Continued from Chapter 5 - Part VII
| Dramatis Personae |
Nabati:
Mun'at Ha'Qadri: General of the Nabati army, tasked with uniting the tribes of Arabia and subduing the Saba' confederations that control Arabia Felix.
Shullai Ha'Maleki: Prince of the Nabati, riding south under Mun'at's command.
Ravîv'êl Bikrum: Crown Prince of the Nabati. Currently governing the conquered settlement of Dedan.
Malka Qênu: King of the Nabati, and leader of the united tribes.
Rana'in: Elder warrior and long-time friend of Mun'at.
Khalil: Raider under Mun'at's command, usually tasked with leading the cavalry and light skirmishers.
Haza'el: Captain of the Nabati.
Wayyuq: A spy and pathfinder in the service of the Nabati, but not of their tribe.
Sabeans (Saba'):
Mubsamat: Queen of the Saba' with ambitions to end the tribal rivalries that plague her people.
Tharin: Captain of Mubsamat's guard, tasked with contacting the approaching Nabati on Mubsamat's behalf and bringing them over to her cause.
Zaadi Il'Bayyin: Often referred to as "Lord of the Northpass", Zaadi is a Qayl (higher official) of the Saba', and the ringleader of a group of nobles arrayed against Mubsamat.
Halik Il'Yakif: Landowner and noble of the Saba' who initially followed Zaadi's plans but has since been turned by Mubsamat.
Far'am Rafshan: Half-Qatabani exile in league with Zaadi Il'Bayyin.
Karab: Son of the Athtar Yazi' clan and great leader of the Hashidi warriors of the northern plateau. He is also in league with Zaadi against Mubsamat.
Hasan: Deceased brother of Karab.
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Chapter 5
The Incense Road
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(Part VIII)
Mun'at's company continued in its march south, but with each day they pressed further east as well, trading the familiar heights of Hijaz for the long burnt expanse of al-Rub' al Khali. They would not enter the proper marches of the desert, but instead follow the broad base of Wadi al-Jawf, which skirted the western edge of the sandy waste at Arabia's center. From there, they could then go on to Najran, the foremost stronghold of Ma'in, reaching it at a point where the Nabati could take full advantage of their numbers, striking from the great plain that bordered the city on one side.
As they walked through the parched windswept valley, Mun'at once again turned his gaze toward the Saba' soldiers. Since his conversation with Tharin, days before, the Commander of Edum had had little dealings with the southern warriors, no familiarity or words beyond those required to lead, but he had kept a watchful eye on all that they did. For the most part, the men out of the south kept to themselves, speaking to one another in a language Mun'at could hardly understand, but now and again they would mingle with the Nabati, conversing in a broken and heavily accented variant of the North Arabian speech. Yet Mun'at also noticed that Tharin, who could speak freely to either group, increasingly refused to approach any man besides those of his own band. For all his kindly words in their first days together, the southern captain seemed to harbor some distrust or distaste for the northerners at his side, and Mun'at feared for that might mean for his people when finally reached Saba' lands, whether the quiet prejudices of Tharin were his alone, or those of his countrymen. As the days wore by and they began to near Najran, Mun'at refused to put the thought out of his mind, but he set it aside, turning his attention to the task that lay before them.
For the entirety of their time within the lands of Ma'in, the Nabati had moved with impunity, no mark of resistance to slow or check them, and when finally they spied the low clay walls of the Najran, Mun'at finally understood why they had been allowed such freedom. The outlying farms and settlements lay still, quiet, but along the earthen ramparts of the city bristled a tight crop of spears, their points shining in the sun and running without break over every battlement in sight. Behind these crouched a multitude of bowmen and slingers, with defiance in their eyes. The Minaeans had known all along that the Nabati were coming, and rather than spend themselves in sorties out among the sands of the desert, they had waited patiently for the northerners' arrival, nursing their power for a battle that had now become inevitable.
Seeing the garrison before them, well-arrayed from a place of strength, Mun'at's jaw tightened and he began breathing slowly, evenly. The Nabati could not simply assault the walls of Najran, not without suffering greatly in the effort, yet neither could they tarry overlong outside the settlement. The fields and wells might keep the army of Edum for a time, but their numbers were too many. Sooner or later the waters would run dry, the pastures turn to dust, and they would be forced to strike or retreat, lest the land itself destroy them.
Mun'at called his captains to him and calmly ordered them to send small detachments out to search for timber for ladders. There were no trees or other sources of wood in sight, but the sheds and outbuildings of the farms would supply enough for their needs. The rest of the army he tasked with setting a tight camp a short distance from the city, and bringing the supply train forward with as much haste as could be found. They would secure their goods, prepare themselves, and then commence the attack.
In an instant the Nabati were moving with purpose, doing all that Mun'at commanded. Wood was found, the provisions and families brought up without delay, and a city of canvas sheets rapidly spread over the dusty plain. But then, amidst all the activity and motion, watchmens' horns were heard ringing over the extreme western edge of the Nabati encampment.
Mun'at looked up with bewilderment and worry in his eyes, and he pulled himself atop his mount, riding toward the commotion as quickly as he could, Rana'in and Khalil following shortly behind. As they reached the outermost tents the captains looked out and saw in the west a wall of dust and sand stretching over the horizon, an uncountable number of horsemen and camelry at its base and approaching with a terrifying speed. The horns of the Nabati sentries continued to blast, and over their din and a rising panic Mun'at shouted as loud as he could. Commands tore through the ranks like wildfire, moving too quickly and spreading confusion rather than order. Those at the boundaries of the camp could see the rising threat, but the soldiers further in knew nothing more than what they heard -- chaos, fear, rout -- and they responded accordingly, throwing more disarray still into a party already on the verge of breaking.
