The Battle of Hewler was a vital and decisive battle which took place between the invading forces of Zuhak and the defending Kurdish nation. It took place around 2 years after the triumph in Kobane and the defence were led by the Royal Army and the Gerilla Forces of Kurdistan under the direct command of King Kardox, who for the first time were present on the battlefield. This battle would have severe consequenses over the coming future of Kurdistan and became the decisive battle which led to the fall of the Kurdish nation, the demise of the Royal Family and the replacement of Zuhak’s total control of Kurdistan. It would also lead to the start of the Kurdish Genocide and Zuhak’s Sandstorm Curse over Kurdistan. In the days preceding the fateful Battle of Hewler, a dark shadow loomed over the Kurdish nation, the victory in Kobane was now a distant memory. Defeats had befallen them in cities such as Slemani, Halabja, Sere Kaniye, and Saqqez, as the relentless forces of Zuhak pressed onward. Bakur, the first bastion of Kurdish lands, had fallen under the cruel sway of Zuhak’s dominion. In a mere span of six months, the Kurdish people had witnessed the heart-wrenching loss of Rojhelat, Rojava, and Bashur, their ancestral homes slipping through their fingers like sand.

This grim territorial decline was not without a desperate plan. King Kardox, in his wisdom, had ordered the evacuation of civilians to the most secure haven in all of Kurdistan: the city of Hewler. Having seen the fall of Rojhelat, the King had also decreed a total regrouping of Kurdish forces within Hewler’s fortified walls. He recognized the impossibility of waging a triumphant war on three fronts, bereft of allies. Yet, as the lands of Kurdistan crumbled, dissent brewed within the ranks of the Royal Army. A schism had emerged, cleaving the Royal Army asunder. One faction remained steadfastly loyal to King Kardox’s commands, ready to defend Hewler to the last breath. The other, however, fervently championed the path of Gerilla Warfare against the encroaching invaders. In due course, King Kardox implored the Gerilla faction to stand with him and Kurdish unity in the impending cataclysmic clash, and the spokesperson for the Gerilla warriors reluctantly consented. In the weeks leading up to the climactic battle, one enigmatic pocket of resistance remained beyond Zuhak’s iron grasp. This secluded refuge had thus far eluded the invading hordes, its strategic importance keeping Zuhak’s forces at bay. This place was none other than the domain of the outlawed faction known as “Saladin’s Hand.” Though they had once been part of the Kurdish nation, Saladin’s Hand had charted their own path, governed by their unique laws, leaders, and fighters. Comprising some 4,000 formidable warriors, they dwelt upon a mountainous hill, a mere hour’s journey to the east of the capital city, Hewler.

Saladin’s Hand adhered to a zealous religious creed, markedly distinct from the broader Nation of Kurdistan. Unlike their compatriots, they did not share the prohibition against slavery within Kurdistan’s borders. Nevertheless, recognizing the peril that had befallen their homeland, Saladin’s Hand dispatched around 2,000 of their own fighters to stand in defense of the beleaguered city of Hewler as the impending battle drew near. However, it was the remaining extremists among their ranks, those who harbored no allegiance to the greater Kurdish nation, who remained ensconced in their remote encampments, their intentions and loyalties shrouded in mystery. Hewler, the cherished capital city, stood as a beacon of defiance against insurmountable odds. It was here that the Kurdish defenders faced their greatest challenge, as Zuhak’s colossal army encircled the city, numbering over 150,000 warriors. In stark contrast, the defenders of Hewler numbered a mere 10,000, a courageous but vastly outnumbered force committed to protecting their homeland at any cost. The Battle of Hewler, etched into the collective memory of the Kurdish people, marked a pivotal moment in this harrowing conflict. For a momentous encounter transpired on top of Hewler’s towering walls. From his vantage point atop the formidable citadel, King Kardox, with resolute determination, gazed down upon the Jash Leader and the army of Zuhak, locking eyes with his old nemesis who he had not seen since The Battle of Two Races, 24 years ago, when King Kardox once banished The Jash Leader from Kurdistan. The meeting between the estranged foes was laden with tension, and old wounds were forcibly reopened. With a heavy heart, King Kardox descended from the parapets, retreating into the sanctuary of his castle. The die was cast, and the inevitable clash of titans loomed on the horizon. The city’s fate hung in the balance as the war drums thundered, and the siege engines hurled their fiery payloads.

For days on end, the city of Hewler became a battleground soaked in the blood of countless valiant defenders. The siege raged, the defenders holding steadfast, and the invaders relentless in their assault. The ramparts of the city, once an impregnable bastion, began to crumble under the relentless onslaught of Zuhak’s forces. As the enemy breached the city’s fortifications, a grim and haunting silence descended upon the battered streets of Hewler. Thousands had perished in the desperate defense of their homeland, their sacrifices etching a somber testament to their unwavering resolve. King Kardox had just ordered Azad, one of his most loyal and close allies, to take his son and daughter to safety, using the Sewers of Hewler to lead them out of the battlefield, and into safety, and the escape was made just in time. For it is said that Rojda, the daughter of King Kardox heard the screams of her mother, killed by The Jash Leader himself. King Kardox were not able to protect his wife from the Jash Leader. Within the hallowed halls of Hewler’s royal castle, the final chapter of this horrifying saga unfolded. King Kardox, his body bearing the scars of countless battles, stood resolute, facing the Jash Leader, the embodiment of his nation’s torment and the murderer of his beloved wife. The two adversaries locked eyes one last time, their swords poised to deliver justice, vengeance, or a cruel twist of fate.

With a clash that reverberated through the annals of time, their blades met, an eruption of sparks igniting the palpable tension. Their duel was more than a mere clash of steel; it was the culmination of a bitter feud, a collision of destinies entwined inextricably with the fate of Hewler and the Kurdish people. In that fateful moment, as the dust of battle swirled around them, the Jash Leader, heavy-hearted but unrelenting, delivered the decisive strike. His sword found its mark, piercing King Kardox’s heart.

The valiant king fell, his life’s essence seeping into the unforgiving earth. King Kardox’s sacrifice signaled the end of an era, a beacon of unwavering courage amidst the tempestuous tides of war. Hewler had fallen, but the spirit of the Kurdish people endured, a testament to their resilience and unyielding determination in the face of adversity. The Battle of Hewler did not deliver the victory the Kurds so desperately sought. Instead, it concluded in another heart-wrenching defeat, and the once-proud nation of Kurdistan crumbled beneath the relentless tide of Zuhak’s forces. With Hewler’s fall, a dark chapter commenced in which the Kurdish people endured a massive genocide, a tragedy of unspeakable proportions that would leave scars that span generations.