Holy Orcish Invasion
The Holy Orcish Invasion was a major ongoing conflict between the Sivatag orcs led by Orok the Zealot and Morenthyr. Unlike the Orcish Migration a few generations earlier, the orcs in this second invasion were much more organized and religiously motivated.
After strong initial success, the invasion fractured as orcs fought among one another. Countries across Khalon united together to push out the cannibalistic orcs. Considered to be evil savages, all of Khalon united to destroy the orcish threat. While most orcs returned to Sivatag, a hardened group of true believers has since established themselves in the Central Badlands, promising future conflict with the orcs is on the horizon.
Destruction of the Lhyso Plains
Fall of Thal’Vigilus
The fall of Thal’Vigilus was the first battle of the Second Orcish Invasion. With support of Kalari merchants, orcs were able to infiltrate the city, lowering the bridge to Sivatag. This precipitated attacks from both the east and west. Orcish hordes crossed the bridge led by the Komor Meg, inflicting heavy casualties. Feyher Szin meanwhile had crossed the Great Divide and attacked from the east. The Feyher Szin suffered heavy casualties, but managed to hold off a late breakout attempt by the surrounded elven garrison. The southern half of the city fell within a few hours, however nearly a thousand soldiers burned all the bridges connecting to the central fort, beginning a long siege. After the battle, the orcs led by Xago of the Komor Meg burned the bridge connecting to the northern plateaus, trapping four thousand Thyrians.March to Shemmar
Following the fall of Thal’Vigilus, bands of the orcish horde began to march northward, razing anything in their path. Loosely associated, twenty bands each consisting of around 2,000 orcs headed north, fanning out to cover around forty miles. First heading to the elven town of Ummanora, the orcs pillaged and looted nearly every farm they came across. The sky darkened with smoke from burning homesteads. In a surprising show of diplomacy, a leading Wise One negotiated an agreement with the Thyrian Magistrate to turnover control of the town in exchange for their lives. Given an hour, the entire population of the town (approx. 1,500) gathered what they could and fled east. Ummanora was then occupied by orcish forces. Accelerating their pace, the orcish bands headed towards Nymserin. A division of Elaxian cavalry surprised one of the forward bands, inflicting heavy casualties at the Battle of the Red Cliffs. Needing time to regroup, the orcish thrust was delayed. Thyrian forces thus had time to evacuate most civilians in northern Lhyso before burning down Nymserin. Huge swaths of farmland were also put to the torch in an attempt to starve out the orcish invaders. From Nymserin, the orcs marched the final ninety-five miles to Shemmar. They were slowed by large flames which engulfed much of the Lhyso Plains. It is here Orok called for a reorganization of the Holy Orcish Horde, delegating responsibilities to individuals rather than making every decision via council. After a large prayer, rain finally fell, extinguishing the flames. The orcs were then able to complete their march north.Kalari-Orcish Concordat
Before laying siege to Shemmar, leaders of the Holy Orcish Horde crossed the Velesere to meet with Kalari representatives who had come south. The Khurul met with Jaji Mbeku, a leading figure among the Kalari. He explained why the Kalari were anti-Thyrian, and they forged an alliance to fight the elves together. Offering both guides and war elephants, the partnership appeared off to a promising start. In exchange, the Kalari were promised protection by the Horde. A large celebration was then thrown, cementing the alliance. This meeting happened just north of Shemmar in a forest clearing.Battle of Shemmar
With Kek Bor attacking from the river and other clans attacking the walls, Shemmar was besieged on all sides. Attacking at night, Kalari war elephants and battlemages battered down the city walls. The Kek Bor brought great honor to themselves, killing thousands of elves while facing much greater numbers. Most were killed, but the elves were routed, with survivors attempting to flee on ships. Fireballs were used to shoot down a majority of the ships, but some were able to make it out.Sulgha Or
The orca celebrated the first rains of the wet season in Shemmar. Split over two days, the horde celebrated its recent victories and celebrated the Zilmug. With the orclings celebrating their age of growth, they presented the Elf ears of their kills. Others made saddles out of elf skin as well as skin suits for a play.Discovery in Ryanor
In Ryanor, the Holy Orcish Horde found a town abandoned. Surrounded by three mounds and a large garbage dump, it soon became clear the town was a dumping ground for the elves living within Theyennor. After scouts visiting the dump did not return, the Great Council explored the dump, finding a dangerous being living within it. Known locally as the ‘Recycler,’ this being was ravenously hungry. Communicating with telepathy, Sheebad convinced the creature to join the Horde, naming it Happy and building a large belt umbrella for it.Entering the Jungle
