Second Age: Plague of Ûr & Ka

== 114-549 Plague of Ûr & Ka ==
No one knows how the plague began, but it was devastating.  A horrible pestilence rose up across the steppes and devastated almost all of the domesticated animals in the region.  With this pestilence came a horrible, unearthly weather which broke the land and kept it fallow for 27 years.  The clans and Great Keep of Thab Nardiak had tremendous stocks of food, but no storeroom was ready for this plague of destruction.  
Three years into the plague, the pestilence began to affect various clans leading to miserable diseases which affected orc, dwarf, human and drow.  Nothing in Khalid-Ka could escape the terror of this plague, certainly not the clan structure of the region.
There was 100 years of relative peace between the clans, but it was all falling apart now.  With massive starvation and horrible diseases, each of the eight clans began to break apart.  Only the most powerful and violent clan leaders seemed to be able to hold the larger clans together.  However, three of the great clans were completely unaffected by the plague: Kazden, Kharin and Gorgen Dûn.
In these regions, the plague was limited to only some of their livestock and almost none of their inhabitants.  To keep the plague out, each of the three clans closed their doors to the other five, except for trade or diplomacy.  The three clans could not retain this level of isolation, as thousands of people were dying across the Steppes.  
Eventually, the desperation of the clans resulted in the whole of the Steppes becoming a battle ground.  There were great sieges and battles where entire clans and even the entire race of Orcrad were completely eliminated from the face of Eirethune. All of the towers, save Kharin & Kazden Dûn, were destroyed, as was the once Great Keep of Thab Nardiak.
The warfare was so relentless and devastating that even the semi-bellicose dwarves had had enough.  Thirty years into these horrible times, most of the dwarves were done with fighting and decided to leave their homeland.
=== 115-549 Wars of the Plague ===
The wars began just shy of a year after the plague began.  Where most of the clans affected by the plague began to dissolve, there was one which remained intact through its strict and violent regiment, Grogthank.
==== 115-184 Slaughter of the Weak ====
The Grogthank leader, Gwargot-Thall, knew at the beginning of the outbreak that he must retain order in whatever way was possible if he was going to survive as leader.  Because of this decision, he was able to maintain a strong and regimented clan army.  His first attack would be Kabendis Dûn, which had been the de facto ruling clan of Khalid-Ka.  The Plague had left the Kabendis in great disarray, with the clan seeking any sort of way to survive on its own. This chaos was present throughout the Steppes, but not with Grogthank and the regimented caste that Gwargot-Thall had instilled. The Grogthank came upon Kabendis in a quick and decisive move, and the keep would not hold against their power. As it became obvious to the dwindling forces of Kabendis, they attempted to orchestrate a peace with Gwargot-Thall, hoping some of them would be given honor to live elsewhere if they gave up the keep and their swords, but Gwargot-Thall needed to show his resolve so there would be no peace for this first demonstration of their clan power. Grogthank made no peace and executed every Kabendis clansman that they found.  All that Grogthank left of Kabendis was whomever could make it to the Keep of Thab-Nardiak. 
The murderous commitment of Grogthank was a strong message, and one that would be felt through every Khalid-Ka. Each of the clans prepared itself for war while slowly dying from plague and starvation.  The clans that were stronger took advantage of the less prepared, crucifying them across the Steppes.  Very visible violent messages were being displayed across the Steppes to breed fear in anyone who would oppose a powerful violent clan.  Eventually, all clans either took up the sword vigorously, or were killed and made into totems of blood. 
==== 215-275 War for the Towers ====
The Towers still held the greatest stores of food in the region and no clan knew how long the plague, drought and pestilence would last.  The clans who were stewards to the Towers would never let their own clansmen know how much food was left, let alone a rival clan on the outside.  However, everyone knew that given the horrible situation outside the walls, the Towers would help anyone survive.
Besides Grogthank, Gagbin & Kirgandor were the most powerful clans.  Each of these three great clans took up the sword and began to siege the towers around them.  Grogthank attempted to siege Kharin, Gagbin besieged Gorgen, and Kirgandor besieged Kazden Dûn.
Each of these keeps were tremendously strong and well-defended. After several bloody years of assaults, only Gagbin was successful in their siege. Under the victorious Gagbin, the defeated Gorgen either became slaves or were tortured and mutilated to death.  
