Greenskin Invasion

The Conflict

Prelude

For decades the Border Lords of the Holy Kingdom of Caresnas had held back the tribes of orcs and goblins that had attempted to cross the Barrier Mountains. They had been helped in this by soldiers sent by the King of Caresnas who demanded the other Lords supply a levy of troops each year.

Before the invasion by Tanai Cuinsear

Following the corruption and restoration of the state religion in Caresnas, the Lords of the land were divided over who should take over (the one thing they could agree on was it shouldn't by Ashrim LeFaye who had claimed the capital of Shaon. With no ruler to insist on them sending troops, the various Lords kept their soldiers on their own lands and the defences at the border passes began to weaken.
Both the Kingdom of Filishar and the Empire of Trem had noticed the lack of leadership in Caresnas and had begun making a push to seize some of Caresnas' territory, dragging away any soldiers that might have been sent to reinforce the passes.
The lack of fresh soldiers arriving at the border fortresses did not go unnoticed by the orcs and goblins of the Savage Lands, and it did not take long for a leader to emerge with plans for a massive invasion.

The Engagement

Assault on the passes

Roth 300 - Mids 300

Stage 1 of the Invasion by Tanai Cuinsear

The conflict began with both of the border fortreses in the Barrier Mountains being hit at the same time with huge warbands of orcs and goblins. A third attack was launched against the dwarves of the Magrannor Halls but the stout warriors of Clan Magrannor were able to turn the greenskins back.

Rather than siege equipment, which was not suited to the mountain trails, the greenskins brought ogres. The ogres were heavily armoured to protect them from the defenders' arrows and they proved more effective than a battering ram for breaking through the gates of the human fortresses. Though the humans put up a valiant defence they were no match for the numbers they were facing and both of the Border Barons decided to retreat. The retreat was a bloody affair and barely 1 in 20 soldiers made it out of the mountains and onto the plains.

The initial rush

Armin 300 - Midum 300

Messengers were sent in every direction to warn the nearby lords of the invasion, but many of the messengers were chased down by goblins riding on the back of wolves. Those messengers who did get through were met with disbelief or suspicions that this was a plot to undermine the local lord.

Stage 2 of the Invasion by Tanai Cuinsear

The lords soon learned different as the greenskins began swarming over the plains, burning villages, and destroying fields that were just ready for planting. The towns were soon flooded with those seeking shelter and many lords were forced to close their gates to prevent the influx of people from devouring their meagre stores.
Despite the greenskins having the advantage from the speed of their assault and sheer numbers, their advance slowed after the initial rush. While effective, the charge onto the plains had been largely uncoordinated and it took time for some semblence of order to be reestablished in the greenskin horde. This gave time for messages to reach the southern parts of Caresnas with requests for aid, but the nobles on the southern borders were unwilling to send much help as any weakening of their forces invited further attacks from Trem and Filishar.

The hundred sieges

Ling 300 - Himer 301

Stage3 of the invasion by Tanai Cuinsear

With their forces once again acting in a coordinated manner, the greenskins began attacking the fortified towns that had survived the initial rush. These towns had been designed to defend against attacks from the rulers of other towns during the early days of Caresnas and they were not prepared a foe that was willing to sacrifice huge numbers of troops to breach the walls, or for the use of ogres and trolls.

With multiple towns under siege at once, and roving bands of orcs attacking any messengers, there were no reinforcements available to break the sieges and town after town fell. The rulers of Filishar and Trem and no idea about the invasion and took advantage of the disruption in Caresnas to capture more territory, though they both claimed to be restoring order and protecting their borders during a time of disruption.
Nothing attracts more warriors to an orc warband better than news of ongoing victories so there was no shortage of additional tribes coming to join the invasion. Rather than just moving south, the tribes spread out east and west, aiming to take the easier targets before attempting a siege of the capital.

