Overview
The Battle of Raindawn is Zharrek's assault on Raindawn as he drives the shapers west from Shroudvale toward the pass to Xalmyrra. Emperor Feng warns Jin Leiyun that Raindawn lies on the route to the pass toward Xalmyrra. Kaldaryn's main force is still moving through Linsothar and Shaoying, leaving Raindawn unable to hold against a full shaper army on its own.
Jin travels to Raindawn with Zhang, Master Han, and Isrynn. Kren splits off to guard the nearby pass. Yingshui commands Raindawn City from inside the defenses. Zhang proclaims Tianlei's return before the gathered soldiers, mages, and refugees, and Jin receives freely offered essence from their renewed belief.
Battle
Before the Battle of Raindawn begins, the shapers use the delay to replenish at clusters of essence towers. Jin scouts one of those sites, where Zharrek and his army are gathered. Zharrek is hunting the Zal'therak shard Malcairn took from its crystal prison; he wants Jin's shard of Tianlei instead and tries to force Jin to come with him.
Raindawn's defense uses walls, water channels, traps, tower platforms, cosmic barriers, divine shields, and water magic. Zharrek opens with meteor attacks, including one massive meteor that Jin breaks apart above the city. Yingshui, Master Han, Isrynn, Zhang, and Raindawn's mages hold the city. Jin pushes through the shaper line to fight Zharrek directly.
Jin initiates a heavy ambient-essence drain during his duel with Zharrek, and Zharrek mirrors it. Their combined essence drain withers the land, drains the nearby river, leaves nearby shapers as hollow husks, and damages Raindawn's walls and streets. Zharrek eventually withdraws with the surviving shapers. Most attackers near the pass are killed. A few shapers get through toward Xalmyrra.
Aftermath
Raindawn survives. Its outer walls are broken, its streets are scorched or split, and bodies lie throughout the ruins. Essence drain leaves hollowed dead inside the city, and Jin understands that his own overreach contributed to the devastation. Master Han overloads his essence to shield the city from the destructive backlash of Jin's clash with Zharrek. He refuses temporal delay, accepts his death, and dissolves into white essence after Tianlei acknowledges his sacrifice.
The renewed belief gathered in Raindawn gives Tianlei enough essence to speak again through Jin. Tianlei sends Jin east toward Skarnheim after Zharrek. Zhang, Isrynn, and Yingshui remain in Raindawn to rebuild.