After countless attempts at breaching the great walls and gates of Kharin Dûn, the frustrated Grogthank clan razed the lands around the seemingly impervious citadel, and then returned to the Steppes, killing any unrelated clan they came upon, regardless of previous diplomatic or cultural relationship.  
After their years of failure, the Kirgandor similarly razed the lands around Kazden Dûn, and then immediately started another siege of Kalabor.  This siege was also unsuccessful, which left Kirgandor weak and undersupplied.  The Drow & Dwarves of Kalabor demanded the heads of the leaders of Kirgandor, and only then would they consider a peace.  Eventually, the heads were granted, and after successive torturings of the sub-leaders of the Kirgandor clan, the rest of the clan was incorporated into Kalabor.
==== 260-264 Sacking of Thab Nardiak ====
The remaining Kabendis who guarded the Great Keep of Thab Nardiak knew they would be the next target for these vicious clans. Grogthank had eyed the Great Keep for years and the plague and isolation of the Kabendis that were present inside would make them poor competitors against the clans swarming over the Steppes. Once prepared and focused, the remaining Kabendis would be no match for Grogthank. 
When Grogthank finally did assault, the earth and sky were said to shake and shudder, as did the Kabendis inside the keep. The great walls and towers of the citadel were thrown down and the body of its founder, Thab Nardiak, was unearthed and turned into an animated pawn for the Grogthank army to enjoy. [1] Rather than keeping the Great Keep as a trophy and reminder of the power of Grogthank over the Steppes, the clan chose to dismantle and destroy the once great keep, reducing its once great profile against the sky to rubble in the sand.
==== 297-336 Rise of the Dark Caste ====
Grogthank was the most regimented and military of the warring clans.  Gagbin was the largest of the warring clans.  Kalabor, however, was the most powerful as it had incorporated much of what had been left of Kirgandor.  There was also more research of magic in Kalabor than either of the other clans. Its scribes and sages knew more of the gods and powers of Eirethune than any of the other clans. In addition, the social structure of Kalabor was almost as regimented as that which could be found in Grogthank.  Kalabor used the knowledge and abilities of all of its component races to grow in power, while the other clans attempt to rage and compete on their own, destroying all competitors for rule of the Steppes.
One of the Dark Elven leaders of Kalabor further delineated the regimented nature of the clan, by defining and instituting a caste structure.  The caste was based on the existing clan structure, but progression through the castes was based on service, performance and ability.  Only through death could a member progress.  In many cases, a dead clan member could be resurrected, but if not, then they could progress one other clan member of their choosing to progress in their stead.[2]  Of course, political importance or subterfuge were really the only way for someone to rise in caste, because the resurrection of a fallen caste member was still something chosen by the strongest members of the clan. The advancement-by-death adage of the clan was little more than a trick that the strong families of the clan would use, rather than an actual step of how a clan member might progress.
Kalabor began to preach the Dark Caste to the other clans as a means of organization during the Plague.  Gagbin had always had problems with control, so they were easily persuaded.  Grogthank, however, was not persuaded.  Instead, they viciously attacked Gagbin who was larger than they were, but quite disorganized still.  Kalabor knew that in order to preserve their rule and the Dark Caste that they must assist Gagbin, and so they counterattacked Grogthank.  The war between these three great clans produced ten horrible, brutal years of violence across the Steppes. However, the end saw the annihilation of Grogthank and the rise of the power of the Dark Caste. As the Grogthank were sought out by Kalabor and Gagbin, the hills and lakes of the Steppes were dotted with crucifixes of Grogthank clansmen, marking the end of Khalid-Ka who did not follow the Dark Caste.
==== 413-438 Lords of the Dark Caste ====
Given the political nature of progression in the Dark Caste, it was only a matter of time before members in the next-to-highest levels of the caste system sought more power.  The caste members at the top were secure and wished no one else to progress, especially since many of them were Dark Elves and had very long life spans.  To avert this dominance by one race, a great second tier Orcish leader, Wr-Goth-Okk, secretly built an assassin caste[3].  When they were trained, he had the caste kill every member of the top caste, and then killed each of the assassins so that their chosen ones could progress.  Instead of reoccupying the top caste, Wr-Goth-Okk demanded that only one being should be in the highest caste, and that all others that were in his caste should now divide the Kalabor/Gagbin clan into separate lineages.  A great lottery (fixed as it was) took place and the 25 members of the currently top caste assembled their masses and departed to build their own feudal societies.  Of course, almost immediately the separate lords began to raid and fight one another and although the Plague was showing signs of lifting, the bloody warfare continued.
==== 493-549 Destruction of the Feudal Towers ====
Several of the Towers were still intact in Khalid-Ka, and a couple of the new Lords of the Dark Caste were taking hold in them.  The towers seemed to be prizes to the other lords and so battles for their control were commonplace.  Around 527, Lord Baadgaat, captured Kalabor Dûn, but instead of occupying it, he destroyed it, decreeing: "We are not creatures of the old Ka. We are Lords of the Steppes, Lords of Ûr." And so the Ûr Lords began to destroy the old towers upon their capture until all were gone except for the last two still controlled by the dwarves[4].  At different times, an Ûr Lord would lay siege to Kharin or Kazden Dûn, but the dwarves were always ready to defend their ancient homes to the last man, woman or child.
=== 145-512 Migration of Dwarvenkind ===
When the Plague came, the dwarves prepared themselves for a long difficult time, regardless of what clan they belonged to.  However, when the wars became more and more violent, and savagery was rampant, the dwarves began to reconsider their ties to this newly desolate land.  Little by little the dwarves left their homeland and sought new mountains and hills to claim as their own.  By the end of the plague, only the dwarves of the great towers of Kharin & Kazden Dûn remained in the Khalid-Ka lands.
==== 148-153 Bryan Cliff Dwarves ====
The first migration was comprised of many of the dwarves who were more engineers than warriors.  The deep cliffs of the Bryan made for an interesting habitat for the dwarves.  Much of the rock is porous, while other portions of the rock had all of the minerals of Eirethune.  The dwarves did settle on both sides of the Bryan, so almost as soon as they got there, they began to think of how they would possibly construct a bridge to cross the wide bay.
==== 157-163 Dwarves of the Coten Halls ====
Soon after the majority of engineers left, the first batch of miners decided it was time for them to leave as well.  They followed the same path as the Bryan Cliff Dwarves, but they weren’t as interested in the cliffs over the water as their brethren.  Instead they looked to the sky and saw the high peaks of the Coten Mountains to the west.  They dug deep and created a tremendous city in stone and iron that lasts to this day.
==== 214-222 Kastgor Clan Dwarves ====
Right after the slaughtering of Kabendis, some of the warrior clans, those who did not want to partake in the savage battles, and more of the miner clans together decided to seek out a new homeland for themselves.  They did not travel as far or along the same route as the previous migrations, but instead, headed directly for the mountains south of the Khalid-Ka realm.   They first encountered the Madur of Roane & Thearth, and moved on without much care, wanting to be more isolated than these aliens would permit them to be.  As the dwarves drove between the tributaries of the Bryan, they found their home, high in the cragged, relentless peaks of the Dechrau Mountains.  The clans reformed here, but they were not quite the same as in Khalid-Ka.  Each clan had a warrior caste and a miner caste so that each clan could be equal and provide for themselves.  Each clan claimed a peak and their miners built the clan halls therein.
==== 235-241 Dunn Dwarves, Giant-Friend ====
As the wars and sieges progressed, more of the warrior clans began to grow tired.  There was never enough food and always battle.  The only clans left in Khalid-Ka where dwarves had any say at all were Kharin, Kazden and Gagbin.  This was not a good situation for many of the dwarves, as they found themselves being asked to perform incredibly dangerous raids as if they were completely expendable.  Eventually, these dwarven warrior clans began a new migration.  Many of these clans had fought with the other ‘expendable’ giants who were in Khalid-Ka, and both groups decided that they needed a home elsewhere.  So dwarf and giant together began a trek towards Icereach and then along the frozen coasts.  They passed through Rhorden & the Dunns, and the people there were more to their liking.  The simple clan-oriented raiding lifestyle of the First Age was still quite prevalent in these areas.  So the giants and dwarves settled in these lands and in the more hilly lands to the west, ready to return to the clan life that they had lost during the Plague.
==== 285-308 Dag Dwarven Deep ====
When the Dark Caste was being formed in Khalid-Ka, there was very little room for the dwarves.  They had been relegated to the lower levels of the caste with little room for growth given their somewhat innate aversion to magic. 
