Battle of the Bloody Fork

Prelude
Travelling north along the fringes of the Frostfangs, Hadr met with little indication of Winterblood activity. A few traders told of dire happenings to the north; the Fist of the First Men under siege; Ice River Clans fighting amongst themselves; the Men of the Slopes and Boulder Clan being pushed further and further into the Frostfangs; and the Milkwater Reavers taking advantage of the chaos to hit both sides. The road ahead would be a bloody one; Hadr would move his warriors quickly, hoping to take the Winterbloods unawares.

It was at the fork south of the Fist of the First Men that Hadr’s army made its first engagement. A battle raged already upon his arrival; to the west of the river’s bend flapped the banner of the Men of the Frozen Shore, and charging straight across the river from the east berserking Winterblood. The coalition forces quickly traversed a rough, hewn stone crossing, striking north in haste in order get in position to hit the berserkers from behind.

Battle
Once in position, they advanced. Hadr had his warriors arranged in a triple line; a tightly knit shieldwall at the front would defend the rest of the army as fighters on the back lines unleashed arrows, throwing axes and javelins on poorly defended berserkers.

With a strong push by Hadr’s warriors, the Winterbloods were left pinned on one side by coalition banners and beaten bloody on the other by the men of the Frozen Shore. Unable to defend themselves and unable to resist the calling of blood, no berserker left the battlefield alive, running the river red; their bodies and blood disappearing like stones as they sunk beneath the shivering current.

Aftermath
After the battle's conclusion, the leader of the Men of the Frozen Shore's leader, Torryg Blackadder, explained the nature of the battle; he and Hadr conversed at either bank of the river. Their chieftain, Astera Blackadder, had been taken hostage after seeking to treat with Holger the Bloody, a commander who perished during the battle. Another curious man in a full suit of refined, shining armor stood out in the crowd. Hadr would later know this man to be Aemon Dayne, Astera's temporary lover. He claimed to have been called 'Sword of the Morning' by the kneelers, and no wonder-- his blade was seemingly magical, with the power to sunder any man's blade in two. It struck Hadr as fortunate the man never faced Viggo Warmblood-- though warriors immediately discussed the topic and decided Viggo would take the day, Hadr knew the true answer.

After both sides knew each other to be of a common cause, they proceeded north to the Fist of the First Men-- but not before the Men of the Frozen Shore picked the berserkers clean of their weapons and valuables.