavalry took the Gherrapp forces by surprise and they quickly rode down the lightly armed archers and smashed into the infantry. At this point Ëmbono realised that he had been trapped and ordered one last push to break the wall of shields. He was repulsed yet again and as his forces were slaughtered by the enemy cavalry he took up a weapon himself and attempted a breakthrough to retreat. This was also repulsed and his men were now in danger of annihilation. At the same time Att-Rishgunn ordered his archers to advance and let lose of a hail of arrows upon the trapped and exposed Gherrapp Infantry. As the cavalry pushed onwards many soldiers attempted to climb the steep cliff which resulted in many deaths in of itself. According to one legend, a single Gherrapp soldier successfully climbed a 100 meter wall as well as great overhang to escape the massacre. At last the merciless cavalry of Kharawhur butchered their enemies almost to a man.

## Casualties

### Att-Rishgunns Forces

Because he avoided to engage the Gherrapp infantry Att-Rishgunns spearmen came out mostly unscathed while his archers didn’t sustain any fatalities or wounds at all. The heaviest combat was performed by the heavy cavalry and so they suffered most casualties with around 500 dead or wounded. Kharawhur himself was wounded when leading the charge from the front.

### Gherrap Forces

The Gherrapp forces suffered devastating losses at the hands of the merciless men under Att-Rishgunn. Nearly their entire army, including Ëmbono, perished in the fighting. Of the 6500 men only around 400 escaped with their lives, most of them severely wounded. Many of these men escaped by climbing the steep cliffs out of desperation. Another 400 were captured and later released, although every noble captured was executed. The rest, around 5700 men in total, were killed. It is said that the soil was soaked red with blood.

## Aftermath

The immediate result of the battle was Att-Rishgunn being made the new unopposed leader of Gherrapp, which he renamed Kakeuet after the axe with which he executed captured nobles. A reminder of his great victory. Although the battle initially affected only regional affairs it soon became clear Att-Rishgunn had great ambitions to expand his power and the result would be the Kakeuet Empire, a great power which dominated southern Ikuna and the northern Tari Peninsula for over four centuries. The battle later received a near mythical status and is seen as a masterpiece, utilising terrain, tactics, innovation and mental deceit to perfection.