Battle for Deltora

"But we know that the time of running and hiding from the invader has passed. We know that it is time to stand and fight, not only for the sake of our homes and loved ones, but for the sake of the land itself."

- Adin addressing the troops before the battle.

The Battle for Deltora was an assault by the Shadow Lord on Deltora that took place on the plains outside Hira. It was fought between the tribes of the Land of Dragons, led by Adin, and the Shadow Army. The battle was considered a major victory for Deltora, resulting in the establishment of the Deltoran monarchy and the defeat of the Shadow Lord through the completion of the Belt of Deltora.

History
Many events lead up to this one battle, including the Enemy's Shadow Army raiding the Land of Dragons conquering towns and cities, and slaying any in their paths. Even a few reckless men and women had joined the Shadow Lord's forces, which Adin found out on his journey, when he arrived at the devastated town of Raladin during winter.

Beginning
The six tribes who had sworn loyalty to Adin gathered in the city of Hira. The Ralads worked all through the night, digging a deep trench across the northern plains.

On the day of the battle, an army of fresh Greers arrived from the Shadowlands, lead by a man named Trell, and the woman Sheela. Trell was overly confident in the Geers' numbers, especially when he saw the small army of Plains soldiers leave their city to confront the invaders.

Trell ordered his Geers to overwhelm the Plains troops. However, they fell into the Ralads' trench, smothering each other to death. Trell ordered his Geers to keep charging into the pit, eventually filling it with bodies and making a bridge for the rest of the army to cross. Upon seeing this, the Plains troops fell back to the city.

That is when the armies of the Jalis, Dread Gnomes, Mere, Del, and Ralads erupted from the city. Bees from the Place of the Spirits also appeared in swarms, stinging the Geers and sending them into a frenzy while the armies met up with the Plains troops. Together they fell upon the Geers, overwhelming them with their numbers and troop diversity.

As Trell watched in shock, Sheela saw that the battle was lost and prepared to leave. When Trell tried to stop her, she chastised him for his failure, prompting Trell to kill her. As she died, Sheela thanked him, as a quick death was a mercy compared to what the Shadow Lord would do to Trell.

Second Wave
Just as victory seemed certain for the armies of the Land of Dragons, a red cloud rolled from the north, bringing with it a fresh army of Greers, seven Vraal, and the seven Ak-Baba. This new host smashed into the army of Deltora and began to overwhelm them.

During this time, Adin had been commanding the battle from the battlements of Hira. However, he descended from the city and decided to stand beside his fellow countrymen one last time. Adin managed to rally his army to him and lead them in a head-on assault against the Shadow Army. Archers loosed fire arrows at the Ak-Baba, and the Jalis Knights battled with the Vraal, but the sheer number of Greers were still too many.

Just then an Opal Dragon appeared out of the sky and challenged the Ak-Baba. Seeing it, Adin remembered the prophecy of his ancestor, Opal the Dreamer, that foretold the destruction of Hira by a great evil.

As Adin continued to lead his men, he somehow found himself outside the battle, on the western side of the plains. Then the Toran's arrived in great numbers, floating over the ground with their magic. Zara approached Adin and explained how the Torans were regretful for their actions and have come to add the great Amethyst to his belt. Though Adin knew the battle would be lost regardless, he accepted the talisman and added it to the belt.

Then the Belt began to glow with an intense light and it produced a magic so powerful that banished the Shadow Lord back to the Barrier Mountains. The Ak-Baba followed after it, howling like wolves, while the army of Greers either dropped dead or were picked off by the armies of Deltora. What Vraal remained alive were killed in celebration by the Jalis.

As the armies of the Land of Dragons rejoiced, Zara came to Adin and told him that the order of the gemstones seemed to spell the name of the land. So the Land of Dragons was renamed Deltora.

Aftermath
Adin was crowned the first king of Deltora, with Zara becoming his queen. This marriage helped to strengthen relationships between the cities of Del and Tora. The Torans, still bitter over their hesitance, forged the oath stone to show their support for the new king. They placed a spell on it that would banish the Torans from their city should they ever betray the king again.

Tales of Deltora

 * The Battle for Deltora