Battle of Oasis of Zedri
| Date | -1750 IC |
| Location | Oasis of Zedri |
| Outcome | Victory for Nagash |
| | |
| Khemri | Ka-Sabar and Bhagar |
| | |
| Nagash | Akhmen-Hotep |
| | |
| | |
| Half of allied army of Ka-Sabar and Bhagar | |
In -1750 IC Akhmen-Hotep gathered his army at the Oasis of Zedri [1a] to fight against Nagash, making many sacrifices to Khsar, Geheb, Phakth and Ptra, seeking their blessing in the forthcoming battle. Grand Hierophant proclaimed that So long as the sun shines on the warriors of the faithful, victory is certain. [1b]
He gathered his army, noting that the army of Khemri was exhausted and inferior in numbers and quality but [1c] also that his allies from the city of Bhagar had not arrived. [1d]
Battle at the Oasis
The three thousand archers of his city, stationed ahead of his main battle line struck first, pouring a withering rain of arrows into the oncoming warriors of Khemri. Horse archers attempted to intervene, but the protection of Geheb held strong, the bowmen shrugging off their arrows before the lines of battle clashed. [1e]
Slowly the army of the Living City was pushed back by the Bronze Host but refused to break being driven back to the black pavilions at the rear of their lines. All the time the dust continued to rise around the fighting and then as Akhmen-hotep was about to launch his cavalry and chariots to break the line, priests brought our strange jars from the ebon tents and released columns of buzzing darkness. [1e]
As his army was enveloped in the darkness he ordered his trumpeter to sound the withdrawl towards the oasis which still glowed with Ptra's light. As they fell back in good order the dead rose to attack [1f] and to further compound the carnage, Screaming Skull Catapults began to fire at them from the camp of Nagash. [1g] Arkhan then led his heavy cavalry in a charge against the beleagured infantry but was counter-charged by the chariots of Suseb the Lion. [1h]
The remnants of the kings army were saved by priests of Neru, invoking the goddess whose light pushed back the swirling darkness. [1i] A the battle continued, 4000 robed horse archers arrived, all the warriors that the merchant princes of Bhagar could send, drawing off much of Arkhan's cavalry. [1j] With their arrival the battle seemed to have turned when the combined priesthood unleashed the full power of the gods, lightning bolts crashing down to breech the shorud of darkness. [1k]
But even this was not enough, for Nagash had enslaved the spirit and body of Neferem, the Daughter of the Sun and corrupted the covenant with the gods. The divine powers could not touch her and failed at her tormented wail.[1l] Akhmen-hotep was forced to order the retreat to save what was left of his army and the priesthood. [1m]
Sources
- 1: Rise of Nagash (anthology) by Mike Lee
- 1a: A Prayer before Battle, pg. 19-20
- 1b: A Prayer before Battle, pg. 22
- 1c: A Prayer before Battle, pg. 24-25
- 1d: A Prayer before Battle, pg. 26
- 1e: A Prayer before Battle, pg. 27-31
- 1f: The Black Vizier, pg. 50-52
- 1g: The Black Vizier, pg. 54
- 1h: The Black Vizier, pg. 56-60
- 1i: The Fickle Tide, pg. 62
- 1j: The Fickle Tide, pg. 64
- 1k: The Fickle Tide, pg. 67-68
- 1l: The Fickle Tide, pg. 70-71
- 1m: The Fickle Tide, pg. 72
