====== Ambush at Tabalian (1156 NR) ======
==== Nestorian 1st Legion====
* 334 Legionaires
* 191 Crossbow/Medium Infantry
* 76 Heavy Infantry
* 23 Scouts
* 34 Cavalry
* 10 Redhelms
* a Large River Cave Octopus (summoned)
====2nd Riverguard Army====
- 5000 Riverguard
- 4,500 medium Infantry
- 300 Cavalry
- 200 Heavy Infantry
====Nestorian Casualties====
- 203 Legionaires
- 118 Crossbow/Medium Infantry
- 41 Heavy Infantry
- 12 Scouts
- 26 Cavalry
- 6 Redhelms
====Riverguard Casualties==== - 3,421 Riverguard
- 23 captured
- 1,181 killed in combat
- 2,217 drowned either crossing the river, or killed later in the flooding of Tabalian
A high pitched battle fought between elements of the Nestorian First Legion under the command of Baron Karandar Ellenvord and the 2nd Riverguard Army under General Stefano Elgario. The engagement was fought over three consecutive days, ending shortly after sunrise on the third morning after an explosive up-river conflict between the Forest Warden, Sal Wildvine, and the 3rd Water Walker, Toscarion, resulting in the flooding of the town Tabalian.
The conflict was fought primarily in or around the pair of barges that provided the crossing of the Alvarin River, with the Nestorian forces repeated throwing back the crossing attempts of the Riverguard.
==== Initial arrival and ambush ====
Karandar and his Centuries of the 1st had recently arrived at [[Santhur#Ioa|Ioa]], having marched south from their recent part in vassalizing the town of [[Santhur#Kervic|Kervic]] into the [[Nestor|Nestorian Holdings]]. They were met outside the town by Striker, magus of Air, who used his epic magicks to portal the half-Blade to the northern side of the Alvarin river, just north-west of Tabalian.
Scouting the position, the Nestorians found the forward elements of the 2nd Riverguard Army arriving in Tabalian, and pulled back across the other side of the river and preparing an ambush from concealment in the treeline north and south of the (east-west) road, just over a rise about 1700m back from the rivers edge. The scouts of the Riverguard were dispatched in an expert manner, giving no signal as to the upcoming assault, and so the first 500 man company of the army was decimated by several crossfired barrages of from the legion regulars.
The second company to cross the river were engaged as they found their fellow’s corpses, with the legion heavies holding the line behind Baron Karandar, as the regulars circled behind the Riverguard force and opened fire with their crossbows.
Hearing sounds of the conflict, General Elgario ordered forces to halt at the rivers edge until the situation can be assessed. Few survivors made it back to the Riverguard lines, with the legion having killed nearly 1000 men in two very short spans of time.
==== River Defense ====
The Legion setup a defense of the northern side of the river, and spent the next two days deflecting both rudimentary and magical river crossings by the guard, with the Red Helms and the baron leading the defense personally to keep up morale. The riverguards spellcaster squad led several assaults across the river with dimension doors and teleportation, that were barely defeated by the quick-footed Nestorians.
==== Flooding of Tabalian ====
On the third morning of the conflict, the Nestorian forces noted that the rivers flow had significantly decreased. Sal Wildvine investigated upstream with the Red Helms, find the Water Walker Toscario siphoning off a large part of the river in a magical resvior, ready to flood onto the Nestorian force. Striking before the mage could detect her presence, she and the Red helms struck!, defeating and killing the mage and releasing the torrent of water.
Racing ahead of the flood, Sal summoned her Earth magic and built a floodwall, directing the water away from the Nestorians, not realising she had instead sent it towards the town. Watching helplessly, the Nestorians both up and down-stream watched the remainder of the 2nd Army and several parts of the town washed downstream.
==== Aftermath ====
Several hours after resuce efforts had begun, a small exchange across the river between General Elgario and Baron Ellenvord marked the official cessation of conflict, and yielded the day to the Nestorians. After rescue efforts had completed, both Nestorian and Riverguard forces retreated from the area back to their respecting main forces, the defeat having discouraged the Riverguard from attacking again for several more months, and effectively keeping them out of the greater conflict completely.
The town of Tabalian saw some rough months after the conflict, somewhat offset by the assistance provided by people and church of the nearby town of Vineheart. A Nestorian volunteer force arrived almost 3 months after the conflict to assist in rebuilding the town. The volunteer force had been organized by, and working with supplies provided by Count Actin Tardin, who is said to have do in the name of the his friend Baron Karandar.