Liberation of Nettlemurk Hall

The Liberation of Nettlemurk Hall was a major siege between the assembled forces of Clan Velgrund and its allies and the orc defenders of Nettlemurk Hall

The Conflict

Prelude

In Elient of 1436, a splinter faction of orcs from the Kingdom of Many-Arrows seiged and subsequently conquered Nettlemurk Hall after its defenses had already been weakened by the black dragon Voaraghammanthar in Hammer of that same year.
While the orcs settled into their new home, renaming it to Gra Krazdagh, or Swampsbane Hold in Common, the Hall's original owners, the dwarven Clan Velgrund, became an exiled people, with only around 200 of its original 3000 clanmembers surviving.
For the next decade and a half, Clan Velgrund roamed in exile from dwarven stronghold to stronghold, eventually being given leniancy to settle outside of Neverwinter in 1450.
In 1451, Mt. Hotenow errupted, marking the beginning of the Chaos in Neverwinter. However, Clan Velgrun saw opprotunity in the destruction, and resettled inside the city walls, forming their own internal neighborhood community of the Burrows.
In 1469, Dagult Neverember began the New Neverwinter project, investing hundreds of thousands of gold into rebuilding the city with himself as its leader. As part of the project, Lord Neverember entered into an agreement with King Baramir Velgrund, giving the dwarves limited automony in the Burrows in exchange for their cooperation in rebuilding the Neverwinter. The king agreed, and this moment marked the beginning of a tense but friendly relationship between Lord Neverember, who wanted unquestioned control over his city, and King Velgrund, who was reluctant to be seen as a puppet to Neverember as opposed to a king in exile.
While ine exile, the dwarves of the clan were encouraged to take jobs outside of the Burrows in order to bring money back to the clan for the purchasing of weapons and armor and the training of soldiers. Due to their depleted numbers, Clan Velgrund also allowed clanless dwarves or members of other clans to join them, though doing so meant following the same requirements of loyalty and fealty as the other clan members. The cosmopolitan nature of their exile also led to Velgrund Clan members marrying outside of their race and subsequently the inclusion of non-dwarves among the clan's members.
After decades of political allying, training, and preparation, Clan Velgrund, now under the leadership of Queen Lyssanora Velgrund, marched from Neverwinter with their allies in 1547 to retake Nettlemurk Hall. While a few members of the clan stayed in the city, most were ordered to abandon anything they couldn't take with them as the dwarves would either die fighting or would retun to their home of old, but they would not return.

The Engagement

For weeks, the allies of Clan Velgrund surrounded the stronghold, deploying sappers, catapults and ballistaes to weaken the orcs defenses.
The key turning point came when members of the Heroes of Saltmarsh, Necian Arrzen, Lyra, Micah Pierce, and Mogran Oredelver, a member of Clan Velgrund and the clan's chief artificer and advisor, hatched a bold plan to be flung into a ventelation shaft of the stronghold via a hollow boulder flung by a catapult.
Though remarkably dangerous, the Heroes survived and fought their way into the stronghold's throne room, where they slew Bhodgav the Venomous, the tribal chief of the orcs, shattering the defenders moral and turning the tide of battle.

Historical Significance

Legacy

Though retaking their home was the fulfilment of a century-long promise, Clan Velgrund's victory was not without any worries for the future. For the orcs of Nettlemurk Hall, or Gra Krazdagh, a century was more than enough time for generations of tribesmen to call the stronghold their own home, and decades of architectural changes contributed to making hold feel like their own.
Though they were routed, only time will tell if the Clan Velgrun victory will spur a similar drive amongst the orcs to retake what they see as their own land by right.

Conflict Type

Siege

Start Date

1547

Ending Date

1547

Conflict Result

Clan Velgrund emerged victorious and reconquered its ancesteral home

Location

Nettlemurk Hall