Greentide

The Greentide was both an orcish army and a conflict spanning from 1424 to 1444 between Chivalric Escann and later the Marcher Lords against the orcish clans united by Korgus Dookanson. The war is considered a key inflection point in Cannorian history, with it heralding the end of the Chivalric Escanni kingdoms, collapse of the Verdant Veil, ascension of Corin to the Regent Court pantheon, and the rise of the Adventurer Kingdoms, amongst other events.

The conflict’s outbreak can be traced to Dookanson’s declaration of war on the Regent Court under the belief that the Court’s destruction would free the orcish god Dookan. The orcish clans under Dookanson then poured out of the Serpentspine to enact this declaration. Faced with the destruction of holy sites and either slaughter or renunciation of their faith, the Escanni kingdoms fought back.

Despite this resistance, the Greentide was dominated by a steady advance of the orcs westward until 1443. It was then with the entry of the Marcher Lords and resulting Battle of Rottenstep that the orcish march west ended. However Rottenstep, while successful at ending the orcish offensive, was inconclusive and the next year was largely dominated by scattered unorganized battles across Escann between the remnants Marcher Lords’ armies and orcish clans.

The Greentide’s final conclusion came when Corin, the avatar of the disgraced Regent Court god of war Agrados, rallied the remaining Marcher Lords’, the remaining Escanni resistance, and other allies to meet Korgus and his forces at the city of Castonath. There, Corin sacrificed her life to slay Korgus Dookanson. With the death of the Dookanson came an end to the war on the Regent Court.

History[]

Chronicler’s note: The Greentide's battle records are being cleaned and sorted. This section will be updated upon completion of reorganization.

Invasion of the Deepwoods[]

Main article: Greentide Invasion of Deepwoods

In the fall of 1439, an attempt to push out into Dostanor was held back by the citadel of Bal Dostan. The long siege of the fortress led many of the orcs there to consider a different path into Corvuria. While considerations were being made, one of the chieftains, Troknar Silentblade of the gathering host was swayed by reports of another route through the southern forest known as the Deepwoods. Upon marching into woods and passing through the Verdant Veil, the host lost contact with their counterparts in the rest of Escann. While the orcish army devastated the native Wood Elf and Forest Goblin clans, their impact on the war otherwise ceased upon their invasion.

With the loss of these forces and the failure to break past Bal Dostan, the orcish clans abandoned any southern advances. Instead, energy was devoted to subduing the remnants of the western Escanni kingdoms and finding a new route to break into Western Cannor.

Impact[]

Escann[]

It is widely uncontested that the Greentide was an act of cultural genocide. Numerous temples and holy sites were destroyed in acts to erase Escanni faith in the Regent Court. Additionally, many of Balgar’s surviving works were especially targeted, due to long standing enmity between the orcs and dwarves.

Additionally, the combination of war and lack of orcish knowledge or planning on surface agriculture led to a near collapse of much food output throughout the region. The resulting famine, disease, and displacement resulted in near wholesale depopulation in many communities.

Those who did survive were often either enslaved by local orcs or exploited as refugees by the remaining Chivalric Kingdoms (often as fodder for their armies, or to cripple their enemies) or later by the states in Western Cannor.

The result was the shattering of much of Escann's post War of the Sorcerer-King cultures and eventual assimilation and synthesis with settling adventurer companies, with a few exceptions such as Marhold.

Wescann[]

Outside minor raids on the borders of Ibevar, Gawed, and Empire of Anbennar, much of Western Cannor (which was embroiled in the devastating Lilac Wars) was spared from any major fighting within its borders. However, it was heavily burdened in the later years of the Greentide by the influx of refugees adding to the strain already placed on by the Lilac War’s own displaced peoples.

However, the Greentide also proved to be an outlet for the numerous mercenaries, adventurers, and unemployed soldiers who faced an uncertain future after the Rose Party’s eventual triumph. In addition, the conflict paved the ascension of Welyam III onto the throne of Gawed and heralded the reawakening of the northern state.

Serpentspine[]

Much of the Western Serprentspine had been under orcish influence and rule for the centuries before the Greentide. However, the war led to many of the orcish clans leaving to follow Korgus, emptying the caves. This combined with the sudden end of the Greentide at the Battle of Castanoth led to a sudden power vaccum to emerge enabling a new era of reclamation by dwarven remnant holds and adventurers. In addition, the Greentide’s demise enabled a number of goblin and kobold clans to make their own moves.

Orcs[]

Chronicler's note: A reorganization of orcish history archives is underway. This section will be revisited upon its completion.