Isal’imial
"Battle of Isal’imial" The Battle of Isal'imial , also called the Abandon , was the last great battle of the Cûno-Inchoroi Wars , marking the end of five centuries of slaughter which began with the Battle of Pir Minginnial . It saw the Nonmen finally avenge the Womb Plague by destroying the last of the Inchoroi and driving even the teeming hordes of Sranc to the edge of extinction. It was the greatest victory and achievement of Nil’giccas , the High King of Ishoriöl .

Prelude

The Battle of Pir Minginnial was a spectacular victory for the Inchoroi, but not as complete as they had hoped. King Sin’niroiha was able to rally the Nonmen forces after the death of Cû’jara-Cinmoi and deliver them from the immediate vicinity of the Incû-Holoinas . However, the Nonmen forces scattered to defend their own Mansions , leaving Ishoriöl vulnerable to counter-attack. The Mansion endured five sieges of a decade apiece, during one of which Sin’niroiha died of old age and was succeeded by Nil'giccas, before the Inchoroi forces were defeated. Part of the chaos and slaughter of this time was caused by the Nonmen's piecemeal response to the threat of the Inchoroi, exemplified by the Battle of Imogirion , when the southern Mansion of Illisserû attempted a stealth attack by sea against the Incû-Holoinas. Although a reasonable stratagem, it was not attempted in concert with any other offensive and the invading force was soon thrown back into the sea. The Nonmen refused to rally with enthusiasm to Sin’niroiha's banner, perhaps a vestigial belief in the Nihrimsuli inferiority due to their lack of Tsonos blood. When Nil'giccas succeeded him as a Son of Tsonos (through his mother's line), this issue was resolved. Nil'giccas assembled a new coalition of Nonmen forces, eventually amassing a host to almost rival that which Cû’jara-Cinmoi had led to Pir Minginnial. The Inchoroi offensive had stalled due to the rapidly spreading failure of their Tekne artefacts, particularly their spears of light which had wrecked great slaughter on the Nonmen. Their Sranc hordes were dangerous in numbers, but vulnerable to Qûya sorcery. Eventually Nil'giccas and his new offensive were able to roll back the Inchoroi forces to the unholy Ark.

Course of the Battle

Precise details of the battle are lacking, although casualties were heavy, some reports suggest as heavy as Pir Minginnial. However, Nil'giccas and his forces were able to achieve a staggering victory. The Inchoroi were slaughtered, it was believed to an obscenity, and the Bashrags and Wracu were driven from the field in disarray. The Sranc were visited with destruction on a colossal scale, finally routed from the field and forced to seek sanctuary in the Yimaleti Mountains . The Nonmen then stormed the Incû-Holoinas itself, rooting out the foe from their hiding places and exterminating them.

Aftermath

Following the battle, Nil'giccas ordered his forces to cleanse the Ark. This was easier said than done, given the Ark's sheer size and many disturbing aspects. The Nonmen spent twenty years scouring the Ark from top to bottom, finally concluding that they had killed every servant of the foe within. The most problematic aspect of the Ark to deal with was the Golden Room , which Nin'janjin had spoken of to Nil'giccas. The Room was said to hold a secret, the " Inverse Fire " which would reveal the truth to anyone who gazed into it. Fearing it to be some kind of trap or artifact of possession, Nil'giccas ordered the famed Ishroi Misariccas and Runidil and the Qûya Cet’ingira to secure the Room. Upon their return, Misariccas and Runidil wept and shrieked. Cet'ingira counselled that they be killed because they had been driven mad by what they had seen. Fearing what would become of other Nonmen if they went into the Room, Nil'giccas ordered the evacuation of the Ark and commanded Emilidis to fashion the Barricades to prevent entry into the vessel. The Nonman victory was almost, but not quite, complete. Two Inchoroi - Aurang and Aurax - had survived and they would deliver to the men of Eänna a fell command (via scripture ) for them to invade Eärwa and slaughter the Nonmen. Centuries, or possibly millennia, later, this action came to pass in the Breaking of the Gates and the Cûno-Halaroi Wars .