The Centennial Wars

Content

• -1,982 until -1,774: The Centennial Wars
• -1,812 until -1,811: Fall of the Fortress of Khalm
• -1,878: Founding of the City of Gynk
• -1,777: Looting of Firnismill
• -1,776: The Fall of Naskur City
• -1,774: The Shadow Winter
• -1,702: Insurrections in Albar

-1,982 until -1,774: The Centennial Wars

The human cities war against eachother for over two hundred years. The other races are successful in staying out of the conflicts (except for various groups of mercenaries, of course). Towards the end of the Centennial Wars, an orcish warhorde takes the chance and loots settlements of humans and of halflings. Consequently, most of the towns and cities of the humans are vanquished and destroyed.

Towards the end of the conflict, there are only three of the previously five large human cities left: The capitols of the old realms Albar and Salkamar, and the independant pirate haven of Gynk, which was founded by war refugees. The wars were over, because Salkamar had sealed a pact to ensure no further attacks and future support to eachother, and to drive away the orcish horde. Finally, Albar also entered the pact in order to not be prone to the danger of facing war with the growing alliance of former enemies.

Because the orcish horde flees to Norodaj territories and lands in the middle between norsemen and dwarvenkind, they are obliterated.

-1,812 until -1,811: Fall of the Fortress of Khalm

After the long wars with the Salkamaerian border city Naskur, the legendary Albarian fortress Khalm (upon the mountain of Khalm, which shared its name with the city around the base of the mountain) is ambushed by an orcish warrior horde and falls under siege. It is cut within the time frame of a year. The Albarian army was currently away on an advance into Salkamaerian territory and was not ordered back for defence. It is said that the guardless and hungered-out (from the previous decade of war) city surrendered to the orcish warriors without battle.while only fifty defenders had held the fortress on the mountain for almost a whole year. The contemporary Lord Lhoderik of Khalm requested reinforcements from the Albarian king. It is said that he had cursed out loud for several days upon receiving the reply:

"We, Theoderich the II., son of the glorious Wieganth, inheriter of the old race of Onatheris, King of Albar and future conquerer of Salkamar, are not aware of any necessity to consider withdrawing our victorious forces from the borders of Salkamar.
We, Theoderich the II., deem it much more appropriate to place our full trust into the strength of your defenses. We would like to remind you that an equipped Albarian warrior, of which you should have hundreds, should be capable of facing the challenge of ten or even twenty of the barbaric creatures by yourselves, given a proper commanding.
Additionally, we notice regretfully that you again have failed your duty of paying the Tenth. We expect from you, servant, that you will soon comply to your duties."

According to legend, the severed head of Lhoderik of Khalm, who fell to the axe of an orcish warrior, was impaled on an orcish spear and even beyond death was cursing at the stupidity and arrogance of his king, and still under many curses, asked the orcs for the favour to beat the living hells out of Theoderich in order for him to finally find peace.

But because the orcish horde was defeated before they could near Albar, nothing became of it, and it is said that the spirit of Lhoderik still wanders cursingly through the ruins by full moon.

-1,878: Founding of the City of Gynk

The former refugee encampment of Gynk flourishes and forms an independant city by the year of -1,878.

-1,777: Looting of Firnismill

The orcish warhordes loot and set fire to the halfling town Firnismill and its surrounding territory. The motives behind these acts are to gather provisions for the planned war against Albar and to send slaves back to their home grounds.

The halflings in the area are subjugated, but they organise themselves in an effective underground resistance movement. Their sheer toughness and thick-headedness causes them to actually garner respect from their occupiers.

Orcish proverbs from the time say:
"A dead halfling is honored by hundreds,"
"The loudest tyrant dies by a fist in his sleep,"
and "Trust no cook who is your slave."

Merely two months later, a legion of elvenkind and dwarves arrives, which in the name of the Aramon-Alliance attempts to drive the orcish horde out of Firnismill. They are supported by a very angry mob of halflings.

-1,776: The Fall of Naskur City

The fortified Salkamaerian city Naskur was already severely weakened by a gruelling siege beset upon them by the Albarian army. It is destroyed by an orcish warhorde that had surprisingly rained from the lands of the halflings. At first, the orcs had vanquished the remains of the besiegeing Albarian army, and then in the same day, they had continued looting in the city, swiftly bursting into it.

The orcish hore was closely followed by a small army, consisting of elves, dwarves, and strangely armed halflings, who in turn fell into the city to drive the orcs away. The so far less damaged buildings meet their destruction in this course of action.

Unable to withstand the intruders, Salkamar allies with the free city of Gynk. This alliance sends new troupes to Naskur, but they do not encounter orcs there, and instead they meet the elves and dwarves. This results in new hostilities. The rumour went around that the orcs were only the vanguard for the elves and dwarves. The elves see no reason for hostilities, but their dwarven allies deem their honor tarnished, which is a fact that the elvenkind can easily comprehend. Finally, the Aramon-Alliance denied any support in the continued pursuit of the orcs.

Only by the autumn of -1,774, the remains of the united forces of Salkamar and Gynk, assisted by an armoured troupe of riders from Albar, manage to fully drive the orcs away.

The remains of the orcish horde retreat to the Norodaj areas, but already after looting two more towns, the Norodaj and dwarves drive them away again.

-1,774: The Shadow Winter

In the year of -1,774, a plague of famine breaks out in the city of Albar in winter. It is stated within old records that the Albarian King Theoderich the II. had ordered to multiply the Tenth by five, because his corn and treasure reserves had emptied (the reason hitherto was that these resources were spent on his legions). In consquences to this act, nearly one fourth of the non-noble populace died of starvation during the freezing winter. Another fourth of the surviving peasants (the large part of the populace) escaped the coming spring to Gynk and Salkamar. It is assumed that about one third of the refugees died either by weakness, the warm swamplands of Gynk, or by the hand of Albarian guards. Theoderich the II. dies by a poisoned arrow in the following summer, which struck his heart while hunting.

-1,702: Insurrections in Albar

Heavy riders beat down new insurrections led by the peasantry. The peasant leader is whipped to death in public. According to legend, it is said that "Rigar the Brave" had neither screamed nor shown any sign of pain.

Old documents reveal that he had hung himself in his cell beforehand. How the whipping could have then still taken place would be questionable, as such, these documents are considered to be false. Some scholars hold the opinion that magic or decromancy might have been used to move the dead body, just in order to carry out the execution. However, the Albarian crown placed bounties onto the heads of any scholar who would profess such a thesis.