The Battle of the Broken Bluffs

The Battle of the Broken Bluffs was an armed conflict between members of the Duchy of Caerseren and the Gilnean Brigade against the forces of the rebellious nobleman Baron Walton Thorn. Fought in the Broken Bluffs region of the Grizzly Hills, the battle marked not only the end of a series of skirmishes between Thorn's faction of mercenaries and warriors bent on the conquest of Northrend but also the first time the military troops of Caerseren fought under their newly appointed Lady Commandment, Salvina Ward. Ending with a victory for the Gilneas Brigade and its allies, the battle marked an end of the crisis in Northrend and put a final halt to the invasion plans of Baron Walton Thorn.

## Prelude:

Baron Walton Thorn was a successful and wealthy nobleman who had stayed behind in Northrend after the death of the Lich King. Seeing the vast potential that the northern continent could provide, Baron Thorn immediately went to create a sizable colony in the northlands near the Grizzly Hills. His actions were seen as legal in the eyes of Stormwind, as he was a member of the Valiance Expedition and there were still garrisons of Alliance troops within the Borean Tundra and the Howling Fjord. Yet as time went on, Thorn’s lust for power, wealth, and land began to grow until rumors began to spread beyond his borders. That he was being styled “Lord of the North” and King of the Frontier, as well as that he had met with former Scourge Remnants in order to gain troops and chemical weapons. Such rumors spread far beyond Northrend, but few paid them any heed. Though one group did.

An undercover investigation by the Gilneas Brigade, 3rd Special Forces Regiment and a few of its allies Sergeant Major Salvina Ward, Private Nansa Morchvinter, Private Margaen, Lady Rowanet Evergreen, Highlord Gabriel Hastings of the Grey Templar Order, and Vindicator "Opal" Oquaanu unveiled the truth behind such fantastical tales. That in the years that Walton Thorn had been in Northrend, he had secretly been ferrying alliances between different tribal factions such as the Bloodflayer Vrykul, the Wolvar, former Onslaught crusaders, and other barbaric nations. A plan had been enacted to not only march this army south into Alliance controlled territory, but to devastate Westguard Keep and Fort Wildervar if they resisted his claim to the northlands.

A series of skirmishes arose in the Grizzly Hills and the Howling Fjord between Thorn’s Scourge allies and the Gilneas Brigade began, most only having squad vs squad combat. These were the first specks of blood in this campaign, and soon Walton Thorn amassed his army together and began to march southwards. He had to move through mountain passes, so the routes into the Fjord were blocked one by one save for one-the Broken Bluffs, a narrow corridor with Frostblade Peak on one side, and a sheer drop leading to the north sea on another. Yet it wasn’t by chance that such a location had been chosen-this was chosen as the battlefield by Sergeant Major Salvina Ward due to its strategic position-and as well as the place where she knew her tactics could shine through and defeat an army three times her size. This would not just be the first time the Gilnean Brigade fought Thorn’s troops in open combat, but also the first time that Salvina would lead Ravenwood knights and men-at-arms in battle too as their Lady Commandment.

## The Battle:

In the morning of April 13th, year 638 K.C, the army of Baron Walton Thorn began to move southwards from the Grizzly Hills towards the Howling Fjord. Consisting of wolvar tribesmen, former crusaders, bandits and vrykul, their numbers stretched from horizon to horizon, assortment of banners howling in the wind as they made their way to the Broken Bluffs pass. In response a strike force from the Howling Fjord settlements was sent in response, along with a contingent of men from the Duchy of Caerseren led by Salvina Ward. Lady Ward also commanded the Gilneas Brigade 3rd Special forces regiment as well, knowing she’d need all the help she could possibly get. The troops were assembled at the mouth of the pass by the sunset, with battle soon to occur. The battalions of footmen from Westguard Keep and Wildervar Fort assembled into a tight shield wall, a traditional formation to hold off a major assault from the front. They were accompanied by one hundred archers from the allied island of Duskwake, lent by an old friend of Lady Ward’s, Lord Itharion Duskwarden. The Men-at-Arms of Ravenswood and the knights of the Duchy joined with the Brigade on the flanks, hidden behind the rocks and the trees as the Baron’s forces made their way in.

The first group to march forth were one thousand light infantry from the Grizzly Hills themselves-mainly trappers, hunters, poachers, and others that Thorn had recruited from his own lands to serve in an impromptu army. Pushing forward into the pass to collide with the main shield wall of Alliance soldiers, pushing them back in a furious tide of bloodshed and roaring fury. The light infantry poured further and further into the pass, only to see that their flanks were exposed-a weakness that Lady Ward exploited. Right as more and more poured forth, clogging the narrow road with their numbers, the Brigade and the men of Ravenswood struck, colliding and scattering the light infantry in the middle. Those at the front turned to find their flank under attack and they began to lose their cohesion. When the Footmen of Westguard pushed forward and went on the offensive, the light infantry of Walton Thorn broke ranks and were quickly surrounded-and pushed over the edge of the cliffs to be food for the numerous seafowl that had arrived to feast on the plentiful dead.

