| Sun's Dusk | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conflict | Aerel's Invasion | ||||||||||||||||
| Date | 1E 367 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place | Eastern Summerlands | ||||||||||||||||
| Result |
Arana victory Extinction of House Caidan Submission of House Liaren | ||||||||||||||||
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The Sun's Dusk was a major battle during Aerel's Invasion. It marked the extinction of House Caidan, and the submission of Elorne to Aerel Arana.
Prelude[]
Aerel Arana landed in northeastern Calambar and began subjugating the Summerset Archipelago. After the submission of the Kingdom of Auridon, he crossed the Auridon Strait and landed on the Summerset Isle, determined to have the four kingdoms of the vast island bend the knee to him as well. Most of House Arana's soldiers were conscripts from the recently-subjugated Auridon. Lord Haldir Loreian, one of the first lords to come over to the Aranas, was given command of the Arana army alongside Aerel himself.
Castien IX Liaren, King of Elorne, joined forces with Ayred II Caidan, the Summer King, at Aelley in an attempt to throw the Arana invaders back. Between the two kings they had roughly 60.000 men, roughly five times as many as the Aranas, including 5.000 mounted knights. Marching beside King Ayred were the Foxleys, the Heliens, the Xs, and the Xs.
Having brought half as many more men to the battle than Castien, Ayred commanded the centre and his daughter Eliyen led the vanguard. Caidan led the right wing while Lord Relurien Foxley had the left.
The Battle[]
The two armies met in the plains south of the Clearwater Rush. While the two kings hoped to flank Aerel and then smash his centre with knights, the Aranas established themselves in a defensive crescent.
The allies' charge began to break the Arana spear lines, but Aerel and his sisters took to the air on their gryphons, Nereon, Rhea, and Dawnwing. From gryphontop the Arana riders began to set the dry field aflame on all sides using pyromancy, especially upwind of the Caidan and Liaren armies. Lord Haldir Loreian's forces were safely upwind, allowing them to finish off allied soldiers who emerged from the flame. The gryphons wreaked havoc upon the allied forces, together with the conjured flames killing thousands and demoralising their opponents. King Castien rode through the flame to safety when he realised Aerel would be triumphant.
The gryphons killed 4.000 men of the combined Liaren and Caidan army, among them King Ayred and all of his children, grandchildren, siblings, cousins, and other kin. Another several thousand men perished from sword and spears and arrows while over 10.000 men suffered burns and other severe injuries. Of the Aranas less than 1.000 were lost while Rhaethen took an arrow to the shoulder. One cousin of King Ayred survived the battle, but he died of his injuries some time later. When he died, House Caidan died with him.
The battle—the only time in Aerel's Invasion in which all three Arana gryphons took to the battlefield at the same time—became known afterward as the Sun's Dusk, named after the sun sigil of House Caidan which had set for its final time.
Aftermath[]
Castien IX Liaren, King of Elorne, was detained the following day. Castien gave up his claim to kingship and became High Kinlord of Elorne under the rule of House Arana.
Rhaethen Arana's injury to the shoulder would worsen throughout her life, eventually leading her to lay down her sword as she was no longer able to wield it, instead submerging herself in court life and intrigue. Later she would be made the first ever lady inquisitor under the reign of Anumaril I Arana.
Aerel marched for the extinct Caidans' seat of Sunhold, whose castellan, Erlan Torelle, surrendered without conflict. Aerel rewarded him by giving House Torelle dominion over the Summerlands and raising him to Lord of Sunhold, and High Kinlord of the Summerlands. The Houses Foxley, Helien, X, and X bitterly protested the elevation of the Torelles, insisting that their blood was nobler than that of the "upjumped castellans" and that they had closer relations to House Caidan, with the Heliens boasting the superior claim by blood. However, their protests were unsuccessful, perhaps in part because they had taken arms against the Aranas at the Sun's Dusk, as speculated by Sapiarch Alyndra.
After the surrender of Sunhold Aerel marched west towards the Kingdom of the Rivers and Hills, though was intercepted at night by a stealth assault from the Kingdom of the Vale to the far north. Judging the Vale to be a more immediate threat, Aerel redirected his forces northward towards Cloudrest, where the razing of the Aerie would eventually take place.
Quotes[]
It was the only time that Nereon, Rhea, and Dawnwing were unleashed at once. The singers called it the Sun's Dusk.
—thoughts of X