| Siege of the Delvings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time | shortly before the Age of Fire | |
| Place | Delvings | |
| Result | Stalemate, ultimately Diadem victory. | |
| Combatants | ||
| Dragon-riders | Diadem | |
| Commanders | ||
| unknown Rider commander | Protector Djer(killed) | |
| Strength | ||
| Dragons with riders | Diadem warriors
war-machines | |
| Casualties | ||
| at least 1 Dragon killed probably few others killed and some wounded
probably moderate Riders losses |
Very heavy | |
The Siege of the Delvings occurred during the Dragon-riders Wars: it was of the few significant battle during the war that the Dragon-riders could not win against an hominid force, because they were not able to evict the dwarves from their ancestral birthplace.
Before the beginning of the Siege, the Dragon-riders dispatched 6 dragons that burned and destroyed the Caravan.
Opposing Forces[]
Not much is known of the balance of forces, but it's reasonable to think that the Diadem gathered all its fighting force to protect the Delvings while the Dragon-riders had to commit an equal strong force to fight a powerful enemy.
Battle[]
The Dragons burned most of the external of the Delvings but the dwarves took refuge in the galleries: there they put resistance, making use also of war-machines and crossbows. A number of assaults were made, but no blighters or barbarians allies of the Dragon-riders were employed.
Protector Djer led a group of seven brave dwarves to lure the dragons and attack them with crossbows in a cover space out of a door during the second assault, before the ballistas were rigged. They brought down a dragon with crossbows, but Djer was mortally wounded by fire when he attempted to save a wounded: the second dragon was wounded too with darts, but the young Protector's fate was done.
Outcome[]
Eventually the Dragon-riders were forced to a long siege of the Devlings, without conquering them. The Diadem suffered greatly from the Siege, both in lives and destruction of their city, but they've saved themselves and their families.
Each assault it's known to have caused heavy losses to the dwarves: dead and badly wounded warriors alike were put in the burial caves. When AuRon visited the dwarves before flying north, he encountered his old friend Djer among the wounded and gave him a merciful death.
The battle had also a strategically outcome: without the surrender of the dwarves, the blighters of the east could not pass the Red Mountains and invade Hypatian lands.