Battle of Sekala Crossing

The Chain of Dogs march, part 1

"Once again, it was not to be the Whirlwind's day."

―Duiker

The Battle of Sekala Crossing (also known as the Battle of Sekala Plains) was the second major battle during the Chain of Dogs. Three months and 160 leagues after leaving Hissar, Fist Coltaine's 7th Army continued to seek safe harbour from Kamist Reloe's pursuing army of the Whirlwind. Coltaine's immediate aim was to reach Ubaryd on the Dojal Hading Sea coast.

While attempting to ford the Sekala River near the small village of L'enbarl they were attacked by Reloe from the east and by Semk tribes and Guran heavy infantry legions from the west.

Opposing forces

Malazan

Coltaine's mixed force of 7th Army veterans, Hissar auxiliaries, Sialk Marines, and Wickan warriors established a hastily fortified camp on the western side of the river along both sides of the trader road leading to the ford. The Weasel Clan manned the outermost entrenchments facing Kamist Reloe's army. Within the camp, the army's 350 wagons were kept north of the road while its massive herd of cattle was kept to the south. The army's thirty thousand refugees clustered about an oxbow island near the ford. The river's marshy original channel passed around the eastern side of the island and was crossed by a makeshift wooden slat bridge.

Running south from the ford was a road leading over a low set of hills to the nearby village of L'enbarl. This was patrolled by the Crow Clan. The river itself was about 420 paces across at the ford and four and a half feet deep. The ford was four to five arms spans wide to either side before becoming too deep to cross. The 3rd and 5th companies of the 7th Army were sent west across the river to dig defensive works.

Coltaine's headquarters was a sturdy farmhouse on the southern side of the trader road leading to the ford between the cattle and the oxbow island.

Coltaine's army possessed a distinct advantage over Kamist Reloe regarding the use of sorcery. Due to the effects of the Path of Hands, access to the warrens was severely hampered on Seven Cities. While the High Mage could make no use of his magic Sormo E'nath and his warlocks were able to turn their efforts "to the old ways, using the sorceries of the land, of life spirits and totem beasts." The warlocks also handled communications.

Captain Mincer and his Sappers appeared to operate somewhat independently of the regular chain of command.

Whirlwind

The Malazans faced two armies of Whirlwind, one on either side of the river. On the east side of the river was the army of High Mage Kamist Reloe. His forces consisted of the soldiers of four cities (including Hissar and Sialk) and twelve towns, the warriors of countless tribes, and an enraged peasant horde "as vast as an inland sea."

Reloe's camp was set along the trader road about five hundred paces to the east of Coltaine's Weasel Clan pickets. In the front lines were the Hissar and Sialk regular infantry positioned across the trader road. Behind them and to the north of the road were one thousand tents of Tithansi horse warriors. To the south of the road were the twenty thousand tents of the peasant army.

North of Coltaine's camp at the ford was a tel atop a broad hill separated from the oxbow island by marshy ground and a thin stand of leadwoods. Here Reloe placed his two legions of Tithansi archers and his two thousand hand-picked elite heavy infantry.

The second Whirlwind army arrived on the western side of the river after the Malazan crossing had already begun. It consisted of three legions of Guran heavy infantry, Tithansi lancers, and fierce Semk warriors and sorcerers. Their relationship to their tribal god meant the Semk sorcerers had full access to their warrens.

The Battle

Evening

Overnight, Coltaine sent the Foolish Dog Clan to reinforce Captain Chenned and his 7th Army troops on the western side of the river. Then he began moving first his wagons and wounded, followed by livestock and refugees, over the ford in the dark. The sappers were to accompany them. Captain Lull was sent to charge of the rearguard defense against Kamist Reloe while Coltaine commanded the Crow clan blocking the road to the south.

Morning

At daylight, warlock magic was used to obscure the view of the ford as the cattle finally began crossing the river. Baria Setral's Red Blades were sent across the river to support the 7th Army's advanced picket as the Guran army arrived and began skirmishing.

Kamist Reloe began his attack by sending his Hissar and Sialk infantry forward on the right. His Tithansi horsemen Hissari lancers began a series of feint attacks on the Weasel clan lancers on the center and left respectively. Meanwhile, Coltaine and the Crow Clan blocked an attack from Sialk cavalry from the hills near L'enbral. Reloe's Tithansi archer legions began descending from the tel to fire on the cattle crossing the ford, but were repelled by a thirsty marsh spirit whom Sormo had promised "a day of warm blood."

The pressure of the Hissar and Sialk infantry and peasant horde forced the rearguard defenders back to the oxbow island where they established a defensive line on the western side of the former river channel. The warlock Nil then summoned the spirits of an ancient tribe that had been massacred on the site. These undead warriors rose bearing rusted swords and encrusted armour, and descended on the Whirlwind army with blood-curdling joyous laughter and chant-like singing.

Afternoon

By noon the bulk of the refugees had crossed with the Crow Clan horsewarriors herding them using long poles much as they had the cattle. Reloe sent his elite infantry down from the tel in a wide arc east of the spirit protecting the marsh. The Weasel Clan began evacuating the rearguard using their horses and Coltaine and the Crow Clan retreated towards the ford from the burning L'enbarl. Reloe's elite infantry formed into two rectangles before the oxbow channel as Captain Lull reorganized his shrinking troops into a three sided ring to face them. Coltaine led his horse warriors in a slashing attack on the peasant flank before calling for a general retreat.

As the remaining Malazans raced to ford, the peasant horde was unleashed. It was at this point that the Malazan trap was revealed. Captain Mincer and his sappers had spent their time in camp turning the muddy ford into a paved underwater road. This enabled the Malazans to cross in record speed. But Mincer's engineers had also laced the road with fifty-five cussers. Once the Malazans had safely crossed and ford was occupied by thousands of screaming peasants, Cuttle blew the road with a concussion "like a god's fist." Thousands were killed and the ford was destroyed.

On the western side of the ford, the Guran legions remained unengaged to the north while the Semk warriors and Tithansi lancers were crushed by the now reunited Malazans. Baria Setral's Red Blades were particularly deadly for the Semk and during the fighting the Semk god killed many of his own sorcerers with his unthinking rage by channeling too much power into them. With the crossing complete, one enemy cut off on the other side of the river and the other refusing to engage, the Battle of Sekala Crossing was over.

Aftermath

The battle was won but the cost was high for the Malazans. The Sialk Marines and Red Blades lost half of their soldiers, and the auxiliaries lost even more. The Weasel Clan had been badly mauled in the withdrawal and faced a severe shortage of horses. Two of Sormo E'nath's young warlocks fell and a surprisingly large number of the 7th Army's officers and squad sergeants were lost.

Coltaine ordered new fortifications raised and existing ones reinforced. The refugee camp was placed on the stony plain to the west while the cattle were driven by the Foolish Dog Clan into the grassy Barl Hills to the south. The following day was to be a day of rest.

In addition to Kamist Reloe's list of casualties, the High Mage now had to contend with his inability to reach the Malazan army. He began a march north to the town of Sekal, the nearest place where the Sekala River could be crossed. But this journey would require ten to eleven days before he could return to the other side of the ford. Meanwhile, his Guran allies remained relatively unblooded and unengaged to the north of Coltaine's army. The Semk tribes were devastated by their losses, which were made worse when Sormo E'nath, Nil, and Nether unleashed the spirits of the land to devour and dissipate their tribal god.

External links

• Fan designed battle maps depicting the course of battle
• Battle of Sekala Crossing - Fan battle study

Notes and references

List of abbreviations • Paginations • How to reference an article