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{{event
|image=Plateau Battle by Miguel Sastre.jpg
|participants=[[
|effects=Summoning of the [[Everstorm]]
|world=Roshar
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]]
}}
The '''War of Reckoning''' was a conflict on [[Roshar]] between [[Alethkar]] and the [[
== Background ==
While exploring a forest south of the [[Shattered Plains]], King Gavilar's brother [[Dalinar Kholin]] encountered a
Diplomatic relations were established, and eventually a treaty was made between the Alethi and the so-called Parshendi. The king invited a Parshendi delegation to celebrate the signing of the treaty in [[Kholinar]].{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} That night, Gavilar revealed to
After hearing the news from Eshonai and fearing Gavilar's plans, the
While the rest of the
During Gavilar's funeral service, his son and successor King [[Elhokar]] made the Alethi highprinces vow to avenge his father's death. This '''Vengeance Pact'''
== Participants ==
=== Alethkar ===
Each princedom in Alethkar
[[File: {{map|Alethi warcamps}}|700px|center]]
The majority of the Alethi armies were composed of [[darkeyed]] spearmen organized into battalions and led by [[lighteyed]] officers. Darkeyed soldiers were only allowed spears{{book ref|sa1|prologue}}, so Alethi archers and swordsmen were all lighteyes.{{book ref|sa2|76}}
=== Parshendi ===▼
Unlike the Alethi, the Parshendi had a single unified army. Their society was governed by the [[Council of Five]], one of whom, namely [[Eshonai]], served as the general of the army.▼
Aside from regular weapons, the Alethi also had around twenty [[Shardblade]]s.{{book ref|sa1|52}} It is uncertain exactly how many of these were used in the war and how many remained in Alethkar, but there were more than thirty official [[Shardbearer]]s in the warcamps, a few of whom had both Plate and Blade.{{book ref|sa2|5}}
When the war started, the Parshendi moved to the ruins of [[Stormseat]], at the center of the Shattered Plains. They called this central place [[Narak]], which in their language meant ''Exile''.{{book ref|sa2|i|1}}▼
The Alethi also had [[fabrial]]s, some of which, like [[grandbow]]s, had military applications.
▲Unlike the Alethi, the
At some point during the war, Eshonai became the warform member among the Five and started leading the fight for survival against the Alethi. She also possessed the listeners' only remaining set of Shardblade and Shardplate, and used these in addition to warform during battle.{{book ref|sa1|68}}{{book ref|sa2|i|4}}
Warform gave listener warriors a carapace armor as well as increased strength.{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} Though not as strong or resilient as someone with Shardplate, warform listeners were a real threat to regular human soldiers. Their strength allowed them to use heavy weapons like battleaxes, hammers, and sometimes clubs and swords.{{book ref|sa1|40}} They were also capable of jumping far enough to cross chasms{{book ref|sa1|27}}, something that only those with Shardplate could do on the Alethi side.{{book ref|sa1|55}}
While they also used archers just like the Alethi, the listeners' combat strategy also involved using '''warpairs'''{{book ref|sa1|26}}, or pairs of warriors who fought side by side as partners. These listener warpairs would jump around the battlefield in coordinated maneuvers and attack enemy troops with heavy weapons from multiple directions.{{book ref|sa1|28}}
▲When the war started, the
== History ==
=== Beginning of the Siege ===
In order to fulfill the Vengeance Pact as quickly as possible, the Alethi highprinces initially planned a full-scale attack on the Parshendi. However, they were unable to immediately locate the
The Shattered Plains{{map ref|Shattered Plains}}
=== The Impact of Gemhearts ===
Once the Alethi settled on the border of the Shattered Plains, they
The safest way to win a gemheart of a chasmfiend would be to wait for a chasmfiend to climb on a plateau, where it would pupate.{{book ref|sa1|15}} Once this happens, the chrysalis could be opened with a [[Shardblade]]{{book ref|sa1|26}} or more slowly with hammers and chisels.{{book ref|sa1|40}}▼
Both the Alethi and the listeners used these gems to sustain their armies, prolonging the siege and greatly extending the duration of the war. Whenever a chrysalis is spotted on a plateau, a race between the listeners and Alethi highprinces would occur.{{book ref|sa1|15}} Whoever arrived first would have to retrieve the gemheart from the chrysalis before the opposing army arrives, otherwise a battle would occur.
=== Rivalry Between Highprinces ===▼
For five years, the war was fought mostly through these skirmishes over gemhearts.
▲The safest way to win a gemheart of a chasmfiend would be to wait for a chasmfiend to climb on a plateau, where it would pupate.{{book ref|sa1|15}} Once this happens, the chrysalis could be opened with a [[Shardblade]]{{book ref|sa1|26}} or more slowly with hammers and chisels.{{book ref|sa1|40}}
Over the years the result was that the Alethi army lost its original purpose—to fulfil the Vengeance Pact—and their unity. The ten armies fought on their own instead of fighting united against the Parshendi.
