Invasion of Warchief Drebok
The invasion of Drebok was the collective name for an aggressive campaign into the Dwarvish, Gnomish and Halfling land of Korosk, to the North of Bandoor.
Throughout their history, the dwarves were well versed in combat with the orcs. Occasionally, warbands of orcs would range from Orgoth, an island to the northeast of Bandoor. Their potential was limited by the orcs seeming inability to work together, and most would crash into the mountains of Korosk without much bothering the Dwarves who lived there.
That was, until, the invasion of Warchief Drebok. In one campaign lasting two years, the warchief managed to organise a full scale orcish invasion of the Dwarven lands, one that very nearly brought the The Kingdom of Korosk to it's knees.
The Conflict
Prelude
Orgoth is a small island to the northwest of Korosk, and was well known as an island of orc, half-orc and goblin tribes. They would, and have, by in large kept to themselves throughout their long history, but occasionally an upstart tribe would tire of conflicts with their neighbours and would instead attempt to cut their teeth in the Dwarvish lands. These would, for the most part, crash against the mountain kingdom without much answer required. Warchief Drebok was different however, in an important way. Most orcs saw half-orcs and goblins with whom they shared their island as debase and not worth their time. The warchief viewed them in the same way, although did not limit his military ambition to orcs. Prior to his invasion, the warchief led an aggressive campaign of enslavement of half-orcs and goblins, as well as any orc tribes who allied with them. He saw these as meatshields, paving the way for the chosen of Grummsh, the orcs, to claim their dominance of Timor. In a short campaign preceding his invasion, Warchief Drebok systematically raided and destroyed the lands of the half orcs and goblins and enslaved their occupants, and in doing so created an enormous unwilling vanguard for his invasion. Another key for the warband was the presence of Shura Shum, an extremely powerful warlock - personally chosen of Grummsh. His offensive magic was key in securing victories, and his favour with his deity allowed him to summon daemons to replenish the warband's ranks. He was cruel above anyone else, and became an extremely feared figure amongst dwarves and slaves alike.
Deployment
The warband landed at Iskor, the furthest northern city of the Dwarves, and the one most affected by Orcish raids. It was hundreds of thousands strong. Although some raids would have, in the past, ended here at the axes of the experienced Iskorian dwarves - the warchief broke the city within a week of arriving there, and subjugated its citizens. This was alarming to the surrounding dwarven settlements who attempted to prepare, all too late.
Battlefield
Around Iskor, the next cities to fall were Kostroma and Velsk, the next most southern dwarven settlements. Although they held out longer, they eventually fell.
The warband raged south, destroying as they went. The enslaved populations of the settlements that they took would become part of the war machine, churning out weapons and engines of war for the Warchief. Shura Shum was instrumental in these victories, shrouding the attacking army in thick fog that they were able to see through, and calling vast hordes of demons to arise often from the mountains under the cities themselves. As they conquered he became more powerful, and more blood thirsty.
As the dwarves became more and more prepared with each conquest, the warband took longer to conquer each one, but they did. By the time the warband took Salvat, only 60 miles north of Koyevo, the dwarves knew they were in trouble and evacuated all surrounding cities to the capital to consolidate their defence. They had also drawn the halflings and gnomes to the city to make a final defence.
When the warband arrived, however, King Volshek Korosk felt that all was lost. So vast and so hungry for conquest where the invaders, now bolstered by daemons, he felt that it would just be a matter of time until they broke through the capital. The king resolved to warn the northern Bandoori Imperial cities, and try to afford them as much time as possible to prepare. The evening before the battle, the dwarves toasted their long-lasting kingdom, expecting it to be consigned to history.
The Engagement
Unbeknown to the King, however, in the slave camps outside Koyevo, a goblin named Gimbeltrex and a half-orc named Urkol Gorthraz were conspiring. The former was due to lead the 'sappers', a vanguard force of goblins with bombs attached to them who were to throw themselves at the walls of the cities. The latter would be tasked with leading a faction of berserkers, half-orcs who would be sent into the front line of the battle in a suicide squad.
Gimbletrex had, however, learned how to remove the bombs from his sappers. He did so, and planted them in the ground of the hill leading to the great gate of Koyevo. He tasked his best rogue, Slazik, with sneaking to the dwarven settlement and warning the defenders at the gate not to engage the berserkers when they arrived. He told them the plan, Slazik would detonate a bomb on a statue near the gate, leading the Orcs to believe the gate had been breached when they heard an explosion and clatter of rubble. Urkol's berserkers would run to the gate, but not engage with the defenders, instead clashing swords with each other and shouting war cries to further the illusion of a battle.
Once the main force approached the gate, satisfied that the suicide berserkers had weakened the defenders, Gimbletrex would detonate the bombs under them, severing the vanguard of the main force from the rest of it. The berserkers who had been lying in wait would ambush the vanguard, at the same time as the rest of the slaves (in whom Urkol had been sowing discord in for months, would rise up and attack the main force they were with. At this point, the dwarves would charge forth and attack the reeling main force.
