Omar and Heinie's joint operation against the outer strongholds was merely a prelude to the main battle.
Similar operations were conducted by Amor, Durin, Varrokal, and Dezco. Unfortunately, the only notable captive was the purple-skinned overseer; the other quilboar strongholds yielded no valuable leaders.
Galen observed Omar's advance from the south, while Gandalf supervised the northern legions. So far, the quilboar had proven unremarkable, lacking any legendary figures.
Tortured prisoners revealed that the unevacuated strongholds were occupied by envoys from the Northern Barrens' Golden Horde. Their mission was to delay the Crusader advance, giving their leader time to gather more warriors and, if possible, break the Crusader momentum.
These envoys were essentially sacrificial pawns, callously abandoned by Chieftain Fangtooth. The purple-skinned overseer, named Fangtooth, was a high-ranking officer from the Steelbristle Golden Horde headquarters in the Eastern Barrens. His strength posed a threat to Fangtooth, making him the prime candidate for this suicide mission.
Fangtooth, a true blockhead, followed orders without resistance, organizing the defense to buy time. Galen admired his dedication, unlike the overseers who fled at the fall of the last stronghold and were promptly executed as worthless.
With the outer strongholds secured, the legions paused, awaiting Galen's next order. The Crusaders had cornered the Golden Horde north of Thorn Ridge, and the legions began escorting the prisoners to the Crusader Fortress.
Inside the quilboar main camp, Fangtooth's Golden Hall, a few tall quilboar warriors stood scattered. Unlike the relatively calm Fangtooth, the lesser chieftains were apprehensive.
"Rotnose, have all the warriors arrived? Why are there so few? How much time do we have?" Fangtooth's expression was grim. Of over a hundred thousand tribe members and thirty or forty village leaders, only a handful were present. "Are they all dead?"
Fangtooth's first confidant, Krillnig Rotnose, was uneasy. He bore too much bad news to deliver directly.
"Speak!" Fangtooth demanded, suppressing his anger. He had worked hard to gain this position, leading over 50,000 members from the Eastern Barrens to Thorn Ridge. For ten years, they had raided and plundered. Under his leadership, the Thorn Ridge Steelbristle had doubled in number, surpassing the Bristleback tribe and drawing the attention of the Razor Hill Deathspeaker tribe.
"Lord Fangtooth, we've lost contact with the southern and western villages. Only the eastern villages have mustered warriors!" Rotnose finally confessed. They had only about 10,000 warriors in the main camp, plus the newly arrived 5,000 from the east.
'If you hadn't sent those suicide squads," Rotnose thought, "we'd still have the western warriors, adding another 10,000!' Of course, he dared not say this, knowing Fangtooth's vengeful nature.
He blamed himself for underestimating the outsiders, believing them to be easy prey. Now, they were at his doorstep.
"How many warriors do we have?"
"Only about 20,000 able-bodied warriors, Lord Fangtooth!"
"Only 20,000? Not enough! Where did they get so many troops? My scouts reported a maximum of 5,000 at their southern base!"
"Lord Fangtooth, should we send more messengers east?" Rotnose asked cautiously.
"Bang!" Fangtooth shattered another water cup.
"What messengers? There's been no news for ten days! We've sent out dozens of scouts! We're blockaded, you idiot!"
The lesser chieftains trembled in silence before their furious leader.
"Have the geomancers try to send a distress signal east. If that fails, try Razorfen Downs and tell that banshee of the Deathspeaker tribe that I will join whoever saves me!"
The chieftains were shocked. Fangtooth was considering betrayal. The Deathspeaker and Bristleback tribes had been rivals for years. The Bristleback claimed royal lineage, a claim the Steelbristle, the next strongest tribe, rejected.
Surrendering to the Bristleback would not only mean losing the western forces but also damaging the tribe's prestige. The Bristleback Warchief would never forgive Fangtooth.
Rotnose, caring only for his own survival, fled the tent to find the geomancers.
The Crusader Fortress had received a steady stream of quilboar prisoners. Combined with Varrokal's 20,000 captives, they now held over 30,000.
Including the dead, the Northern Barrens Bristleback had lost over half their population.
Ordering the prisoner escorts back to their units, Galen left the Stormwind and Tidefury Legions to guard the prisoners at the Crusader Fortress under Gandalf's command. He then led the Paladin Guard to the front lines.
The situation was unfolding as planned. Annexing the remaining tens of thousands of quilboar would unify the Northern Barrens. The harpies were a minor concern.
Tomorrow, the Bristleback leader would face despair. Seven legions and two knight orders would converge on Thorn Ridge, dealing the final blow and establishing the Crusader's dominance in the region.