=== The Battle of the Tower ===
▲[[File:Battle of the Tower.jpg|thumb|right|150px|A map of the Battle of the Tower by [[Isaac Stewart]]]]
:''Main article:'' [[Battle of the Tower]]
The [[Tower (Roshar)|Tower Plateau]] is a very large plateau not far from the center of the Shattered Plains. Because of this, the
When Dalinar worked together with Sadeas, a chasmfied was spotted on the Tower.{{book ref|sa1|64}} According to their plan, Sadeas, whose armies were faster than Dalinar's, had to clear a space on the Tower for Dalinar's troops, who were better trained, to engage the Parshendi.{{book ref|sa1|64}} This worked as planned until Sadeas abandoned Dalinar, leaving no way to retreat for Dalinar.{{book ref|sa1|65}}▼
Dalinar and the remnants of his army were saved by [[Bridge Four]] led by [[Kaladin]]. In the aftermath, Dalinar made his nephew, King Elhokar, declare him Highprince of War. It was Dalinar's goal to re-purpose the Alethi armies into to fulfilling the Vengeance Pact and to unite them again.{{book ref|sa1|69}}▼
▲When Dalinar worked together with Sadeas, a
▲Dalinar and the remnants of his army were saved by [[Bridge Four]] led by [[Kaladin]]. In the aftermath, Dalinar made his nephew, King [[Elhokar]], declare him Highprince of War. It was Dalinar's goal to re-
=== Stormform and the Failed Peace Talks ===
Secretly guided by the voidspren [[Ulim]],{{book ref|sa3|i|3}}
Prior to bonding the stormspren, and with the help of Dalinar's son [[Adolin]]{{book ref|sa2|26}} and the
Stormform gave Eshonai a different kind of armor and the ability to jump chasms more easily. She started attuning to a new set of [[Singer#Rhythms|Rhythms]] that were more aggressive.{{book ref|sa2|i|8}} More importantly, the new form changed Eshonai's personality, making her more arrogant and belligerent. She abandoned her plan to negotiate. Instead, she challenged the Alethi to try and destroy
Along with Venli, Eshonai organized the adoption of
=== The Battle of Narak ===
After negotiations with Eshonai fell through, Dalinar proposed a joint assault on the Parshendi camp in order to end the war and fulfill the Vengeance Pact once and for all.{{book ref|sa2|51}} Out of all the Alethi highprinces, only [[Aladar]], [[Roion]], and [[Sebarial]] joined him in the end. They set out near the start of the [[Weeping]], expecting no highstorm to impede their attack.{{book ref|sa2|76}} Along the way they met up with Rlain, who reported to Dalinar what had happened to his people.{{book ref|sa2|78}}
Upon the arrival of the Alethi armies in Narak, a large number of the
The battle was fought on three plateaus. Aladar, Roion, Adolin each led soldiers on their own designated plateau while Dalinar gave orders from the command tent on another plateau. Sebarial's army reinforced Aladar's and Roion's, as Sebarial himself did not fight.{{book ref|sa2|81}}
The
Having been warned by Rlain that the
The surviving remnants of the
The non stormform listeners who escaped into the chasms survived with the help of a chasmfiend.{{book ref|row|115}}
== Warfare ==
=== The Use of Bridges Between Plateaus ===
While
During a race for a gemheart, mobile bridges were used by the Alethi armies. There were two main types of bridges.
:Bridges that functioned like siege-towers. Those were very heavy and needed to be pulled by chulls and thus were very slow. Their advantage was that they offered cover for the Alethi army until the bridge was lowered over the chasm.{{book ref|sa1|55}}{{book ref|sa1|28}}
;Light Portable Bridges
:These were only light in comparison to the bridge-towers. At least
Sadeas
Dalinar did not use those bridges because he was convinced that officers shouldn't demand anything from their soldiers that they would not do themselves and reproached Sadeas for wasting lives.{{book ref|sa1|15}}{{book ref|sa1|65}}
Kaladin was the first to train a bridgecrew of a light bridge{{book ref|sa1|14}} and had considerable success with it.{{book ref|sa1|59}} Not only
<!--- fits passage about the parshmen bone shield in here? --->
=== The Use of Shardbearers ===
When an army arrived at a plateau and the enemy army was already formed up for battle, a great slaughter would ensue; the only way for the attackers
The Alethi Shardbearers were the only ones who could stand up to the Shardbearers among the listeners. As such, the highprinces without a full set of Plate and Blade were at a disadvantage during the times they faced such an enemy and often had to retreat.{{book ref|sa1|24}}{{book ref|sa1|54}} Shardblades were also a very effective way to cut open the chasmfiend chrysalis in order to get the gemheart.{{book ref|sa1|26}} Apart from that, Shardbearers had the same use as in every other battle during that time on Roshar.
=== Chasm Duty ===
During battles on the plateaus, falling into chasms was a real risk for both Alethi soldiers and
== Notes ==
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