Battle of Dorndale

Background
The Battle of Dorndale was the first major battle between the Vecracan army's vanguard and the Oriath garrison at Dorndale. The Vecracan vanguard was commanded by Duke Stalrag Kholin with assistance from Krinn Imdil of the Grey Guard. The name of the garrison commander is unknown at this time.

Emperor Relgorn Kholin II had sent a message to Duke Stalrag that a siege would cause unacceptable delays. The momentum from the war declaration and immediate invasion needed to be maintained so that less lives were lost overall. Upon reaching Dorndale, Duke Stalrag was to assault the walls.

Battle
Oriath troops held the outer city walls as well as the castle within. Vecracan troops attacked at multiple points and breached the walls, but at a cost of three Vecracan lives for each Oriath life. Eventually, the Oriath troops were routed and forced into the castle. Vecracan troops were close behind and fresh soldiers were brought forward to continue the assault. After repelling a few attacks, the remaining Oriath soldiers surrendered after the death of their commander.

Aftermath
While this marked the first major victory of the campaign, it was certainly a Pyrrhic one. Most of the soldiers of the Vecracan vanguard were killed or injured heavily enough to be incapable of fighting for the rest of the war. Additionally, Duke Stalrag's brother and only sibling died while taking the outer walls along with many of his friends and fellow nobleman. Ironically, taking care of the wounded and dead took enough time for both Oriath and Aglarond to fully muster their armies.

Next
The Battle of Highwater Pass