Galen, filled with satisfaction, rode north with his paladins, raising clouds of dust.
To allow the prisoner escorts time to return and the legions to prepare for the final assault, Galen didn't teleport directly. Crusader's Pinnacle was a half-day's ride from Razorfen Kraul.
Unbeknownst to Galen, several large armies were already mobilizing towards Razorfen Kraul.
Galen believed he had blocked all requests for aid. However, this was a world of magic, with numerous options for spellcasters.
The Bristleback geomancers, a shamanistic sect, implored the elemental spirits for help. Fangtooth's reckless orders led them to send messages not only east and south but also to shamanistic tribes in the southeast, northwest, and northeast.
To the south, the Death's Head tribe, under the legendary shaman Kargar Spinebreaker, sensed the plea. Matriarch-led, tens of thousands of warriors, vanguard High Overlord Ramtusk and High Executor Bubax, marched south.
This was welcome news for the Death's Head tribe. Kargar saw an opportunity to increase their prestige. Controlling the Bristleback would make them the undisputed leaders of the quilboar.
The Eastern Barrens Bristleback also mobilized. For Chieftain Torntusk, the western Bristleback were his people. The initial split was for land. Though Fangtooth was often insubordinate, he had contributed to the tribe's growth. The western territory could not be lost.
As he gathered his forces, Torntusk cursed Fangtooth's incompetence. He had raided human traders on the southeastern coast before. The humans were weaker than his warriors. Yet, Fangtooth, with over a hundred thousand tribesmen, was being pushed back and blockaded, forced to beg the elements for aid. Fangtooth had shamed the Steelbristle tribe.
Beyond the quilboar, the centaur seers in the Stonetalon Mountains learned of the situation from the wind spirits. The Koh'kar Clan, with over a hundred thousand members, decided to take advantage of the chaos.
All of central Kalimdor was in turmoil. The region's new overlord would emerge from this war.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
When Galen reached the Crimson Legion, Gandalf relayed the gathered intelligence. Galen ordered a full assault, first eliminating the Razorfen Kraul quilboar, then dealing with the three approaching armies.
In the Stonetalon Mountains, Gandalf's Silver Guard Legion, fortified by the city walls and defensive towers, and Magatha's tauren warriors at Hunter's Hill Pass, were well-defended.
To the south, the Second Auxiliary Legion was stationed at Camp Taurajo, joined by the new Taurajo Camp built by the tauren. The two races controlled the passage between the Northern and Southern Barrens. The outcome depended on the Death's Head army's size.
Knowing Magatha would likely inform Thunder Bluff, Galen also sent Dezco with falcons to urge Cairne to reinforce Taurajo Camp.
Reconnaissance revealed that the remaining Razorfen Kraul quilboar, about 40,000 strong, were gathered in the Golden Hall, with a potential fighting force of 20,000.
Time was critical. Galen ordered a general attack, but with a change in strategy. Instead of committing all legions, he sent Durin with the Thunder Legion and Hill Guard to the eastern valley leading to the Eastern Barrens. Amor moved the Crimson Legion east to support Durin.
Fortunately, the Eastern and Northern Barrens were separated by the Thundering River, with only a few shallow crossings. This favored the Crusaders.
"Woooo! Woooo! Woooo!"
The horns of attack sounded, and the Northern Barrens beacon fires were lit. Omar, Heinie, Fadir, Fral, and Durin's legions advanced from the north, west, and south, compressing the Golden Hall's territory. Varrokal and Dezco's knights circled the perimeter, awaiting their chance.
The largest thorn thicket in northern Razorfen Kraul surrounded Fangtooth's Golden Hall. After the geomancer's plea, he had scattered gravel and used magic to rapidly grow thorn bushes, hoping to stop the knights.
Despite the damage to the already barren land, Fangtooth was desperate. If they won, they could restore it. If they lost, it wouldn't matter.
Early morning!
Galen chose to attack after sunrise.
The Barrens sun had just begun to bake the earth, and Fangtooth's thorns weren't fully grown. The Crusader army, forty thousand strong, advanced like a dark cloud.
The orderly human phalanx moved slowly on the horizon. The disorganized quilboar gathered chaotically in their camp.
The Crusader legions halted five hundred meters from the thorn thicket. Ten mortar squads moved forward and assembled their weapons.
"Five hundred meters ahead, target the thorn thicket, incremental fire! Load ammunition!"
The mortars prepared to fire.
"Free fire!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The shells dropped into the mortar tubes and launched.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The shells landed among the newly planted thorns, scattering them.
The second barrage fell!
The thorns began to collapse!
Fangtooth was dumbfounded!