Next I journey to that keep. Excellency, there to sit upon the banks of the river — and ponder the next example of Laurana's audacity, the crossing of the Vingaard.
In devotion, as ever,
Foryth Teel, Senior Scribe of Astinus
To the Great Astinus, Lorekeeper of Krynn,
I am here, now, at the shore of the Vingaard River. The season is spring, as it was when Laurana ordered her forces across — and I cannot but wonder at the courage and vision that compelled an army to ford its murky depths. Now, when the snow is melting in the Dargaard Mountains and along the north slopes of the Garnet Range, the river runs high and deep. It seems propelled by anger, roaring across this great plain toward the distant seaport of Kalaman, nearly two hundred miles away.
During its course, the river passes within a dozen miles of Dargaard Keep, yet in the next weeks Laurana would dare to bypass that dark bastion and press on to her destination — but I get ahead of myself. First, I must describe the crossing. The land troops of the Army of Solamnia reached the banks of the river after a three-day forced march from Westgate.
We know from the multiple sources that the good dragons, fresh from their victory at Vingaard, joined the landbound army at the banks of the river, some forty miles north of the liberated fortress. The Vingaard is wide and deep here, navigable only by ferries — except in a dry summer, when a few fords appear. Such was not the case that spring, of course. Here, we see another example of the elven general's ingenuity — for she employed a tactic that no by-the-book Knight of Solamnia could have imagined in his most daring dreams.
She ferried the troops across the river — by air! One can imagine the shrill neighing of the knight's terrified horses as they were hoisted aloft, gently, in the claws of the largest of the great dragons. Or the poor, trembling foot soldiers, mounted six or eight to a dragon, eyes squeezed tightly shut, praying to the gods of good (or any others!) for their very survival.
It was still a long, slow process. Mellison records that her mistress camped at the shore of the river for three days — we can assume that this was the time required to cross. The baggage train, which had been light to begin with, was abandoned here. From now on the army would survive on the food it could capture or forage. A screen of flying griffons, mounted with elves, guarded the crossing.
The fears of the knights — that the army would be attacked by massive dragonforces in the midst of the crossing — proved unfounded, for two reasons. First, the rout of Vingaard Keep had sent the nearest enemy wing into chaotic flight; and second, the sheer speed of Laurana's march seemed to have taken the Highlords by complete surprise. We know from his own records, for example, that by the time Ariakus learned the Golden General had left Westgate Pass, the Army of Solamnia was already gathered on the east bank of the Vingaard.
One small force did try to disrupt the crossing. Highlord Toede sent six of his green dragons from Throtl to investigate the activities of Laurana's army. The beasts could have wreaked terrible havoc on the heavily laden good dragons, but the griffon-mounted elves intercepted them a few miles from the river. Nearly a quarter of the griffons and their riders fell during that skirmish in the skies. It was a tragic and irreplaceable loss, but none of the greens survived to pursue the attack. Gilthanas writes a long eulogy to the bravery of the griffon-mounted elves and even the official records of the Solamnian Knights, Excellency, include generous words about their sacrifice!
Her forces again assembled on the opposite bank of the river, Laurana was determined to maintain the speed and unpredictability of her advance. (It is ironic to note that this young elf maid grasped, intuitively, principles of warfare that veteran knights, too long hidebound by doctrine, resisted until the proof became too overwhelming to deny. Thank goodness for Laurana's persistence.)
Once again, it is the servant Mellison who provides our look into the planning of operations, for she served tea to Laurana and her captains as they planned their next move.
Present were the same five: Sir Markham, Sir Patrick, "Sir Rose," "Lord Sword," and Gilthanas of Qualinesti. Laurana announced her intention to move on Kalaman. Patrick protested. "But we know that Ariakus had ten thousand troops in Sanction! They could have been on the march for three weeks — and now you want to leave our flank unprotected. The river now guards us. If we march from here, we expose the whole army to an attack from the rear!"
"Our wagons are left behind," Laurana pointed out, coolly. "Therefore, the rear of our army is as easy to defend as the front — even more so, if the enemy expects to encounter a defenseless baggage train, but instead meets the steel of charging knights."
"True, true," noted Lord Sword. "But we move so far from the pass — Palanthas is all but defenseless."
"I realize that, my lord," Laurana explained patiently. "But I'm betting that the Highlords are no longer concerned with that city. Their attention must be riveted upon US! This army is a far greater threat than they have ever faced before. They'll need to concentrate and destroy us. Ariakus — and Kitiara too — will assume they have plenty of time for Palanthas after we've been destroyed."
"Are they wrong?" demanded Patrick.
"Only in the assumption that they'll find us!" Laurana retorted. "That's why it's so important to move quickly!"
"There will be opposition," Markham pointed out. "The Red Wing is out there, and portions of two others — not to mention the reserve army."
"Of course. But with speed, we'll be able to meet these forces — and defeat them — one at a time. It's essential that we bring the Red Wing to battle before Ariakus can join with his allies!"
"But if you're wrong, you risk — "
"I risk what, Sir Patrick?" Laurana snapped. "Would you go back to the days of cowering behind the stone walls of your fortress, waiting for the enemy to attack? And if we win against that attack, then what — we wait for the next, and the next until our forces are depleted, our supplies gone? Better to stake this army on the hope of a real victory — one that will do more than protect Palanthas. We take the war into the heart of the dragonrealms! Only then will our enemies face the prospect of defeat!"
(Excellency, if Mellison did not exaggerate the words, I can only assume that the Golden General quite lost her temper. It is hard to imagine her using a term like "cower" to the proud knight. However, it seemed to have had the effect of silencing him, if nothing else.)
"We know that much of the Green Wing remains in Throtl," continued the elven princess. "Tomorrow, at first light, I will lead the dragons against them. If we can scatter the ogre ground forces, so much the better. The main body, in the meantime, will continue its march to the northeast. I want the Highlords to believe that Dargaard is our next destination."
"A bold plan, my general," Sir Rose noted, with a smile. "As you know, these plains were my home. I should warn you that the river narrows and deepens north of here. It presents a formidable obstacle to movement to our left."
"Thank you, Sir Knight," Laurana replied. "I, too, knew of this river — and, in fact, it will play a role in my plans."
If the princess revealed that role on this night, we don't learn of it from Mellison. The girl drifted off to sleep while the warriors discussed tactics into the early hours of predawn. Perhaps even now the elven princess foresaw the Battle of Margaard Ford and was drawing up her plans for that epic confrontation. But alas, we can only speculate!
My journeys, Your Grace, shall next take me along the foothills of the Dargaard Mountains. I will retrace the steps of Laurana's army as she moved east, south, and then north — always keeping the Highlords guessing.
Until that next message, I remain,
Your Devoted Servant, Foryth Teel