Telleth and his heqosuth raiders were merciless, killing villagers and lighting their homes on fire with abandon. The tactics were utterly foreign to the Santu and sent their Artiya, even their normally calm and collected matriarchs, into a mad panic. Putting an army into the field was the unquestioned hasty response, so eager was everyone to cease the raids on their eastern farmlands.

What they hadn't anticipated was the Naotik cavalry's lack of infantry accompaniment. Why were they alone, the Santu wondered, and why did they refuse to give battle?

The Naotik siege of Konome had progressed well in its first week, the warriors from west of the Radet's banks having successfully defeated the few armed parties that had sallied from the city in an attempt to break the Naotik lines and raid their camp before trenches were dug around the city. Their fleet did well too, maintaining a blockade save for a paltry few canoes which the Naotik were sure their friends in Teltras would deal with.

Because the situation seemed so firmly against them, it was a shock to the Konome when on the 8th day of the siege the Naotik army seemed to up and leave in a panic, turning north. Just a few hours after, a rider with tanadi of yellow had arrived proclaiming that Santu's army was near, was contesting the Naotik and that the only way they could be assured of victory was to receive Konome aid.

Eager to flatten the Naotik between their own army and that of Santu, Konome set out with their forces hot on the heels of their foes. Delayed as they were, they were forced to camp late at night.

Arla gave a venomous smile the likes of which her husband would have said was 'why he married her.' His plan had gone off without a hitch, after all, the Konome convinced the Santu were nearby when they were in fact chasing after her beloved far to the north east. She made a mental note to give extra rations to reward the Santu-born that had completed their deception.

She had her forces rise well before the sun for a nice breakfast before forming up, sending them to attack the sleeping Konome. Unfortunately her foes were at least competent enough to post scouts which announced this movement with loud trumpeting, and thus had time enough to make their own lines before the Naotik descended upon them... and so Arla and her men didn't.

Instead the Naotik forces stood opposite the Konome, having marched comparatively less hastily the day before and had a nice full breakfast compared to the unbroken fast of their rivals. The Konome stood firm, convinced that the Santu army would arrive to flank the Naotik at any moment. Only as the daylight grew short and the more heavily armoured Konome grew weary and starved did Arla finally urge the battle to commence, the lightly equipped Naotik harassing their foes but denying a true heavily armed engagement.

Eventually exhausted, the outflanked and outmaneuvered Konome formations collapsed and, contrary to the etiquette of weld and woad, were slaughtered in detail.

So victorious, Arla gave her warriors the rest of the day to loot and rest before marching north-east the following morning.