The Unexpurgated History of Kaza Orok

Kaza Orok before the Cataclysm

Before the Cataclysm, Kaza Orok was a bitter, rocky, largely unexplored area of Veruaten. Known for its wealth of gold, manatite, and ironwood, the Veruaten mined it heavily, fighting with the many humanoids and other monsters that lived in the region. A large population of First Orcs lived in the area and eventually domesticated dragons.

Day Zero

Word of the Cataclysm took more than two weeks to reach the area and was largely viewed as not their problem, being half a world away. It wasn't until the sky darkened, the rain of filth started, and the waters started rising that anyone realized it might be their problem.

The Inland Migration

4920-4942 FYA Throughout the Cataclysm, humans kept moving further and further inland as one city after another was swallowed by the sea. Frequent bouts of the twisting rain transformed more and more of them into goblins and many battles were fought between humans, dwarves, and elves on one side with the newly-goblinized on the other.

The Goblin Purges

4923-4927 FYA For almost five years, the humans of the area made a concentrated effort to kill every humanoid in the area. Millions died on each side and the goblins slowly coalesced under a single leader, based in the mountains that would become part of Kaza Orok.

The Orc Wars

4927-4936 FYA Coordinated under King Tandaugh, First of his Name, the humanoids of the area marched out in force, taking first the northernmost mountains, then working their way south. Tandaugh expected the waters to keep rising for a while and, by luck or intuition, was almost exactly correct about where they would stop.

Tandaugh's Dragonriders exacted a terrible price on the human-led forces, driving them back in a trail of charred corpses a mile wide. Soon, Tandaugh controlled all of the Eastern Veruaten Mountains as far south as Caer Petra.

The Betrayer's War

4936-4944 FYA So named by human historians, the Betrayer's War is called Hupka nuk Bolkod (literally translated as the "Great Ass-Kicking.") by the orcs. The Angus MacReedy, the commander of Caer Petra made cause with Tandaugh's forces and killed those who refused to go along with the change in sides. When he opened the gates to Tandaugh's army, Tandaugh marched through in force, then stabbed MacReedy to death in the castle's central courtyard before announcing, "Any man who will betray his people to a horde of orcs will betray those orcs as freely as he breathes. Now, he can do neither."

The human-led forces would siege Caer Petra until they were destroyed in 4944. Before he died, the Calderan wizard Egai Peux cursed the stronghold with the Curse of the Seedless.

By the time the rains stopped, Kaza Orok's population was almost 90% humanoid or twisted.

The Seven Sieges

4938-4948 FYA (8 DB) At the start of this period, the seas had risen high enough to break Kaza Orok into seven separate islands with no discernible navy. Tandaugh's Dragonriders, bolstered by the Sixth Claw of the Dragonfires flew thousands of sorties, holding the coalition together. Losses were again terrible on both sides. Untold numbers of ships, men, goblins, and dragons fought tooth-and-nail for their survival and millions died. The area west of Kaza Orok became the Haunted Sea.

By bits and pieces, the goblins and their human allies built a gunpowder navy and eventually broke the human-led fleet.

It was during this time that Yaph the Necromancer called down a wasting plague on Loch Gorrham, one in which the victims would waste away and rise again as undead. Inside Loch Gorrham, Lochlann Lusk summoned Prince Azzach Fireborn, a Diabolical prince and made a deal with him. There would be a permanent gate built to the prince's plane of origin in return for him ending the plague. Loch Gorrham became known as the City of Devils.

The Interregnum

8-13 DB For five years, Kaza Orok is left in peace. They implement a universal conscription policy and raise a massive army.

The First Thalassan Probe

13-15 DB Thalassan Forces and Orchome forces clash at sea. Every battle is won by Kaza Orok or ends indecisively. The Thalassans eventually break off to fight the First Sunstone War.

The First Thalassan War

25-37 DB A massive war, draining more and more resources from Thalassa, is fought up and down the coasts of Kaza Orok. A trickle of goblin refugees flee there as their towns and villages fall elsewhere. [[King Tandaugh III sends messengers to collect as many goblins as they can and bring them to Kaza Orok. Ultimately, millions come. Kaza Orok extends to sixteen major islands.

The Second Thalassan War

58-61 DB The Thalassans come in force. Near the end of this conflict, King Thorkragg the Only rises to power. He is a sunstone ascendant and grants great power to his forces.

The War of the Ascendants

109-134 DB Having secured much of the northern hemisphere, the Thalassans come in force a third time, bringing terrible magics and most of their sunstone ascendants. The war is brutal and costly and only ends when the Dragonfires break ranks with the Thalassan Empire and order the war to end.

Hundreds of skirmishes will occur over the intervening centuries, but none will ever threaten the independence of Kaza Orok like the War of the Ascendants.

The Age of the Ogre King

60-175 DB King Thorkragg the Only rules Kaza Orok through a time of relative peace and prosperity. As he sense he's getting too old to rule, he hands off his sunstone fragment to the First Orc Emperor Retkag, First of his Name, then requests the Gentle Death from the priestesses of Xi.

The Reign of Retkag I

175-316 DB As Orcs go, Retkag is careful, thoughtful, and crafty. The sunstone fragment makes him powerful, intelligent, and long-lived. He binds together the empire more tightly and establishes a lot of its culture. He is murdered by his son, who becomes Emperor Retkag II.

Years after he dies, his poetry is discovered. Fortunately, it's too late to ruin his reputation.

The Reign of Retkag II

316-610 DB Retkag II is less of a thinker than Retkag I, even with the sunstone fragment. He starts many exploratory wars, preferring slaves and treasure to land. He founds the Slavers' Fleet and sends them far and wide to collect slaves from many parts of the world.

The Reign of Empress Utikka, First of Her Name

610 DB-Present Empress Utikka, First of Her Name was to be sacrificed to Tikkala, Bathed in Blood as hundreds of Retkag's unwanted children had been and, by all accounts, she considered it an honor, but was told by the goddess to kill her father and take his crown. She did and has been the empress ever since.

She seems to have the strongest characteristic of her father and grandfather - a relentless bloodthirstiness coupled with a deeply analytical mind completely devoid of anything resembling mercy for those who stand in her way.

Administrative Notes

Current as of 615 DB.