The horde reached the jungle edge at the beginning of Sun’s Height. Converting some wagons into rafts, their initial plan was to march alongside the river while floating supplies alongside. This changed however after the march began. From behind every tree, elves fired arrows at the invading army, picking off orcs here and there. While most were apprehended, the orcs were inexperienced at dealing with this jungle warfare. When camping, an attempted assassination attempt on Orok was staved off only with the help of the Ucmagai. Many orcs began to call for a return to Sivatag, believing the invasion was a mistake. It was only at the intervention of Donkey Tail, the High Priest of Orozlan who was able to convince the orcish soldiers to continue.Capture of Evresemel
The largest Thyrian to fall to the Holy Orcish Horde was Evresemel. Sitting along the Velesere River, the orcs attacked the city in a coordinated attack from its north. The elves were defeated quickly, with most of its inhabitants being slaughtered. Around four thousand were able to take refuge in the Endaril Temple along the edge of the Velesere. Besieged inside, the elven goddess Dagora intervened, creating a path of light for the trapped elves to escape over the river on. The battle won, Evresemel would serve as the headquarters for the Holy Orcish Horde until its final defeat in 1442.Voros Kal Prison Camp
A small contingent of leaders among the horde went to the old prison once used as a testing facility on the Voros Kal. The Wise Ones Shagbad and Ushat had identified it as a place with a very strong connection to the Otherworld. Contact with these Wise Ones had been lost prior to departure, leading some to fear for their safety. On the way, they ran into a rambunctious group of monkeys. Shebad, a ranger among the party, spoke with them and identified their leader as Humba-Wumba (Female). They made a deal that in exchange for ‘shinies’ and food, the monkeys would lead them to the prison ruins. The monkeys refused to get too close however, citing some sort of danger. The prison camp seemed abandoned, however upon entering the central building the orcs found some signs of life: disturbed dust, and as they went further they stumbled upon a den of sleeping ogres. Led by Shagbad, who had been forcibly injected with a foul concoction, these ogres attempted to kill the Ucmagai. They were unsuccessful however, and the mutated orcs were defeated. Ushat and her orcish guard Vurbag were rescued by the Ucmagai, telling them about the close connection between Ucmag and the prison camp. With this information, the leaders of the Holy Orcish Horde then transitioned over into the Otherworld.The Otherworld
Upon crossing over, Ogha quickly realized something was wrong. Trapped in a bubble of Shagbad’s creation, the Ucmagi had to fight their way out to reach the true other side. Once in Ucmag, these brave orcs headed for Ragash, the first true Orc. To their horror, he was stuck in a repeating loop. Ragash kept trying to save Orozlan in their final battle together, where the last of the centaur mages locked him away. After countless loops, the Ucmagai were able to break through to Ragash and free him from the loop. With the help of an Elven convert, the party reached the center of the Otherworld and Ragash was able to procure a talon of Orozlan. Its purpose: to stab into Taure’s trunk, allowing Orozlan to break free from his imprisonment.Return of the Ucmagai
The leaders of the orcish horde who traveled to the Otherworld (Ucmag) for three years and returned began to be known as the Ucmagai, a legendary group of heroes among those faithful to the Way of Orok. Their return harkened a renewed offensive for the Holy Orcish Horde, which had been in a stalemate since early 1441. This offensive culminated in the Ucmagai traveling to Thal’Narius, capital of Morenthyr. There, the Ucmagai spread chaos and fear, poisoning and murdering innocents while pinning the blame on others in the city. In one event, the High Priest Iljig Suul (Donkey Tail) poisoned the sacramental chalice at a small Lysandrian Church in the Promenade. Upon drinking from the chalice, twenty-one children died after writhing in agony. Black poison filled their veins, with the Ucmagai returning following the poisoning to blame the elven government. Their undoing began with showing their true faces to Brother Alton, an elven cleric at the church. The Ucmagai’s nefarious plot ended in a massacre at the Temple to the Pantheon during the Festival of Taure. With thousands of unarmed worshippers in the building, the Ucmagai began a massacre leading to over six hundred dead. The physical bodies of the Ucmagai died during the massacre, but this was not the end. Instead, the Ucmagai used the hundreds of dead elves as a bridge to the Elven afterlife. Here, they traveled to Taure, a massive rooted tree from which all elven gods obtain their power.Elven Afterlife
Xago, one of the Ucmagai, took Orozlan’s talon and stabbed it deep into the trunk of Taure. The black poison from the talon slowly spread up and down the tree, with its leaves wilting and turning red. The collective cry from the dead was heard throughout the Jungles of Theynnor, where the trees began to lose their luster. Across Morenthyr, plants began to wither and die. Crops rotted on the vine, becoming inedible. Elven gardeners, the Elu, worked around the clock to save patches of holy ground, but much was lost.Return to Ucmag
