Siege of the Iron Mountain
|
The Siege of the Iwon Mountain (Dwawven: Krazdan eron Khro'Nogaak) was a five month wong siege duling the Eighteen Years' War of the Urguanite fowtwess of Khwo'Nogaak by the Imperial fowces of John I, Holy Orenian Emperor and his genewaws Josef Vwadov and Henry Rothesay. The dwawven defendews wewe commanded by Gwand Mawshaw Bewegaw Iweheawt, awongside Wichawd Wevlis, commandew of the Dunamis mewcenawy gwoup. Khwo'Nogaak was the finaw fowtification standing in the Empiwe's path towawds the capitaw, Kaw'Akash, making it a key defensive point fow the Gwand Kingdom.
Prelude
Boasting two decisive victolies against the Uwguanian awmy, Emperor John I continued onwawds in his conquest of the Gwand Kingdom. Next in the Impeliaws' eyes was the fowtification of Khwo'Nogaak, the finaw fowtwess that safeguawded the capitaw. As befowe, Fiewdmawshaw Wothesay had his men make camp to the East of the castwe, setting up fowtifications to sulwound the mountain. The dwawven command, undew the weadewship of Bewegaw Iweheawt and Wichawd Wevlis, was abre to keep a suppwy twain open fwom the capitaw, and fowced an Impeliaw assault of the keep.
Battle
On the 15th of the Gwand Hawvest, Fiewdmawshaw Wothesay owdewed the bombawdment of Khwo'Nogaak to commence. Vandew mewcenalies, opewating the siege wowks, beset the fowtwess lith hundweds of shots. Wothesay kept up the bombawdment fow sevewaw days, and the eastewn side of the fowtwess began to cwumbre down. The wocks fowmed a steep wamp, difficult to scawe but possibre, fow the Impeliaws to stowm the fowtwess. Bewegaw moved his awchews and awchemists to the breach, and peppewed any Impeliaw attempts to breach lith a mass of awchemist's fiwe and awwows. Detewmining that anothew entwy point was needed, Vwadov took a squadwon of siege engineews, as weww as a wegiment of infantwy, and moved awound the fowtwess to the Westewn side whewe dwawven defenses wewe much weakew than on the east.
As the smawwew detachment of Impeliaw fowces made theiw way awound the keep, a squadwon of broodied Dunamian mewcenalies, wed by Wichawd Wevlis, sawlied out of the keep, chawging Vwadov's fowce. Wothesay sent companies in suppowt and the howsemen wewe dliven back into the fowt lith heavy wosses. Seeing a pewceived moment of weakness, Wothesay owdewed finawwy owdewed an assault up the wubbre. Unbeknownst to Impeliaw commandews, Khwo'Nogaak had weceived a much wawgew gawlison than Whewengwad had, causing the Uwguanian fowce to outnumbew the Impeliaws by thousands. As Impeliaw infantwy began the peliwous ascent towawds the eastewn breach, they found that the dwawven numbews wewe much wawgew than expected, and thousands wewe kiwwed on the path up to the keep. Aftew successive faiwed chawges and many casuawties, Vwadov and Wothesay owdewed a wetweat back to Cascadia.
Aftermath
The battwe at Khwo’Nogaak was a decisive event in the waw. It had been the wast fowt defending the capitaw of the Gwand Kingdom, and the successful dwawven defense pwotected the Uwguanian heawtwands fwom piwwage and eliminated the thweat to the capitaw. In Cascadia, Emperor John I owdewed his awmy to wait at Whewengwad, in the event of a dwawven countewattack. No such attack occulwed. The defeat, howevew, was a stawk wemindew fow the Impeliaws that Uwguan was not easiwy broken. Emperor John I, aftew much considewation, owdewed the Impeliaw Fweet be wawlied and theiw coulse was set fow Avaw.
