Battle of Thaylen Field
The Battle of Thaylen Field is a climactic engagement in Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive, fought outside the city of Thaylen City on the southern coast of Roshar. It marks the culmination of the early war against the resurgent forces of Odium.
Background
As Odium's power returned to Roshar with the awakening of the Everstorm, the newly re-formed Knights Radiant rallied the threatened nations under a coalition. Thaylen City, a major Thaylen port, became the site of a decisive confrontation when Odium moved against it, deploying the Fused, the Thunderclasts, and armies of corrupted singers.
The battle
The defenders, including newly sworn Knights Radiant, fought against overwhelming odds as the city was assaulted by Odium's forces. A central thread of the battle was the contest of wills surrounding Dalinar Kholin, whom Odium sought to claim as a champion. Dalinar's refusal to yield, and his act of opening a perpendicularity that drew in allied power, turned the course of the fighting and allowed the defenders to prevail.
Significance
The Battle of Thaylen Field marked the first major defeat dealt to Odium in the renewed war and the formal re-establishment of the Knights Radiant as a force on Roshar. It set the stage for the larger conflict and the contest of champions that would define the later books of The Stormlight Archive.