Battle of Fort Urmnir

The Battle of Fort Urmnir was a defensive battle fought by the Bhirnians, defending their capital of Vagh Bhirn against the Nirvan invaders. It goes down as a tactical victory for the Nirvans, though is seen as a defeat everywhere else.

## Background

After a successful year as Consul in **436PR**, Arruns Calenus secured the governorship of Agrippa in **437PR** with 3 legions to defend it. A fourth was raised in the same year with the Senate's approval.

In **438PR**, Arruns and 3 of his 4 legions marched on Bhirn, citing a newly created law that allowed him to defend his province by any means necessary.

Meeting little to no resistance, the Nirvans were able to reach the Bhirnian Mountain Range and build two fortifications as the soldiers weathered for the winter, Arruns returning to Agrippa to complete his administrative duties.

The Bhirnians non-stop attacked the fortifications, though the Nirvans remained under the command of Gaius Calenus who was able to scare them off and steal their supplies.

A stalemate occurred in both **439PR** and **440PR** due to the Bhirnians building a series of fortresses in the mountains to protect their capital from the enemy. The Nirvans captured the surrounding land, trying to starve their opponents.

After seasoning with the troops in **441PR**, Arruns was able to defeat and capture 3 of the 4 fortresses in quick succession. As he was marching on the fourth, King Urmnir sent out an army to stop him under the command of Brukhan Runemaker.

## Battle

The armies ran into each other the day before, though it was too late to begin combat, instead choosing to make camp. The location of the battlefield was unsavoury for both sides, being an open plane with a mild amount of fog and blocked on both sides by mountains. This meant that the Nirvans would be unable to use their Equites and the Bhirnians wouldn’t be able to use their archers except for upward volleys (less effective) until the enemy came closer.

### Day 1

#### The Nirvans Push Forward

Once the Nirvans had assumed their battle formation, Arruns called for his legions to march forward. This was simply going to be a battle of grit, though he was at a disadvantage in both number and location, as the Bhirnians were more accustomed to the rocky plains.

The two armies met, exchanging volleys with one another to average effects, the Nirvan javelins doing more damage.

#### The Bhirnian Determination

Due to Nirvan tactics, which constantly swap their hastati and principes lines, they are able to fight for hours at a time. This usually gives them a major advantage and was a surprise to all the Nirvan commanders when that was not the case. As mountainfolk, the Bhirnians had incredible stamina and were able to fight all day long if needed. Though not as effective as the Nirvans, their numbers kept them even all day.

#### Return to Camp

When it began getting dark, the Nirvans and Bhirnians stopped their fighting, returning to camp. Neither wanted to fight through the night, instead assessing their wounded and each other's strength.

### Day 2

Day 2 started like normal, the Nirvans advanced and were able to get a successful javelin volley into the enemy while the Bhirnians were still having difficulties with the fog.

In the melee the Bhirnians got the early upper hand. Bringing it to the enemy with a renewed sense of energy. It took only an hour for the Nirvan line to crack slightly, letting their enemy pour through on Gaius’s side.

#### Thodir Killed

Leading the Bhirnian group was Thodir Fimlok, a noble and cousin of the King. He did not wish to let the enemy get a chance to recover and continued his push, bringing his bodyguard alongside.

Seeing the chaos and the wavering line, Gaius took a group of triarii and blocked the enemy momentum, halting it in its tracks. Further fighting continued but the dwarf Thodir was already exhausted, pushing beyond what he should’ve. His head soon fell after, Gaius striking the blow.

The Nirvans managed to hold for the rest of the day, taking heavy casualties in the process. A blow was struck to the Bhirnians' morale who were unable to obtain the head of Thodir.

### Day 3

#### Nirvan Withdrawal

Understanding their losses and unable to deal with the unfavourable location, Arruns Calenus called for a withdrawal of his soldiers, wishing to fight another day.

To avoid the Bhirnians noticing, the Nirvans retreated over the nighttime, leaving only a small group to remain as a distraction. The group that remained then slipped out during the day, being many of the scouts who had slowly learnt about the mountainous region.

## Aftermath

The Nirvans were able to escape the increasingly dangerous battle with their lives, taking out a capable Bhirnian commander on their way. Though they lost no standards, they were still disgraced with a defeat. Only when Arruns claimed it as a victory afterwards, persuading or more so deceiving his soldiers into believing that what they had done was victorious did the morale shift.

### Reactions from the Nirvan Senate

While the public was deceived by the agents of Calenus, the Senate remained privately embarrassed at the defeat, something found in the records only later. It states that if they had lost any standards, then the Senate would’ve stripped Calenus of his governorship. Now they only planned to ensure that such a thing would never happen again.