The plan worked perfectly, and the assault on Koyevo was crushed. The vanguard fell under the blades of Urkol and his berserkers, and the main force was not prepared to defend a slave uprising, particularly as they reeled from the explosions that had separated them from their vanguard. Much to his humiliation, Warchief Drebok was forced to flee to keep a chance of retaining any of his horde.
Shura Shum, climbing a hill overlooking the city in a rage, attempted to open a portal to The Abyss. This would invite a free flow of demons into Timor and possibly spell the end of the material plane. A small group of half-orc berserkers and goblin operatives were dispatched to deal with him. What happened to them is unknown and the subject of many songs, but it is known that they were never seen again - but neither was Shura.
Over the following months, the dwarves teamed with the now freed half-orcs, orcs and goblins. The dwarves sieged the taken cities, and the orcs lended their skills as gifted warriors to their cause. The goblin operatives, led by Gimbeltrex and featuring Slazik, led guerilla attacks on isolated camps of orcs as well as sabotaging defences and gates on the taken orc cities. The warband was fractured and demoralised after losing the bulk of their force at the battle of Koyevo.
Eventually, they made their last stand in Iskor, the northernmost port-city of the dwarves, where their invasion began. The dwarven and orcish fury, as well as the sabotage of the goblin operatives who had been grinding down their numbers for months, meant that the remnants of the warband were quick work for the coalition. Warchief Drebok attempted to flee in his personal ship back to Orgoth to regroup - but Gimbeltrex anticipated this move and was waiting for him in the captains quarters. The unsuspecting Warchief met his death when the Goblin sprung from the shadows and drove a dagger into his chest, careful to place it in such a way that the orc would not die instantly and would know what was happening and who killed him. Gimbletrex cut the warchief's head from his body, took as much as he could of the orc's prised possesions, planted an explosive and escaped in a lifeboat.
As Gimbletrex rowed back to shore to his people finishing off the last of the warband, and the warchiefs ship exploded and sank behind him, the Invasion of Warchief Drebok came to a bloody end.
Outcome
As soon as their victory was confirmed, King Volshek Korosk turned to rebuilding his kingdom his people. He toured the cities that had been taken by the Orcs, and assured them that they would never again be caught out like that. His perception changed, and he became much more pre-occupied with defence rather than the pursuit of gold and jewels.
The orcs, half-orcs and goblins were faced with a dilemma, as they did not have homes to go back to on Orgoth, and they did not know how they would be recieved there anyway. They mostly agreed that they would seek new homes in the south. To this end, King Volshek Korosk awarded them the island of Ordash, an abandoned Dwarven island. They led their people across the sea to this new home, and built their lives there, as The Tribal Union and The Free Goblins of Ordash.
Aftermath
The Kingdom of Korosk was changed forever by what they went through. Previously, they had been insular and secure in the arrogant belief that they didn't have to think about outside threats as their kingdom was solid. They had previously been unbothered by the affairs of others. This changed however, as they realised that they would need to be present and aware of the movements of their potential enemies. Rather than mining and smithing to the exclusion of all else, they would need to invest in defence. They became more aware of external politics, and for the first time they employed spies.
The goblins, orcs and half-orcs also changed, embracing their freedom in ways that they hadn't before. They became absolute in their determination to enjoy life and live as collaboratively as possible. Their societies became based around the propagation of freedom and the absolute abhorrence of tyranny and oppression.
Historical Significance
Legacy
Several heroes emerged from the campaign.
Primary amongst these were Gimbeltrex, who was awarded with the honorary title of 'King' of the Goblins, as well as Chief Urkol Gorthraz. These two were the instigators of the rebellion which led to the demise of the warband, and were revered as such.
Slazik was another key figure in the rebellion, operating as a right hand man to Gimbletrex and co-ordinating much of the guerilla warfare employed by the goblins. He didn't, however, enjoy his status as a hero and preferred to sink into the background in Goldack. He would go on to establish a criminal empire in the city, unable to detach himself from the scheming and underground operations he had excelled in during war-times.
Perhaps the greatest story to emerge from the war however, was that of the small band of warriors who bravely engaged Shura Shum and defeated him. The band was thrown together quickly when it became apparent what the warlock sought to do - and many fighters volunteered of their own volition to go and confront him. As such, many of the group were unknown. Gorban Baruk, Morthog Bur-Bal, Venderbrek, and Urval Thraka are amongst the confirmed members of the group.
None of them were ever seen again after their battle with the warlock, and given that his plans never came to fruition it was presumed that he had been killed - although this was never confirmed.
The group have ever since been honoured throughout the world, as people trust the dwarves in their account when they say that the warlock was trying to open an uncontrolled portal to The Abyss, an action which may have ended the world as a whole.
Particularly in Ordash and Korosk they are honoured, with a festival in their honour known as The Festival of the Saviours. Numerous statues exist of a faceless group or orcs and goblins, also meant to honour the unknown soldiers of the group.
Conflict Type
War
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
1820
Ending Date
1822
Conflict Result
Death of Warchief Drebok and presumed death of Shura Shum and annihilation of their warband.
Maps
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Timor
The world map of Timor, showing the main continents, and the world's major cities.
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