Vingaard Campaign
Laurana travels to Palanthas to try and convince the Palanthians to enter the war against the Dragonarmies. There she is made the Commander of the Knights of Solamnia by Gunthar Uth Wistan and becomes known as the Golden General. While she is preparing the defenses of the city, Gilthanas and Silvara arrive with the good dragons, having travelled to Sanction and discovered the fate of the good dragons' eggs. Upon learning about the eggs, the good dragons end The Oath and join the war. Caught up in the excitement of the good dragon's return and Laurana's appointment, Palanthas finally agrees to enter the war and gives Laurana command of their army as well. That night Gilthanas tells Laurana how while he was escaping from Sanction he heard Kitiara bragging to Ariakas about how Tanis was serving her as both an officer and lover. This confirms for Laurana what Kitiara told her about Tanis at the High Clerist Tower. Heartbroken, Laurana can do nothing but throw herself into her role as the Golden General.
Laurana's forces, known as the Whitestone Army, now consist of the Palanthas Army, the Knights of Solamnia that survived the Battle of the High Clerist's Tower, a force of Qualinesti griffon riders, and the good dragons. Laurana decides to take this force into battle, hoping to catch the Dragonarmies offguard before they can recover from the defeat they suffered at the High Clerist's Tower. With this in mind, Laurana orders an immediate attack, personally leading her good dragons and the griffon force in a surprise air attack on the Dragonarmy forces occupying Vingaard Keep. The attacking Whitestone forces quickly defeat the Blue Dragons stationed at Vingaard and then liberate the fortress. This is the first battle it what will be known as the Vingaard Campaign.
Once the land forces of the Whitestone Army arrive, Laurana decides to take her army across the Vingaard River. The Vingaard is swollen from the spring thaw, and the Whitestone Forces lack the boats needed to get the army across the river, so the Golden General decides to have her dragons ferry her men across. A force of green dragons attempt to disrupt the crossing but are defeated by the Qualinesti Griffon force. After three days the entire Whitestone Army has been successfully brought across the river and Laurana is prepared to resume the campaign.
The Golden General then orders another air attack, this time targeting the forces of the Green Wing, stationed at Throtl. The Whitestone aerial forces are again successful, driving the green dragons from the sky, shattering the Green Wing's ground forces and capturing the Green Wing Highmaster Kadagh.
With the threat to her right flank removed, Laurana now orders her army to advance northward, towards the city of Kalaman. However, a new threat soon appears with the White Wing advancing from the south, so Laurana then turns her army to meet this threat at a spot on the Vingaard River known as the Narrows. Here the Whitestone Army engages the White Wing in both the air and on land. This is the first major ground battle of the Vingaard Campaign and casualties are heavy for both sides. Finally a charge of the heavy cavalry of the Knights of Solamnia breaks the White Wing's ground forces and the good dragons defeat the white dragons in the air, and the White Wing is destroyed.
The Whitestone Army continues its advance, drawing near Kalaman. However, a massive Dragonarmy force, consisting of the Red Wing, the survivinge elements of the Blue Wing, and the Sanction Reserve Army, is rapidly approaching, determined to destroy the Whitestone Army once and for all. Realizing she lacks the forces needed to defeat this enemy force in a straight fight, Laurana takes her army to Margaard Ford along the Vingaard River. She then leads her silver dragons upstream, where they used their frost breath to create an ice dam, blocking the river. The Whitestone Army then crosses the now dry riverbed. The next day when the Dragonarmy forces attempt to cross the river, Laurana has her gold dragons melt the ice dam, unleashing a massive deluge that sweeps across the Dragonarmy forces, utterly destroying them. The good dragons then engage the evil dragons in a massive aerial battle, where Tasslehoff Burrfoot and Flint Fireforge capture Dragon Highmaster Bakaris as the good dragons defeat the evil dragons. This is the final battle of the Vingaard Campaign, which lasted just three weeks and saw the Whitestone Forces clear all of northern Solamnia of Dragonarmy forces.
The Whitestone Army then advances on to Kalaman and frees the city, which honors Laurana with a day long celebration.
Read more about this topic: War Of The Lance, War of The Lance
Famous quotes containing the word campaign:
“The fact that a man is to vote forces him to think. You may preach to a congregation by the year and not affect its thought because it is not called upon for definite action. But throw your subject into a campaign and it becomes a challenge.”
—John Jay Chapman (1862–1933)