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The early Orcmigrations

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-2,678 until -2,612: The Initial Orcish Wars

The warlord of the Dragonclaw Clan, Tuchak Bloodfist, takes over the leadership of the clan with some intrigues and several murders. He names himself the warlord over all orcish kin. He has the eldest of the other two major clans (Wolfmoon and Firefist) murdered and replaces them with warmongers loyal to him. In the following rebellions and insurrections, Tuchak Bloodfist is slain, and the three major clans split up into five (Bloodfist, Nighthawk, Howling Wolf, Waraxe, and Bloody Skull Clan), as well as some several minor ones.

The Bloodfist Clan, which consists of former followers of Tuchak, is driven away by the other four clans and begins to wander. Now led by Krugg Bloodfist (a younger brother of Tuchak), the clan robs and loots two settlements of the plainfolk humans. In the following years, the Bloodfist Clan presses on into civilized territory, and scouts of the orcs report of the city of Albar.

Krugg was astonished by message of a fortified settlement of such a vast size and knowing the Albarian army was closely following his tracks, the leader of the Bloodfist Clan withdrew and sent four messengers to the four other major Clans. These deny the Bloodfist any support though. The Bloodfist ist nearly wiped out. In order to save his clan from annihilation, Krugg sacrificed thirty captives and himself in a blood ritual. Shortly thereafter, a giant horde of monsters led by a demon decimates the Albarian army. The rest of the Bloodfist Clan withdraws in the meanwhile to the security of the borders to the orcish territories.

The message of demon's magicks, monsters, and bloodthirsty orcs spreads quickly in the cities of mankind. Salkamaerian paladins hire mercenaries to support their former enemy city of Albar, and the new legion quickly finds further support in the Serinjah tribes. The Bloodfist Clan is wiped out and scattered. The human army advances deeply into the orcish territory and builds a row of fortified outposts along the Draikon river. Along the course of centuries to come, attacks against the orcish clans are lead from here onwards.

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-2,608 until -2,495: The Orcish Crusades, Beginnings

After the flight from their original hunting grounds, the four orcish clans migrate from the Serinjah plains over the continent for several centuries. Famine and several wars massively decimate the orcish clans during their migration, and they are nearly completely wiped out.

Only by the year of -2,495, they discover unsettled, fertile lands.

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-2,588 until -2,579: The Second Orcish Wars

In the forests of Eldaril, the Howling Wolf Clan encountered the elvenkind. These elves had been maintaing trade relationships with the Plainfolk humans. Thus, they head heard rumours of the orcs, who supposedly stood in alliance with demons. They considered this thesis as confirmed by the hunters of the orcs having (unknowingly) trespassed into their sacred grounds, and having tarnished the latter with the blood of slain animals. The Howling Wolf Clan was quickly driven out of the forest. The elves applied exceptional precision in the task-the archers used magic arrows in order to mortally wound with their first strike and spare their enemies of any suffering. If that had not been enough already, the archers also used magic in order to remain unseen.

The orcish clans gathered and did council.

Shortly thereafter, the orcs returned and set a widespread fire to the forest borders. It took several weeks until the quickly-spreading fire was completely extinguished. A humongous woodland range and three towns of the elvenkind were victims to the flames, and those survivors set aghast were captured by the orcs moving up upon the following eve. According to orcish tradition, the most severely wounded captives were sacrificed to the Gods in gratitude for the victory-due to the lack of any other foodstuffs, they were eaten.

Merely three days later, still in the middle of victory celebrations, the encampment of the orcs was attacked. Numerous elves had appeared, clad in weapons and armour from times of ancient wars and such that were crafted to follow the footsteps of ancient arts. Elven magic cast breaches into the orcish battlements, and while the captives took their flight, wardancers and bladesingers already lept into the midst of the stupefied orcs. It took only little time until the stupefaction of the orcish warriors transformed into a wild escape: There was nothing to set against an enemy that moved supernaturally fast, could hurl blaze and lightning, and would appear in the middle of their own rows. Nearly half of all the present orcs were slain immediately during this surprise attack. Because the elves had counted their losses as well, they decided against chasing the escapees, and instead decided to wait for reinforcements and honor the fallen.

The eldest of the Waraxe Clan decided to distance himself as far as possible from the elven territory, because first of all a war was unnecessary and secondly the tribes were weakened by famine and battle and would not withstand the foe. The Howling Wolf Clan followed this decision, while the Nighthawk Clan wanted to continue doing battle. The Bloody Skull Clan decided to send negotiators with gifts to the elves. None of the parliamentaries ever arrived.

In the following ten years, there were several skirmishes between orcs and elves, while the eldest debated over how to deal with the situation. The orcs had been so weakened by the years of wandering that they posed no grand threat, however, they had learned to craft and use the bow and blade. This debate went on for centuries.

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-2,562: Insurrections in Albar

A rebellion of peasants and farmers rises in Albar. After whipping and executing the rebel leaders, the insurrections end in the defeat of the rebels.

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