Gregen's Stand

Gregen's Stand is an epoch event that took place in what is now called the year 1 GS. It was the final battle of the War of the Narrow. During the Stand, the Byrosian hero Gregen the Strong held off an army of about 30,000 Kasimar soliders at the Narrow with a force of just five hundred knights. While over three-quarters of the knights were killed, the losses inflicted on the Kasimar were staggering and the force held long enough for reinforcements to arrive and smash the opposing army. The event ended the war and led to the establishment of both Gregen's Pact and the modern era.

Background
In the year 4 BGS, uneasy peace had reigned over Kasimar and Byros for a few hundred years. A few minor skirmishes and disputes nonwithstanding, the last major open conflict had been the Wars for Byrosian Independence, which ended in 499 BGS. In 4 BGS, however, Lord Peter Helton of Dragonslake's attempt to wed his daughter to a Byrosian noble was rudely rebuffed. Taking the action as a major slight against his family and country, Lord Peter led a force of 3,000 of his bannermen over the Narrow and sacked the city of Shieldspike. The nobility of Byros angrily demanded that Kasimar take responsibility to make reparations for the attack, but the nation refused, beginning the War of the Narrow.

The Stand
After bitter fighting around the Narrow and the regions bordering Arellon's Tooth, the Byrosians were on the retreat. Duke Hellsby Shackleton, the marshall of a huge force of Kasimar, was ordered to march across the Narrow and put an end to the conflict by sacking Foxmarch. The Byrosian warrior Gregen the Strong, who had already proved himself a legendary warrior in previous battles, took a force of five hundred knights to hold the Narrow at a spot now called Gregen's Pass. Gregen did not anticipate surviving; his objective was hold the Kasimar force back long enough for reinforcements to arrive from Thunder Keep.

Gregen's forces were confused when he ordered to remove their heavy armor and take up crossbows and longbows for the coming battle. Gregen ordered his men to take up positions in the rocks surrounding the pass. When Duke Hellsby's vanguard arrived, they were peppered with arrows and bolts and forced to retreat. While Hellsby's force was replete with mounted knights and men-at-arms, it was sorely lacking in bowmen. Over the next eight days, Hellsby sent wave after wave of men to flush the Byrosians out, but was rebuffed each time with heavy losses. Gregen rallied his troops to hold their ground despite also sustaining serious losses. On the ninth day, with just one hundred of his men remaining and running desparately short on arrows, a force of 10,000 freeriders from Thunder Keep smashed into the Kasimar force, routing the already weakened foe.

Aftermath
The events of Gregen's Stand are legendary throughout most of Deltin, and especially in Byros. The battle decisively ended the war and cemented Gregen the Strong's legend for all time. Songs are sung about the battle all throughout Byros, and Byrosian mothers name their sons Gregen in hopes that they will grow up to be strong and brave.

In the year following the battle, the Byrosians and Kasimar signed what became known as Gregen's Pact, securing peace between the two nations. While things are still not fully healed over from hundreds of years of war, today Byrosians and Kasimar get along much more easily.