With Ducaniel, their leader, having departed back to Aelantir in 5880 BA, so began both the era of free orcs and the period called The Western Collapse from the failing of the rail system in 5876 BA to the final western Hold's fall before the Serpentsreach invasion, Haraz Orldhûm's in 5750 BA. This period saw the fall of several more western Serpentspine holds, and the saving of Khugdihr by the sacrifice of the Asra.
The Fall of the Holds[]
Symbolizing the start of a period of devastation was the ruin of the railways in 5876 BA without the Dagrite Dwarves of Er-Natvir to maintain and electrify them, this too left the various holds in the Western Serpentspine stranded and isolated.
First amongst the holds to fall after Ducaniel's departure was Mithradhûm, having already been sieged down for 60 years. By this point in 5860 BA the few defenders that had survived were ill-able to defend the gates and the starving Mithril Dwarves fell quickly to the hordes. Just 10 years later in 5850 BA came the fall of Orlazam-az-dihr in what many might consider a heroic manner. With their armies defeated and hero slain, the Ramsteel Dwarves decided to charge out into the fields against the orcs rather than wait for the inevitable starvation that the orcs would enforce upon them. With King Hurnik XIV in the lead, a number of orcs were felled by their assault up until their deaths, though it would be to no impact because of the orcs quickly multiplying numbers.
Sacrifice of Ovdal Asra[]
At the same time as the charge of Orlazam-az-dhr, King Murnir IX of Ovdal Asra, too decided to make a drastic decision. Having had already been sending his heir and as many dwarves as possible to flee the Serpentspine through the nearby caves, by the time the orcs arrived in 5850 BA the hold was filled with only the most defiant of the dwarves. The Asra Dwarves, along with their golems, are written to have fought with no care of their lives, with the only purpose that they may take as many orcs down with them as possible. After many heated battles, King Murnir IX orders what is now debated between madness and valour, collapsing Ovdal Asra, the surrounding caverns, and Dwarovrod 3. Both orc and dwarf were buried in the area and became impassable, saving Khugdihr from the orcish tides for many years up until the Greentide. For his noble sacrifice and that of his people, King Murnir IX was forever remembered amongst the dwarves as "Murnir the Vengeful".
Last of the Western Dwarovar[]
With their path west now blocked by rubble, the orcs en route to Khugdihr head northeast to Haraz Orldhûm instead. With the bulk of their army fallen in the failed attempt at saving Amldihr, the Orldhûm had few warriors left. In total their defendants numbered 1000 warriors, 100 warsuits, 2000 slaves, and a widely regarded foolish queen.
Beginning their siege in 5870 BA, the orcs would face numerous obstacles such as the various towers and traps about the holds itself, the caverns of Haraz Orldhûm being a death trap. Despite their numbers, these barriers allowed for 100 years of prolonged fighting, during which the hold's numbers only continued to dwindle. Queen Tharit II, known as "The Weak", decided to free the dwarf slaves and offer them freedom if they agreed to defend the hold despite disagreement from the Platinum Dwarves. Many scholars now attribute this final action to her history of poor decisions and resolve to do one thing right even if it's the last.
Unfortunately for the hold, this would turn out to only accelerate their demise. The angry slaves quickly overpowered the former captors and hung Tharit II, seizing power and ruling over what dwarves remained. They managed to defend another 20 years before they too fell to a slave revolt, their goblins opening the gates for the orcs in 5750 BA. Trading one master for another, the invading orcs quickly subjugated these goblins.
The Frozen War[]
Known as The Frozen War, when all other holds of the Western Dwarovar had fallen Krakdhûmvror remained. Detached from the Serpentspine Mountains in the Giant's Anvil, the hold was considered impenetrable even by dwarven standards. Having already abandoned their outposts in the Northern Pass, the Quartz Dwarves focused on the fortification of Kar Durghoir, the Citadel of Dark Ice. This only entrance to the mountain caves gave them a tremendous defensive advantage, their Ice-Smithing coupled with decades of warfare experience making them more experienced than any other hold in the Western Dwarovar. Still, the orcs threw themselves at the citadel with their seemingly endless numbers.
Dragging on for over a hundred years, the orcs started losing interest and a majority of the besieging warhost is recorded to have left around 5738 BA. Those that left instead wandered to other parts of the Dwarovar, though some decided to maintain the siege despite making no progress.