The Loss of Shaon

Sush 301 - Saum 301
Located in the middle of Caresnas, the capital of Shaon had once been the best defended location in the country. However, the destruction caused by the overthrow of the corrupt church and the release of the Lord of the First had left it a shadow of it's former self. Controlled by the restored church and Ashrim LeFaye Shaon was regarded as being a rebellious city by the noble of the country but this hadn't stopped thousands of refugees fleeing there.
Perhaps foolishly Ashrim had sent what forces he had at his command to support the town of Irebridge when they called for help. This left the city with barely enough guards to maintain order. A small contingent of elven warriors who had been sent to support Kenuij Silverpetal were asked to help provide some training for a hastily aseembled force of volunteers but it was clear that Shaon would not be able to withstand a siege.
Rather than try to hold onto the city, Ashrim ordered an evacuation as the greenskin forces began to turn to the south. Kenuij and the wizard Rowan were sent out with Kenuij's guards to try to delay the enemy advance. Ordinarily two people would be able to do little against an army, but these were the most powerful druid and wizard in the kingdom.

Rowan and Kenuij succeeded in slowing the advance of the orcs and goblins, giving the people of Shaon time to escape. However, the volunteer army that had been formed stubbornly refused to retreat and vowed to make the greenskins bleed for every street. While the volunteers gave accounting of themselves their efforts were doomed to failure and within a couple of weeks the the last vestiges of resistance in the city had been snuffed out.

Stage 4 of the invasion by Tanai Cuinsear

The capture of Shaon was a huge boost to morale in the greenskin forces and dealt an equally devastating blow to the people of Caresnas. The nobles began to talk about appealing to other lands for.aid, but they struggled to agree on who should negotiate on their behalf.

A Threat to Everyone

Midum 301 - Himer 302

Stage 5 of the Invasion. by Tanai Cuinsear

Following the capture of Shaon the greenskins continued their advance south. At the southern end of Caresnas those who had fled from the north had set up a line of forts to help hold off the orcs. As the orcs were more interested in easy victories they focused more of their attacks on the south-east and south-west and started to come in contact with the forces of Filishar and Trem. The armies of both countries were unprepared for the savagwry of the orcs and were quickly pushed back out of Caresnas and into their own lands.

Over to the east both Clan Magrannor and Kingdom of the Forest were holding their own but there seemed to be no end in sight for the conflict. Excited by the idea of conquest, all the orc and goblin tribes had set aside their usual hostility for each and were moving with a single will. On the other hand, the so called civilised lands were unable to bring utilise their full armies as each felt the need to protect their borders from their neighbours.

An Unexpected Offer

Sush 302 - Tend 303

The war was going badly for the Caresnas, Filishar, and Balri when Helin Silma, Queen of the Kingdom of the Forest unexpectedly approached the Emperor of Trem with the offer of an alliance. Rather than rely on messengers, Helin travelled to Trem to negotiate personally, against the wishes of her advisors. Desperate for aid, the Emperor agreed to a truce between their lands and for Helin to act as an intermediary for negotiating with the other lands.

Stage 6 of the Invasion. by Tanai Cuinsear

True to her word, Helin sent soldiers to assist Trem while she travelled to Balri and Filishar to negotiate further agreements. Though Balri was not immediately threatened, Helin manage to secure the services of both soldiers and battlemages to help halt the greenskin advance. Helin then travelled to Caresnas where she met with Kenuij who, though an elf, had become the defacto ruler. After securing promises of recompense for Trem and Filishar Helin assumed overall command over the united forces.

The Counter Attack

Roth 303 - Midum 303
With six lands now working together the tide began to turn against the greenskins. The well drilled soldiers of the Empure were deployed to hold back the orcs and goblins while the elves attacked with their bows and magic, and Filishar deployed it's cavalry to counter the goblin wolf riders. The displaced people of Caresnas were used to hold the numerous fortresses that were swiftly built to secure areas reclaimed by the allies, with support provided by Balri's battlemages.
With a combined force of elves and dwaves pushing from the east and a fleet from Filishar harassing any greenskins near the coast the orcs and goblins found themselves facing threats from three sides. A string of losses began to erode the enthusiasm of the orcs and several of the more cautious chieftains carefully withdrrew their tribes back to the savage lands. As the losses began to mount the old rivalries between the tribes began to emerge and the greenskin army began to tear itself apart. Seizing the opportunity the allied nations drove the orcs and goblins back into the savage lands.

