The Fire of Eluin

The sudden turn of events on the battlefield disrupted every arrangement and made Brando understand for the first time that so-called meticulous plans were essentially equivalent to the decrees of Hessen I, the Great King of the Road, under the command practices of this age—nothing more than a joke. The antiquated command structure between nobles and their retainers, especially among knightly retainers, and their sluggish, lax discipline were the greatest enemies of every commander. Under such circumstances, one did not pray that no part of the plan would go wrong; one was thankful whenever a part did not go wrong. The more complicated the plan, the more full of holes it became.

The Slovafen region lay north of the Silman Valley and southeast of Tosankard Forest. It marked the farthest tip of the Chablis Mountains within Golan-Elson Province. These low river-valley hills cut off the connection between the Valenden Lake Plain and the Silman Valley like a natural barrier. Several tributaries flowing into Valenden Lake cut across the hills, forming several relatively gentle valleys. The Blood Staff's army advanced along these valleys. Kowen's men had long since followed and investigated their route, determining that the Bone Frames might pass between the Krivan and Chenier Valleys.

Krivan and Chenier were the two most important passages through the Slovafen Hills. The two valleys were encircled by Mount Jondel and spread northward in a forked formation, with many small hills between them. At this time of year, the gentle slopes were still dotted with large patches of linden forest that could be used for ambushes. This was practically an ideal place for an ambush. The Blood Staff had apparently never considered that a joint army from Lantorilan and Viero would ambush him here. His previous victories had made him arrogantly overconfident, which was