Mountain War

The Mountain War of 1996, the conflict within the Black Plains that nearly tore apart the Half-Ogre tribes and left many dead.

## