Gorok's Invasion of Halexia

From Halexia, a History by Awz Dueigaar

  "... By the tail end of the Mortal War, human civilization had been split into two parts: those that dwelled within Erellon to the south-east, and banded together around their golden city of Rutonia, and the adventurous pilgrims of Halexia to the north. The conflict with the Arkthenian dwarves left these people divided and, after two centuries of war, Halexia sought a cessation of hostilities more than unity with their origins. While this drew their enemies away for a time, what followed was a period of struggle as Halexians worked to build the infrastructure upon which their civilization would thrive. The long years of war had taken their toll, and the crippled nation healed slowly from their wounds.         For the entirety of their existence, orcs had lived in the desert region surrounding the Pillar of Venzor. A harsh land of sand and dust, which many species of dangerous creature called home, and a place in which the orcish clans survived. But one saw a brighter future for his people, one where they had plenty to go around and a home they earned with their blood and sweat. Sharing his vision of the future for their people, Gorok began to unify the Orcish Clans under one banner: his. To the south lay the treacherous swamps of Ristana, with tall mountains to the east and a vast ocean to the west, there was only one direction for Warlord Gorok to lead his people: the verdant fields of Halexia.        For years the Orcish Clans had sent raids across the southern border of Halexia, and it had become an accepted fact of life for the people living in the region. Forts were built and mercenaries found work aplenty, but overall the orcs were seen as a minor nuisance in the wake of the Mortal War. Many believe this is why Gorok's Horde met little resistance in the early days of the war, as his soldiers marched north and claimed great swathes of territory swiftly. By the time Halexia mounted a defense, two cities had fallen, a third lay besieged, and the orcs showed no signs of slowing. With nowhere left to turn, the forces of Halexia turned to their once-enemy, now potential saviors: the Arkthenians.         While Arkthen had a long history of isolationism behind them, there had been a growing group of the populace that championed strengthening their diplomatic relations and realizing the truth that, should their neighbors fall to the orcish tide, there would be nobody to help them should the Horde march on their borders next. Moved to action by the voice of his people (and of his daughter, a chief voice among this new mindset), King Arkthen formed an official alliance between Halexia and Arkthen, and the Halexian-Arkthenian Coalition was born. With the added forces of their new dwarven allies, the Halexian army was able to push back against Gorok's Horde and, bit by bit, reclaimed their territory and forced the Horde to consolidate from their spread-out conflict.         While the surge of dwarven support led to a series of unexpected setbacks for Gorok and his forces, it was not enough to end the war entirely. What had been a one-sided domination turned into a long, drawn-out slaughter, with neither side able to hold a significant advantage long enough to change the landscape of the war. This all changed with the assassination of Warlord Gorok, and the splintering of the clans. Without a strong leader to rally around, each clan Chieftain thought they should be the one to take up the mantle of Warlord, and they fell to infighting. Amidst the chaos, the Coalition pushed the orcs back south into the Beyondlands, and through a great measure of craftsmanship and magic managed to build Hatun's Wall along their southern border, effectively trapping the orcs in the southern desert.         Hatun's Wall still stands to this day, a beacon of Halexian and Arkthenian unity and strength to the northerners, and a reminder of utter defeat for the orcs living in its shadow. While many assaults have occured upon the wall, and many would-be Warlords have attempted to unify the clans, since the day of Gorok none have been successful. It is the hope of all of Halexia that they remain this way."