Battle of the Tower
| Battle of the Tower | |
|---|---|
| Part of the War of Reckoning | |
| |
| Date | Tanatashev 1173[citation needed] |
| Participants | Dalinar, Adolin, Kaladin, Torol Sadeas, & Eshonai |
| Effects | Sadeas's treachery revealed, Kaladin joins Dalinar's guard |
| Region | The Shattered Plains |
| Location | The Tower |
| World | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“He saw a chance to pull out, letting the Parshendi destroy us. So he did it. A very Alethi thing to do. Ruthless, yet still allowing him to feign a sense of honor or morality. ”
The Battle of the Tower is a major engagement during the War of Reckoning fought by the combined armies of the Alethi Highprinces Dalinar Kholin and Torol Sadeas against the Parshendi forces led by Eshonai. The engagement takes place on a plateau of the Shattered Plains called the Tower, the largest and most coveted of the plateaus.
The battle is actually a trap engineered by Sadeas to murder Dalinar, leading to a massive loss of life, resulting in a strategic and tactical defeat for the Alethi side. In particular, Dalinar's army is severely weakened while Sadeas's army is practically untouched.
Background[edit]
In carrying out the War of Reckoning, all ten Alethi Highprinces gather on the Shattered Plains. They compete with the Parshendi and their fellow highprinces over killing the creatures known as chasmfiends, which contain gemhearts—very large and valuable gemstones.
Dalinar Kholin believes that this war of attrition is unsustainable as a war strategy, since they are not directly attacking the Parshendi forces. Moreover, the Alethi army is acting closer to ten separate armies rather than one unified army. Dalinar wishes for the highprinces to work together and to shift war strategy into directly attacking the Parshendi.
For a time, Dalinar and Sadeas cooperate, both of their armies attacking together. However, they still act as two separate armies, with Dalinar using slower, more protected bridges while Sadeas uses bridgemen, sacrificing the well-being of his men for speed. In a conversation with the king and Sadeas, the king suggests that they integrate tactics more, with Sadeas providing all of the bridge crews for both armies. Dalinar agrees to the plan.[2]
Soon after, a chasmfiend is sighted on the Tower. Dalinar sends out eight thousand men while Sadeas gathers seven thousand to assault the tower.[3]
The Battle[edit]
The Plan[edit]
When the horns sounded that a chasmfiend chrysalis was once again spotted on the Tower, Sadeas came to Dalinar's warcamp to discuss the joint assault. The listeners traditionally brought ten thousand soldiers to secure the Tower as it is both large and close to Narak. Two of the sides of the plateau are inaccessible to cross. Sadeas proposed that a joint assault on the Tower would be the perfect time to turn the tide of the war by winning a decisive victory on the plateau that had never been taken and destroying a third of the listeners' remaining army. Dalinar agreed to the plan. They mobilized seven thousand of Sadeas's troops and eight thousand of Dalinar's troops and marched to the plateau, using only Sadeas's bridges for speed.[3]
Dalinar and Sadeas planned to launch the assault from the two western plateaus. Sadeas would use thirty-two of the Bridge crews to secure a landing spot on the Tower. Dalinar would use the secured ground to bring his army onto the plateau. Dalinar would cut the listener army in half, trapping one side against the cliffs to the southeast of the plateau and the other half between the two armies. Sadeas left scouts on the northern adjacent plateaus to watch and warn of any listener reinforcements. Unbeknownst to Dalinar, Sadeas had his own plan in place for the fight. The strategy he and Dalinar employed would leave him in a perfect position to pull out and leave Dalinar to die with no way of escaping.[4]
The Assault[edit]
The plan that Dalinar and Sadeas had created for the assault occurs exactly as expected. Sadeas has thirty-two of his Bridge crews, including Bridge Four, charge the plateau. The entirety of Bridge Four had armor covered in carapace. Kaladin and four of his men, including Moash, ran before the bridge to draw listener fire away from the rest of the crew. The listeners mainly targeted Kaladin, recognizing him as the one responsible for the desecration of the bodies. Despite these distractions, the listeners still managed to drop five bridges. Of Bridge Four, Skar got an arrow to the foot, and Teft got an arrow to the shoulder. They tended the wounded as the battle continued.[4]
Dalinar landed his Bridge crews on the plateau once Sadeas secured it enough that the men wouldn't get fired at. He began to push forward, carving through the listener ranks. The listeners attempted to sling enormous rocks at Dalinar in order to stop him, but he climbed the rock they were on and killed them. Filled with the Thrill, Dalinar enjoyed the killing and wished the Shardbearer would appear to challenge him. When Dalinar realized that the listener he was fighting was young and terrified, the Thrill left him. He felt sick and stopped fighting.[4]
The Betrayal[edit]
Dalinar doesn't notice Sadeas's maneuvers until it is too late. Left with no choice, he and his men resolve to die and prepare to make a last stand.[5] However, they are saved when Kaladin and Bridge Four returns for them. Bridge Four sets down their bridge and holds it against a Parshendi assault, allowing Dalinar's army time to fight their way to the bridge.[6]
The Rescue[edit]
As Dalinar and his army reaches the bridge, Eshonai, a Shardbearer and the Parshendi commander, appears and draws Dalinar away, engaging him in battle. While Dalinar is engaged, Kaladin organizes a retreat for most of Dalinar's men, including Adolin and the Cobalt Guard. Finally, Kaladin goes to rescue Dalinar, incapacitating Eshonai in the process. With Dalinar safe, Bridge Four and Dalinar's army retreats back to the warcamps.[7]
Aftermath[edit]
“Well, you've shown me something today, Sadeas – shown it to me by the very act of trying to remove me. . . You've shown me that I'm still a threat. ”
—Dalinar to Sadeas after the Battle of the Tower[1]
Dalinar Kholin's army is decimated; of the eight thousand men that he brings with him, approximately six thousand are killed, leaving behind only 2,653 men.[1]
As a result of Bridge Four saving Dalinar's men, Dalinar offers to buy all the bridge crew from Sadeas's army with 60 emarald broams each. After being rejected, he gave up his Shardblade Oathbringer as price. Although some take an offer of money and freedom, most join Dalinar's army under the command of Kaladin, instantly creating a thousand-man battalion for Dalinar's army. Bridge Four becomes the Kholin family's personal guard, as well as the headquarters unit for this new battalion.
Kaladin rises to unheard-of heights for a darkeyes, becoming an officer at the rank of captain, in addition to commander of a lighteyes' personal guard. Additionally, Kaladin advances his Surgebinding powers and path to becoming a member of the Knights Radiant by swearing the Second Ideal of the Immortal Words during the battle.
Dalinar, as a direct result of Sadeas's betrayal, insists on becoming the Highprince of War to manage the war directly.
Characters Present[edit]
Combatants[edit]
- Kholin army
Casualties[edit]
Notes[edit]
| The War of Reckoning | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assassination of Gavilar | Battle of the Tower | Battle of Narak |