Outcome

Orcs and Goblins

The orc and goblin tribes were severely weakened with only a handful making back into the Savage Lands. Those who did make it bacj struggled to survive against the numerous large beasts that wandered the lands.

Holy Kingdom of Caresnas

Caresnas was devastated by the invasion, with only a fraction of the population having survived the attack. While some territory was conceeded to Trem and Filishar this didn't matter much as there weren't enough people left alive to claim the land. The survivors clustered together near Shaon and other large towns like Alling and Nyrmouth and it was nearly a century before the kingdom was truly reestablished. Kenuij Silverpetal stepped aside as leader turning rulership back over to the humans, though he remained as an advisor and High Druid of Caresnas.

Balri, Filishar, and Trem

While these three lands suffered some loses they mostly managed to keep the conflict out of their lands. Filishar and Trem enjoyed developed more cordial relations and when Balri began trying to push into the north again the the two countries joined forces to repel this new invasion.

Kingdom of the Forest and Clan Magrannor

Following the war both of these countries experienced several decades of peace with Caresnas and Trem. They also developed closer ties with each other with an increase in trade between the two lands.

Aftermath

While the six nations which had allied together against the northen threat had seen the benefits of working together, the newfound spirit of cooperation only lasted a few decades. However, many historians view stories about this brief period of cooperation as oen of the drivers behind the idea of The Alliance several thousand years later.

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

8 Roth 300 SF (Since Founding of Caresnas)

Ending Date

23 Midum 303 SF

Calendar	Start Year	End Year
Dwarven	56 C3	59 C3
Elven	136 RH	139 RH

The Dwarven Front

For the first couple of years of this conflict the greenskins made repeated attempts to break through the dwarven defences. While the greenskins were successful in breaching the surface defences the dwarves were able to withdraw to the safety of their halls. When the poor logistics of the greenskin forces forced them to leave to scavenge for food the dwarves would emerge and retake the surface defences. As the war progressed the dwarves received reinforcements from the Kingdom of the Forest in exchange for a supply of weapons.

Defence of the Forest

After swarming over eastern Caresnas the greenskins were halted at the outer edges of the Ancient Kingdom of the Forest. Rather than trying to meet the greenskins head on, the elves of the forest lured them into traps and ambushes and rarely engaged in melee. The few attempts the greenskins made to chop down or burn the trees were met with withering hails of arrows, poison slipped into their supplies, and the quiet assassination of any chieftains foolish enough to make themselves known. A massed assault proved enough more disasterous for the greenskins as the close packed warriors made an excellent target for the elven mages.

Winter Warfare

As yhe first winter of the conflict approached the noble of Caresnas began to hope that the weather would grant them a brief respite. Unfortunately for them the orcs and goblins were used to their summers being colder than the winters in Caresnas. They were also used to finding food in a land far more barren so the attacks continued unabated throughout the winter months.

Helin Silma

Although Helin's actions in negotiating an alliance between the besieged nations are undoubtedly what led to victory it was not a popular move in the Kingdom of the Forest. Helin was criticised for sacrificing elven lives to save the lesser races and for not allowing the orcs and goblins to remove the threat of the humans. This was not the first or last controversial decision would make, but with the benefit of hindsight most historians would agree that Helin's decisions were generally for the best.
Filishar, Trem, Balri, and Caresnas were far more appreciative of Helin's actions than her own people. Each country created monuments to Helin and sent gifts of appreciation for both her wisdom in creating an alliance, and her leadership in battle.

Progress of the Invasion in Maps

Before the Greenskin invasion.png

Territory held prior to the greenskin invasion. Created in Wonderdraft

Greenskin invasion 1.png

Stage 1 of the Invasion. Created in Wonderdraft

Greenskin invasion 2.png

Stage 2 of the Invasion. Created in Wonderdraft

Greenskin invasion 3.png

Stage 3 of the Invasion. Created in Wonderdraft

Greenskin invasion 4.png

Stage 4 of the Invasion. Created in Wonderdraft

Greenskin invasion 5.png

Stage 5 of the Invasion. Created in Wonderdraft

Greenskin invasion 6.png

Stage 6 of the Invasion. Created in Wonderdraft