Over the next 30 years, the remainder of the dwarves outside of Kharin & Kazden Dûn would be gone from their ancient homeland.  The first migration in this period was comprised of mostly mining dwarves who sought the nearby mountains to the south in Dag.  There were tall mountains here, surrounding a glacial lake, and the minerals and gems inside the mountains were plentiful.
==== 290-306 Ffydd Halls of Dwarvenkind ====
A few years later, a migration of those dwarves who actually had reasonable caste in the new order decided to utilize that limited precept to lead another group.  These leaders felt that they could setup a single clan kingdom in their new homeland, basing their dynasty on previous caste and lineage.  They followed the original Bryan Cliff path, in communicating with more dwarves, impressing upon them the concept of a single clan, single kingdom model.  When the case for the kingdom was made to the cliff dwarves, only a few of the clans would accompany them; however, acquiring more engineers was still good for the kingdom.  The migration headed south through the hills to the high peaks of Ffydd where a tremendous underground city was constructed and ruled over by a single Dwarven King, Thainmar Grundin.
==== 292-314 Tatanic Dwarven Keeps ====
The last of the war-weary dwarves left a few years later, heading south, but not stopping at either the Dag or Kastgor clan realms.  Instead they desired their own clan fiefs apart from the mining dwarves of the aforementioned regions.  Range after range of mountains passed until they came to the sea.  Just north of the sea, they began to build small fiefs with keeps for each.  The creatures of the land were hostile, making the keeps mandatory, but it was nothing compared to the horrible warfare through which they had suffered in Khalid-Ka.
== Links ==
Chronology of Eirethune
Previous, Second Age: Age of Expansion
Next, The Second Age: The Sword & Stone Period
== Notes ==
[1] The Horn of Gwargot-Thall was a horn of
tremendous power and horrible effect. 
The blower could suffer madness or horrible disfigurement when they used
the horn, however, the horn enabled the blower to raise the corpses of any being
with ears in its range.  Some corpses
would return as if they had been raised from the dead, some corpses would be
animated as living zombies, and some corpses would turn into horrifying demons
under the temporary command of the blower. 
The horn was used and lost by Orot Jahd at the Battle of Torn Skins in
1296.
[2] The Skull of Badzoar Dwar was the head of a
great Ûr warrior.  Badzoar Dwar had
worked his way up the caste ranks until he was two levels from the top of the
political vein.  After a great clan
battle in 301, Badzoar Dwar was killed after wiping out over 85 foes
individually.  His clansmen had fully
expected that Badzoar would be resurrected and progress through to the next
caste level, but instead his advancement was denied by his own mentors.  Upon this denial, the brethren of Badzoar
called forth his spirit and bound it to his skull.  When the brethren reattempted to move Badzoar
up the caste and his mentors refused again, the brethren revealed the skull of
Badzoar Dwar to them.  The mentors began
to age rapidly for as long as Badzoar’s skull was presented to them.  It is believed that the skull can draw out
anything from an enemy which is asked for by the wielder.  There is the ancient legend of age being drawn out, but also there are
tales of intellect or magic being drawn out of a victim.  The power of the skull is quite evil, but it
is possible that it could be used for good, albeit chaotic, acts.  The skull was used and lost by the Ûr Lord
Jadrah during the Great War at the Battle of Dag Barrow in 2967.
[3] The Vials of Wr-Goth-Okk contained the
spirits of the first assassins in the Dark Assassin Caste.  When they died, their souls were preserved by Wr-Goth-Okk to be used as non-corporeal assassins in the future.  The souls would perform whatever furtive duty that was asked for them, but they would in turn ask for some piece of
life.  The vials had been contained by
the highest members of the Dark Assassin Caste, but some were utilized by Thang-Gwr during the Great War.  At the Battle of Final Revenge, Thang-Gwr used his assassins to wipe out several of the greatest Western generals, but in doing so, risked his own life.  Two of the vials that Thang-Gwr acquired were known to have been recovered and are protected in the vaults of Glen Ar.
[4] The Hammer of Baadgaat was used by the great Ûr Lord to bash down many of the doors and gates of Kalabor Dûn.  It was also said to create a tremendous sound when being bashed against metal such that many people around Baadgaat would fall to the floor and hold their ears in pain.  The hammer was said to have been used and lost at the Battle of Teiran Creek in 1156.
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