The Ucmagai, bathing in the power drained from Taure, returned to Ucmag (the Otherworld). Empowered from their encounter, the Ucmagai broke Orozlan from his chains. However, word from recently deceased orcs stated that orcs on the material plane were struggling. These spirits spoke of a crusade launched by a joint coalition of Khalonian races. Humans, elves, gnomes, dwarves, and halflings fought side-by-side to push back the orcish threat.Khalonian Coalition
Following the temple massacre, the corpses of the Ucmagai and their Halfling accomplice were put on display for the world to see. It was then that Brother Alton, a humble Lysandrian cleric, realized the truth. The Ucmagai had posed as friends showing interest in Lysandrianism. Under this false pretense, they poisoned dozens of innocent children on holy ground. Alton shared the news with the world. Alton along with other Lysandrian witnesses traveled to Lavenwall to speak to the College of Bishops. There, news spread quickly of the orcish deceit. At Socrest, representatives from the Kingdom of Ilyria, the Principalities of Trelios, the Fayaran Magocracy, the Dwarven Demarchy, Morenthyr, and the Gnomish Cavalcade signed a pact to defend Khalon from all external invaders. Those who would murder children and eat the flesh of sentient races would meet united opposition from Khalonians. With the blessings of Prelate Agatha, a crusade was called against the Holy Orcish Horde and their Kalari allies. A joint force of Human, gnomish, and dwarven soldiers sailed along the Kehowey river to the Kalar homeland. There, the crusade truly began. Leaving destruction in their wake, every building and farm found was torched. Children were captured and sent back to the east to be raised as proper Lysandrians. Some remnants fled into the badlands, but by mid-1443 Kalar was no more. The Khalonian coalition then besieged Shemmar, liberating the city and marching into Morenthyr. Both sides fought bitterly for land, taking no prisoners. The Holy Orcish Horde also faced a renewed offensive from elven soldiers in the east, who began to reclaim the jungles of Theynnor.Death of Orok
With the Holy Orcish Horde beset from all sides, a threat from the inside emerged. Yokul the ‘Orf’ had been taken prisoner by the orcs four years previously. He had spent that time spreading the word of Lysander. A small minority converted, but this group had a fanatic belief in their new god. With all of Khalon united against the orcs, Orok ordered the execution of the human and gnomish prisoners. Before her fellow Lysandrians could be killed, a secret convert named Vrutha stabbed Orok to death as he feasted. Vrutha was quickly subdued but it was too late. She was tortured for a fortnight before finally dying. Orok’s death led the Holy Orcish Horde to fracture into three. Those loyal to Orok’s vision were led by Morn, formerly of the Fehyer Szin. They were opposed both by Lysandrian converts and traditionalist orcs who believed it was time for the orcish people to return to Sivatag. These dissenters viewed leaving Sivatag a terrible mistake. The orcs had become corrupted by the wetlands and lost their honor. The idea that the high priest and leadership of their faith would poison children was too dishonorable for them to bear. After hearing of the heroic actions of Vrutha, the coalition entered talks with the Lysandrian converts, the Sarga Mar, who agreed to join the coalition. Vrutha was seen as a heroic martyr who sacrificed herself for the greater good, the epitome of Lysandrianism. In time, she would be declared a saint by the church. Compounding this, the dissenters took control of Thal’Vigilus, with most of their number fighting through enemy lines to return to Sivatag.Conclusion
Taure’s poisoning allowed Orozlan to finally be freed from his chains. The Ucmagai began to perform a ritual to return him to the material plane, only to see a blinding light appear across the horizon. A searing beam scorched the Orozlan’s shoulder, leaving a terrible burn. This was followed by tens of thousands of Lysandrian angels who poured into Ucmag. Orcish spirits across Ucmag joined together to fight these angels into a stalemate. In the midst of this battle, Orozlan suddenly disappeared. Besieged on all sides, Morn launched a desperate retreat north. Crossing the Ettrian Heights, ten thousand orcs escaped to central badlands. Breaking apart into small groups, they fanned out to survive in this barren land. While at times they bickered among one another, one thing united them all. On the peak of Mt. Keralis, a miracle occurred. Mazoga, mate of Xago, gave birth to a chimera. Orozlan had returned to the material plane due to the unrelenting Ucmagai. Their God was still with them, they were the only true orcs. It was only a matter of time before they would return to avenge themselves on the wetlands.
Included Conflicts
Conflict Type
War
Start Date
1439
Ending Date
1444
Conflict Result
Thyrian Pyrrhic Victory
Belligerents
Strength
Casualties
Objectives
Taure, Head of the Endaril.
Taure after being stabbed by Orozlan's Talon.
Khalonian Coalition Troop Movements
Orozlan following his rebirth.
Comments