The Battle of the Fields of Morod was the first major battle on the Kanovhook wars, between a confederation of the Polforian, Kordor, Nurandian and Rumnelian Kanovs under Görodar the Blackhand, a Polforian Kanov King, and the Dark Legion of Demons, at the 1721 a.a.H.
Background[]
Since the aftermath of the fall of Dume at the 1676 a.a.H, the demons had moved to Polforia, founding settlements and spreading their influence.
Demonic presence will lead to direct conflict at the 1711 a.a.H, when the Kordor and Nurandian kanovs allied and attacked the Dark Tower of Dol-Nur: in this first campaign, demons achieved a defensive victory against their kanov enemies: not only were they able to hold their ground, but they as well advanced and annexed to their demonic realm the western slopes of the mountain of Dol-Nur:
The defeat of the Kordor and the Nurandian and the later expansion of the Dark Legion, who began as well to expand the demonic cults and look for support to peoples under Kanov rule, will preocupy the Kanovs realms of Polforia, and for years there will be talks of the need for the Kanovs to gather their dispersed forces and face and destroy, once for all, the demonic threat.
With the rise of the charismatic leader Görodar the Blackhand as a great Polforian Kanov King, he will be able to make an extensive alliance of the western polforian realms:
the Polforian, Kordor, Nurandian and Rumnelian kanovs will gather in the fields of Morod -territory from the Polforian Kanovs under the shadow of Dol-Nur-, as they prepared to attack the demonic fortress.
The Demons, who had already fought a defensive campaign in Dol-Nur against the confedereated Kordor and Nurandian the previous decade wanted to avoid war ravaging again their lands, and instead decided to face battle against the confederated army in Morod itself, where they would choose a battlefield and prepare the defenses acordingly.
The Battle[]
Kanov Confederated Army[]
The Kanov army under the command of Göradar the Blackhand, which according to the chronicles of the Dark Legion, numbered over half a million of warriors, had advanced with the intent to attack the recently founded Demonic settlements of Dol-Nur, against which the demons had to gather all their available forces: while having a numerically inferior force, they will inflict a major defeat to the Kanovs.
Dark Legion Army[]
While contemporary accounts of the demons talk of a single legion of 6,666 demons, from which 666 were demon lords, this is disputed by historians who consider this to be propaganda, as these numbers had a magical meaning for demons. A single, standard, army of demons being presented as being capable of defeating the massive Kanov horde. While by then the Dark Legion didn't have the massive numbers it will display later with the vassal armies of Goblinoids and Orcs. Modern historical estimates of the army of the Dark Legion is estimated between 66,666 to 120,000-
Tactics of the Demon Victory[]
In part, the Kanov defeat of this battle was due to the massive presence of Bazrrod demon lords who fought in the front lines: this was the first time Kanovs faced demon lords on the battlefield, and terror spread in their ranks. The Bazrrod lords will break the Kanov lines in the centre, which gave an opportunity for lesser demons to route the Kanov forces.
The demons, that targeted specifically the Kanov kings, chieftains and their retinues, will behead in such way the kanov army, that crumbled.
Aftermath[]
Breaking of the Kanov Coalition[]
Görodar the Blackhand died in battle, and Morod was sacked and conquered by the Dark Legion. The confederation that the Kanov's had united under, and most of the nations and tribes, were left in disarray for the loss of so many leaders.
Problems for the Demons[]
Loss of Bodies[]
However, the battle did come at a price: many demons were lost, and while the Bazrrod Soul Stones and their Soul Shards weren't damaged, the loss of their physical bodies will be a major setback in their conquest plans, which, in part, explains why the demons didn't press beyond Morod and capitalize on their victory with further victories and conquests. This would give the Kanovs time to recover.
Disappearance of Soul Stones and Soul Shards[]
As well, many Soul Stones and Soul Shards of demons did disappear as a result of the battle: as Kanovs lacked the means or knowledge to do this, it is supposed that it was due to internal demon struggles and that the opportunity was seized by some demon overlords to enact personal vengeance against their fellows.
This shows that the leadership of the Dark Legion was beset by divisions and conflicts at this time, which, by later historical perspectives, is still relatively early in the history of the Dark Legion.
Speculation: It might be that the, while great results could be obtained when the Bazrrods themselves took to the battlefield in a direct way, it underscored their vulnerabilities to individual defeat and resulting helplessness against their fellows. That they would be far more hesitant to place themselves at risk again?