The
Neveren Orc Riots were a series of protests turned violent during the tailend of 1496 that exacerbated tensions between the
Orc and non-orc residents of
Neverwinter. Unbeknownst to nearly all involved, the riots and protests were encouraged by the
Aboleth S'gothgah, who manipulated city and orc leaders with the mind-dominating
Banesmark to spread chaos and fear as part of the greater
Banesmark Crisis.
The Conflict
Prelude
Following the eruption of Mt. Hotenow in 1451 that destroyed most of Neverwinter, a large contingent of of the northern neighborhoods of the city was conquered by raiding warbands from the Kingdom of Many-Arrows. Many of these orcs and Half-Orcs settled in the ruins of Neverwinter, acclimating themselves to the city and growing more politically and culturally distinct from their northern kin.
In 1468, Lord Dagult Neverember began his New Neverwinter project, rebuilding the city with himself as its new lord. While concessions were made to the Dwarves of Clan Velgrund, who had also settled in the city following its fall, to grant them autonomy in exchange for their aid in the reconstruction, no such deal was offered to the city's orcs. However, many orcs still moved into the city, eager to take advantage of the new coin and opprotunity the project offered.
For the next several decades, Neverwinter began to flourish again, though this prosperity was not felt by much of the city's orcish population that were increasingly treated poorly by city officials by people overtaxed and often excluded from many protections offered by the Neverwinter Guard. These complaints were spearheaded by the Neverwinter Assocation of Orcs (NAO), which was founded in 1475 to address these complaints through political protest and action.
Tensions began to worsen in the 1490s, following the Great Dragon War and the formation of the Neveren Alliance. These tensions were secretly worsened by the aboleth S'gothgah, who was infiltrating Neverwinter's various power structures by possessing select leaders and inflencers with the Banesmark, a magical symbol that enslaved those marked with it. These Banesmarked individuals put more pressure on the situation by targetting prominent figures with violence or harrassment, while Banesmarked figures on the other side would then demand violent retribution.
by Harris
On the 21st of Uktar, Lagakh Stonescar, leader of the NAO, was murdered, and the culprit was never found. Seeing this as another instance of the Neverwinter Guard refusing to aid, or decdiding to actively hurt, the orcish community, weeks of protests began. These protests gradually grew more and more violent as little action was done to appease the protestors, and Banesmarked individuals started pushing for drastic action to be taken.
On the 28 of Nightal, nearly coinciding with the
Attack on the Neveren Trade Fleet, members of the Neverwinter Guard were ordered to put down the protests by any means necessary, sparking violent resistance on the part of the protestors.
The attacks on the 28th were the most violent the riots became, with scattered and uncoordinated engagements between city guardsmen and protestors occuring throughout the night.
That same evening, Lord Neverwinter declared a state of emergency. As a result, the Neverwinter Guard increased its presence in the northern Neverwinter neighborhoods over the next several days, sparking more violence between guardsmen and residents.
While violent clashes did slow down following the 29th, either a result of the guards retalliation or the defeat of
S'gothgah at the
Attack on the Neveren Trade Fleet, but the full state of emergency would not be lifted until the 2nd of Hammer, 1497, when Lord Neverember invited neighborhood leaders and NAO members to discuss ways to quell the instability.
Historical Significance
The Neveren Orc Riots would be held up by both members of Orcish liberation movements as an example of the violence the state is willing to use to supporess them and by discriminatory Neverens, who saw the riots as an example of the danger orcs posed to the city.
While token concessions were made to the protestors, including a reinforcement of already standing (but hardly enforced) discrimination laws, many orcs and members of the NAO did not see these as going far enough to address the issues facing the city's orcish population.
One of the members of the riots, on the side of the protestors, was
Callum Nailsmith, an orc-raised
human and future member of the
Unstompables, the adventuring company that dispelled the
Curse of Clearhallow.
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