Cholnesh’s War

Cholnesh’s War was a short lasting, but fierce conflict fought between the orcs of the Luhn’agvir Confederation and the dwarves of the Urd-Fedurun Dominion in 2021 SA. Part of the larger Orcish Wars, it became the first of several Orcish Invasions into West Ciradon during the 20th century of the Second Age. The conflict began when the orc warlord Cholnesh and his followers attempted to flee from the Red Steppe after being pursued by rival warlord Purgu’gash. 

The Luhn’agvir Confederation attempted to cross through the Red Mountains via the wide valley passages near the Guildhold of Degerdan. In response the dwarves swiftly established a blockade to keep the orcs from entering West Ciradon. Fearing Purgu’gash’s wrath more than he feared dwarven magic, Cholnesh would lead his forces into battle against the Urd-Fedurun as they attempted to break through the defenses. Initially the advantage in manpower and sheer ferocity of the Luhn’agvir Confederation caught the dwarves by surprise. The first line of defense was shattered in the face of Orcish resolve, forcing a swift retreat. 

During the Battle of Nadrik’s Wall, the Luhn'agvir would once again be victorious as Cholnesh himself slayed many dwarven soldiers. However it was the Battle of Degerdan that would prove to be Cholnesh’s undoing. Drawn into a long siege against formidable defenses, reinforcements from across the Urd-Ferdurun had finally arrived to relieve the Guildhold. As heavy dwarven infantry and experienced mages descended from the surrounding mountainsides, they began to encircle the Orcish attackers. 

Cholnesh himself would be killed in single combat against Master Kardent Degbaken of the Steelmaker's Guild. With their leader dead and defeat looming, the remaining orcs would begin retreating out of the Red Mountains. As the dwarves continued to push them back, the confederation would make a hasty escape into the arctic. Now shattered and leaderless, the Luhn'agvir fell into infighting. However the survivors would eventually reorganize as the Band of Four. A year later they would attempt to invade again, this time from the Panbar Gap in the high arctic. 

Prior to the Orcish Wars, the Luhn were one of the larger tribes residing in the western half of the Red Steppe. Originally made up of many Arctic orc groups, the Luhn had migrated south, conquering and assimilating several steppe tribes during the Lunish War of 1833 SA. The Luhn had some limited contact with the dwarves of the nearby Red Mountains. Occasionally, dwarven tools of lesser relative quality would find their way into the hands of the tribe. An example of this was the spiked steel shield that Cholnesh used as a weapon almost as much as he used it as a shield.

Cholnesh, son of Jazdurgh, was born in 1973 SA. He became the chieftain of the Luhn Tribe during a rare period of growth and prosperity for the orcs. The tribe maintained mostly peaceful relations with their neighbors and Cholnesh was known to work closely with other chieftains across the steppe. By 2018 SA however a new threat had emerged in the east of the steppe, the great warlord known as Purgu’gash. 

After conquering numerous other orc tribes as well successfully sacking powerful Elderkin empires in the far east, Purgu’gash had become a legendary figure with an almost quasi-religious following. Determined to claim the entire steppe for himself, the orcs of the west knew it was only a matter of time before the hordes of Purgu’gash arrived. Realizing that alone they didn’t have the numbers to stop him, the Luhn tribe entered into an alliance of convenience with the nearby Mar Khangri Confederation as well as the island kingdoms in the Sea of Jagadyr. 

By the time the Second War of the Steppe had begun however, Purgu’gash’s hordes had already grown so powerful that not even an alliance of all other Orcish factions could stop him. The island kingdoms would fall in 2019 SA, and the Mar Khangri were decisively defeated a year later. Although the Luhn tribe had avoided the worst of the fighting so far, Cholnesh recognized they stood no chance in a direct confrontation with Purgu’gash’s forces. 

Unwilling to submit to a hated enemy, but unable to resist his might, Cholnesh instead chose a third option. He would gather up all of his remaining forces and flee with them into the lands of West Ciradon. There Cholnesh hoped he could carve out a new base of operations in the Lesserkin populated lands of the north. The journey would be dangerous as it required passing through the Red Mountains. The dwarves would never allow free passage so they would have to fight their way through. Incorporating several other tribes and refugees fleeing from Purgu’gash, the new Luhn’agvir Confederation began the long journey west.

As directly climbing through the Red Mountains was never feasible, Cholnesh was left with two options. He could cross through the safer, but more heavily guarded Degerdan Passage to the south. Or he could attempt to traverse the more treacherous, but less heavily patrolled Panbar Gap to the north. Cholnesh opted for Degerdan Passage, as the logistics of crossing the northern tundra would be difficult in the current veiled aspect. He hoped to traverse past Degerdan quickly and avoid most of the dwarven fortifications. 

However, after the events that happened in East Ciradon, the Urd-Fedurun was on high alert for any suspicious Orcish movements. On the 5th of Foetide, 2021 SA, dwarven scouts spotted the approaching columns of the Luhn’agvir Confederation and reported their advance. Believing they were the target, Degerdan quickly set up a blockade near the entrance to the pass. The dwarves constructed a series of 3 concentric defensive networks around their already powerful fortress city. Now forced to fight through the dwarves or face the shame of retreat, Cholnesh began to prepare for an assault. 

On the 7th of Foetide, the first column of orcs collided with the dwarven soldiers manning the blockade. At first the dwarves managed to hold their ground as had happened in prior Orcish incursions over the ages. However the Luhn’agvir warriors kept attacking, wave after wave, quickly grinding down the defenders. The dwarves had vastly underestimated the size and resolve of the Orcish invaders. Soon the men of Degerdan were overwhelmed, overrun, and slaughtered by the ceaseless greenskin hordes.

