| Battle of Birch Temple |
| Date |
RY765 Resplendent Earth |
| Location |
Birch Temple, Madura |
| Result |
Decisive victory for Azerban |
|
| Belligerents |
| Scarlet Empire (4th Imperial Legion) |
Azerban |
| Commanders |
| Fattest Child |
Laerus Wolfborn |
| Strength |
5 Realm Legion heavy infantry
60 Maduran auxiliaries
22 catapults |
6,000+ Azerbani soldiers
1+ Dragonblooded |
| Casualties and losses |
5 Realm Legion Heavy Infantry
2 Maduran auxiliaries
58 Maduran auxiliaries (surrendered)
21 catapults (captured) |
5+ Azerbani soldiers |
|
Preceding Events
The Battle of Birch Temple took place at the dawn of the 1st day of Resplendent Wood RY765, in the village of Birch Temple on the southern, Maduran bank of the Thousand Rushes River, across from the Birchwood forest occupying the northern bank in Azerban, within the Cloven Valley.
Birch Temple was an agricultural settlement, notable only for an ancient stone tower, wrought in simple style and dating from a time long forgotten. This temple, once profaned with the worship of spirits, had come under care of the Immaculate Order during the days of the Shogunate. It also provided a pint from which the surrounding landscape could be observed.
When the Campaign against the Anathema-Voivode broke out, Birch Temple was made a garrison for the 4th Imperial Legion, who sought to use the tower and a force of artillery to defend the surrounding river against any attempted crossing by Azerbani forces.
Initially the garrison was held by the 2nd talon of the 2nd wing of the 4th Legion's 1st Dragon, an elite force of heavy infantry, backed by Legion artillerists and the forces raised by the Maduran noble ruling over the area, Kratotchvilen the Elder.
Due to casualties from the battle and the subsequent campaign, the exact course of events is unclear. The day before, the 2nd Talon and its attached artillerists had marched south to Varad for inspection and resupply, leaving behind only a fang (the 1st Dragon 2nd Wing 2nd Talon 5th Scale 5th Fang) under command of fanglord Fattest Child. This had been thought by Legion command as a safe undertaking, any Azerbani crossing certain to come through the Ford of Chumo-Sheh.
The Battle
Apparently, under cover of darkness and the Birchwood, Azerbani forces under the outcaste Laerus Wolfborn had built up unnoticed in the cover or the Birchwood forest, constructing long wooden raft-bridges. When the attack began, Wolfborn led a force of Azerbani swimmers across the river, pulling their long bridges behind them on ropes and securing them, allowing troops to cross the river apparently undetected by Legion sentries in the temple tower. When dawn came, the Azerbani troops attacked the tower, the Legionnaires assuredly fighting to the death in its defense, unlike the Maduran auxiliaries who surrendered as soon as the light of Sol Invictus revealed the strength of the enemy.
Results
The disastrous defeat here allowed the Azerbani to sweep quickly westward along the river to take Chumo and secure the ford in concert with assault from the Azerbani side, as well as pushing directly south against the 4th Legion's command staff at the Battle of Varad.
Aftermath
The site of the battle was destroyed when the Cloven Valley was flooded at the closing of the conflict. Kratotchvilen the Elder, who fled to Azer to escape justice for his treason, perished out of panic as the 4th Legion breached that city.