Their weakening will plain to see, Mun'at sent riders out to silence the watchmens' horns, and he then turned to Khalil and Rana'in. "Khalil," he began quickly, "find Shullai and gather the raiders and horse archers without delay. Swing wide of the camps and take up position on our right, to the north." Khalil already disappearing between the tents, Mun'at then turned to Rana'in. "Old friend, I need you to get every sear here at once. Send a runner to find Haza'el and let him gather the bows and slings, but you are our first and surest defense. I know you will stand fast." As Rana'in began to move away Mun'at stopped him with a final request. "And Rana'in," he added, "send Tharin and his men to me here. We will see the mettle of these warriors of the Saba'."
His captains going to carry out his commands, Mun'at set himself to organizing the soldiers about him. With the silencing of the horns, a measure of confidence had returned to the ranks, and the Commander of Edum capitalized on that, forming battle lines just beyond the rowed tents. And seeing his actions, lesser captains began to follow suit, bringing their men out and forming alongside Mun'at's, creating an unbroken wall along the entirety of the Nabati flank. The Minaean cavalry continued to approach, and were even then nearly within bowshot, but the northern army had at least managed to muster a semblance of its might to stand against them.
Mun'at began to breathe more easily, and was further gladdened when he saw Rana'in threading his way through the camp, a forest of swaying spears following in his wake. Haza'el and the ranged units followed but a short time later, bringing with them Tharin and his men. On seeing them, Mun'at stepped toward the Saba' captain. "Well, new friend," he said with a gleam in his eyes, "will you show us the strength of your southern hearts?"
Tharin's jaw tightened ever so slightly, but he nodded, moving past Mun'at and setting his men at the center. Each of them carried both bow and spear, and the latter of these they thrust into the earth before them, creating a thin picket behind which they began to string their tight bows. Mun'at watched them for a moment in silence, marking with pleasure the practiced ease of their motions, their certainty in action. Even if Tharin bore some unspoken ill will toward the Nabati, he had brought with him true warriors, pledging them to Mun'at's cause, and for that at least the General of Edum was glad.
Before long the last of the Nabati soldiers were slowly pushing their way into the lines, leaving the hastily set camp behind them, when the arrows and stones of the Minaean riders began to fall about the ranks. Calls rang out and shields were raised, pressed edge to edge for the security that might give, and in answer to the enemy's attack the Nabati archers and slingers fired without restraint, the arrows of Tharin's warriors flying with particular devastation. The barbed rain pounded across the battlefield, and on both sides its descent was marked by wailing and cries. However, for all of the blood and death, the Nabati lines continued to hold, and the Minaeans continued in their bold charge.
As they neared, the pounding of the horses' hooves rose to a fevered pitch, its heart-rattling boom crushing all other sound. And then, in a moment, they met the spearwall of the northmen. The crash of lances on shields was enough to crack the sky, and after that first terrible test of the Nabati's strength, the Minaeans briefly pulled back, only to turn about and charge again. From behind the spears and axes the ranged units fired wildly, but the rising dust before them clouded their eyes, and before long their ammunition was spent, too much of it gone to too little effect. In a last act of desperation they traded their bows for long knives and cudgels, and rushed forward into the mêlée, dragging horsemen from their mounts and slaying them in the dirt. But still the Minaeans came, their numbers seemingly inexhaustible. Wave after wave broke against the army of Edum, and with each thunderous charge the will of the northmen slipped more and more.
Mun'at stood in the heart of the raging sea of death, his armor dripping with the blood of a dozen men, and all about him he saw his people faltering, their eyes flashing with mortal fear. He cried out to them to stand fast, cried out to Rana'in to hold a while longer, to Tharin to prove his people's strength, but he could see they were on the brink. The yawning black abyss lay before them, its gaping maw prepared to swallow them all, and Mun'at could but hope to delay a fate which now seemed inevitable.
Then, from the north, came a long low rumble, like thunder in the mountains, the sound followed immediately by the piercing tearing whinny of horses dying. At long last Khalil and Shullai had joined the fight, bearing down upon the enemy's exposed flanks without mercy. Mun'at cried out again, but this time his men picked up the call, rallying and pressing forward with a vengeance. From ahead and behind the Nabati struck at the Minaean horsemen, taking to their butcher's work in a manner frightful to behold, until, mercifully, the soldiers of Ma'in broke, dropping their arms and fleeing over the red-soaked plain.
On seeing their army broken, the garrison of Najran marched out in solemn procession to offer their surrender. Tharin, with hatred in his eyes, urged Mun'at to continue the fight, but the Commander of Edum refused, treating their vanquished foe with honor, as he had done in Dedan so many months before. One by one, the lords of Ma'in came forward, swearing fealty to the Nabati, to their king, Malka Qênu, who still stood watch in the valley of Rekem, and when all had spoken Mun'at reaffirmed their titles and honors. Whether his Saba' friend liked it or not, the lords of Ma'in would remain lords, but ones whose loyalty lay with a greater Arab confederacy, rather than to their petty provincial ties. And with Najran taken, the remainder of the scattered tribes of that region surrendered without a fight, ending the independence of Ma'in and bringing Mun'at one step closer to a united Arabia.
Continue to Interlude
Re: Written in Sand (Nabataean AAR for EBII)[updated: Nov 25]
Originally Posted by Cookiegod
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Nicely done!