After the orcs had smashed their way through the blockade at the entrance of Degerdan Passage, they quickly came across the first solid line of defenses in Rǒg Valley. The defenses however had been hastily constructed, more as a precautionary deterrent than as a serious bulwark against a full scale invasion. Orc rhino riders managed to catch the undermanned defenses by surprise, buying time for the main Luhn’agvir force to arrive. This first line crumbled after a single day of ferocious assaults.

Realizing they were badly outnumbered, Degerdan sent out an urgent call for aid to the other Guildholds of the Urd-Fedurun Dominion. Though their pleas would eventually be answered, the loose decentralized nature of Red Mountain governance meant it would take time for the scattered guilds to properly assemble their forces. In response Degerdan would send their own reserves to man the fortress of Nadrik’s Wall, not to win a victory, but to buy the city time. 

On the 15th of Foetide the Luhn’agvir reached the outer walls of the fortress. Using ladders, grappling hooks, and climbing claws, the orcs attempted to scale the defenses. The dwarves however held firm and repelled the first wave of attacks. Using trained griffins and even a rare high dragon to attack across the walls, the battle forced a temporary Orcish withdrawal. The next morning the orcs attacked again, this time with their best archers at the forefront to repel the airborne attacks. 

Cholnesh himself led the assault from the front. He personally slayed the high dragon and brought down several dwarfs with his ax and spiked shield. The outer walls were breached as the defenders barricaded themselves inside the fortress. It would take several battering rams to wear down the defenses and an additional day of fighting to clear out the remaining dwarves. While the Battle of Nadrik’s Wall had been won by the orcs, it had succeeded in slowing down the Luhn’agvir’s advance. 

By the 27th of Foetide, Cholnesh and his forces had reached the outskirts of Degerdan. If they could successfully navigate their way past the Guildhold, they would have a clear path to West Ciradon. However Degerdan was not merely an outpost designed to defend the borders of the Red Mountains. It was an impregnable fortress city built up through centuries of intra-dwarven conflict. Though Cholnesh and his men attempted to avoid the strongest fortifications around the entrance to the underground metropolis, the defenses still proved formidable. 

Towering walls and sturdy gates blocked the roads through the valley. Dwarven watchtowers let loose volleys of magical arrows upon orcs below. Though the Luhn’agvir pressed onward, this attrition began taking its toll. Knowing the longer they remained in Degerdan Passage the more losses they would suffer, Cholnesh led a desperate charge against the last line of defenses blocking his path. Yet this final assault, for all of its ferocity, ground up his troops instead. 

The orcs became bogged down in a bloody siege that felled many of their greatest warriors. So many of Cholnesh's troops died trying to scale the final walls and push the dwarves back one last time that he exhausted all of his offensive capabilities. Meanwhile reinforcements from the other Guildholds of the Red Mountains had finally started to arrive. Exhausted Degerdan soldiers were rotated off the front lines and replaced with fresh troops from Ryeka and Barkenbar. 

Together, the stalwart heavy infantry of the dwarves pushed back the Orcs. Cholnesh himself would perish during the first counterattack. Separated from the other orcs, Cholnesh was drawn into single combat with Guild Master Kardent Degbaken of the Steelmaker's Guild. Impaled through the heart with an enchanted spear, the Luhn’agvir warlord breathed his last breath. 

With dwarven armies pouring in from the mountainsides, defeat was now inevitable for the Orcs. The Luhn'agvir's second in command, Bugurk son of Algoh, led a desperate retreat out of Degerdan Passage.

With their hopes of crossing through Degerdan Passage dashed, the orcs saw no use in continued fighting against the dwarves. Throughout the month of Fellnight the Luhn'agvir Confederation attempted to withdraw their remaining forces out of the Red Mountains. Along the way they were continuously harassed by the combined armies of the Urd-Fedurun. Pursuing dwarves gave the orcs little time for respite. Nevertheless the orcs avoided direct confrontation whenever possible. By the end of the month they managed to flee Degerdan Passage, battered but intact. 

Although they had the opportunity to go after the remaining Luhn'agvir, the dwarves instead chose to break off the pursuit and reinforce the entrance of Degerdan Passage. The Urd-Fedurun recognized that the even greater threat of Purgu’gash loomed over the Red Steppe. Assuming that the surviving Luhn'agvir would soon fall to his wrath, the dwarves weren’t willing to risk exposing themselves on the open steppe. However the ever sly forces of the Luhn'agvir once again managed to slip away from Purgu’gash by fleeing into the boreal forests of the arctic. 

On New Year’s Day of 2022 SA, the Luhn’agvir’s temporary leader Bugurk died from a small but badly infected wound. As he passed away before announcing a successor, the Luhn'agvir Confederation immediately fell into infighting. The orcs fractured into four factions, each with a different warlord claiming to be the true successor to Cholnesh. The orcs might have completely collapsed into civil war had the charismatic leader Hidro not immediately formed a power sharing agreement with the other 3 warlords. 

Under Hidro’s guidance the shattered remnants of the Luhn'agvir would reorganize into a loose coalition known as the Band of Four. For months they would rally together several Arctic orc tribes under their banner to replace the losses they had sustained during Cholnesh’s War. When the weather finally began to cooperate, the Band of Four would launch an even greater invasion into West Ciradon through the High Arctic’s Panbar Gap.