The Battle of the Gauntlet

## Battle of the Gauntlet

Artist representation of the battle.

> The primitive civilization stood paralyzed, unable to grasp the significance of what they had witnessed. The shockwave rippled through their hearts as they watched the advanced empire sacrifice themselves, willingly embracing annihilation to protect something they held dear, to protect them.
>
> -Memorialist Samuel

## | The Battle of the Gauntlet

It was a brisk, peaceful day. The crops were harvested, fresh ore was mined, and Caliban was thriving. Everything seemed at utter peace. This was just the calm before the storm. The war horns were sounded as scouts spotted a raging horde coming towards The Rock. This was the biggest collection of Flesh Caliban has seen so far. These abominable creatures had a singular purpose in mind: assimilate. A defense was quickly scrambled, a rag tag force of Caliban veterans, Heshlan foot troopers, and Archamus axe men. The first wave of flesh crashed upon the defenses like an unstoppable force over an immovable object. Losses mounted up on both sides drastically and things were starting to look grim for the defenders. All of the sudden, the gates open and High Lord Azrael comes charging forth wielding the Honourblade, followed by 4,000 Fire Elite Honorguard. Azrael roused the troops with an inspiring speech and proceeded to spearhead the counterattack against the Flesh. The extra force pushed back the Flesh and they became disorganized. Azrael took on 1,000 Flesh head crabs on his own and did not take a single injury. In a blur of fighting, the Flesh now seemed to be on the back foot. But then a roar could be heard, and trees were felled in the distance. A giant head crab, nicknamed Mamuna, loomed over the horizon, as big as mountain. Despair fell over the defenders, but Azrael riled their spirits for a final charge against Mamuna. Thousands fell under the teeth and claws of Mamuna, including a majority of Azrael's Honor Guard. But the defenders of Caliban did not relent.

Azrael climbed on top of the beast and started tearing apart its hideous head. Heshlan foot soldiers made excellent work on the beast's legs, which ultimately caused Mamuna to fall. Victory! Caliban is safe for another day. In celebration, soldiers cut trophies out of Mamuna as the Cultists lit the beast on fire for Ignis. But we must not forget the thousands who gave their lives to not let Caliban be destroyed by the Parasite of the East. Their sacrifice was in great honor and glory for their respective nation. In this battle, Caliban has learned a lot on how to fight the great menace and will use this to their advantage in future engagements.

## | Aftermath

Following the events at the Battle of the Gauntlet, Caliban sought to better prepare themselves for future invasions. As they knew this battle was only the beginning, despite the number of losses, Caliban view the battle as largely successful. With the Revenants furthering their combat experience against the flesh, as well as High Lord Azrael and his Fire Elite Honor Guard proving their worthiness towards the people of Caliban. Looking forward, Caliban expanded the wall that separated the people of Caliban from the treacherous beasts that lie beyond the tree line. Advancing their technologies in ranged siege weapons to keep the Flesh at bay. The battle on Caliban's Northern front looked promising, yet they were completely naive towards the threat that slowly grew South of them in the deserts of the Nemara.