Just as the light infantry attack had been repulsed and the Brigade gaining some form of reprieve, out of the evening mist came their next threat-a war party of Vrykul warriors, fired up and thirsting for blood. The Brigade and the men of Ravenswood charged forth, colliding with the barbarians as the rest of the army took time to reorganize and redeploy. The Brigade’s actions stalled the Vrykul advance long enough for the Alliance battalions to engage, forcing the enemy to retreat in a full route. As the Men-at-Arms of Ravenswood and the Gilneas Brigade took a moment to reform after nearly being broken by the half-giants, the rest of the Alliance Battalions marched forward through the pass, pushing the disorganized enemy away and out into a wide open plain that led into the Grizzly Hills. The battle here took on a new form as both sides spread out, with the Footmen of Westguard guarding the left flank with the Militia troops of Fort Wildervar guarding the right near the edge of the pass. Archers and arbalists from Duskwake Isle-a gift to Salvina from a friend of hers-took the middle between the two columns. Wolvar hordes and platoons of bandits charged forth to collide against the Alliance forces-but were repulsed each time with heavy losses.

Back in the middle of the pass, Salvina Ward rallied her troops together to help bring a decisive end to the invasion. As special forces, the Brigade were ideally trained to deal a crippling blow to Baron Thorn’s invasion force-by cutting off the head of the snake. Moving forward through the pass to the battlefield proper, they soon discovered that Baron Thorn in his desperation had called up heavy artillery in the form of recently recommissioned Demolishers and old scourge meatwagons-where the former launched a devastating volley on felfire munitions onto the Alliance troops who were beginning to slowly advance upon the scattering enemy. Sensing the destruction, they formed into a square to hold off attacks from all sides as the enemy was soon emboldened, and moved to surround the Alliance forces.

The Brigade was quick to work, with the Knights and Men-at-Arms of Ravenswood charging forth to save the infantry square before it could be overrun, driving the enemy away with repeated offensives. The Gilneas Brigade itself attacked the siege weapons themselves and destroyed them quickly-with the Demolishers only firing another volley before falling and the meatwagons unable to load off their Blight canisters-destroyed by Kimnaadral and Private Edward Freeman. With the rear secured the Brigade turned to the main battle-as Salvina Ward, John Thyrayne, and Helbrook Medinus charged and quickly took out the Baron’s dozen heavily armored knights, and Salvina herself dismounted the traitorous lord and took him prisoner. On the bluffs beyond a Scourge reinforcement battalion had been spotted but quickly turned back after seeing the battle was lost. Abandoned by their allies and with their lord a prisoner, the rest of the enemy army scattered and were soon picked off by the victors.

## Aftermath:

For the Brigade a fresh surprise was awaiting them as they finished off the enemy army, taking no prisoners save for some of the officers to be questioned and interrogated later. The enemy mercenaries who hadn’t scattered away had been killed as well, and soon the plain was scattered about with the broken bodies of the slain. The Battle of the Broken Bluffs was over-with nearly 2,400 of the enemy dead, they suffered nearly 80% dead and the rest injured or missing. The Alliance suffered as well with nearly a quarter of their troops dead or wounded, most being the militia from Wildervar. The Brigade escaped the horrific onslaught with only a few minor injuries-and as such would be rewarded for their efforts.

As the day grew to a close and the moon began to take the shift of the sun, the Brigade were met by their Lord Commander, Tyrvarryn Shadowmist, who had arrived to aid in the aftermath of the battle. After delivering her report and handing over the floor to Tyrvarryn, the Lord Commander thanked and congratulated the Gilneas Brigade for their efforts as well as promising that those who had fallen would be compensated as heroes of the Alliance. The Alliance troops would be thanked as well and given substantial gold rewards as well-a portion of which was plunder taken from the battlefield. For the new recruits, Privates Edward Freeman and Private Edith Allsebrook were given a substantial gift in gold for their efforts, with First Minister Helbrook Medinus being awarded the Mia Greymane Civic Commendation-the highest civilian honor the Lord Commander could bestow.

Lance Corporal Kimnaadral and Corporal John Thyrayne were awarded with promotions of their own-being promoted to Corporal and Sergeant respectively. Salvina Ward was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant for her efforts in stopping the invasion. Afterwards the Brigade was dismissed with much to celebrate-with Sergeant Thyrayne heading off for home to celebrate with his beloved girlfriend, Salvina. The rest of the troops remained on the field for a time, as the enemy dead were piled into pyres and burned. The fallen Alliance troops were taken back to their homes and buried with full military honors. The last chapter of the campaign was closed when Lieutenant Salvina Ward escorted Baron Thorn to the port of Valiance Keep, where he was handed over to Duke Ashland Whiteraven and taken under guard back to Gilnean lands to stand trial for his crimes.

The impact of the Battle of the Broken Bluffs was immense, as it demonstrated even during times of peace how effective the Gilnean troops and their allies could be on the battlefield, as well as being one of the largest battles in the Grizzly Hills region of Northrend since the war against the Lich King many years ago. The destruction of the Baron’s troops ended months of military buildup in the region as well as put to rest the questions of treason. It called into question the possibility of fresh alliances with Scourge Remnants and increased vigilance in the forgotten continent of Northrend. This also marked the first battle in which Salvina Ward had served as Lady Commandment in, and directed troops from the Duchy of Caerseren in open warfare. Yet the greatest accomplishment was that the campaign ended in a dramatic style-the battlefield being on the frontier of Alliance lands meant that there were no civilian casualties in the fighting, and the invasion had ended before it could truly have begun, saving countless lives from the horrors of war.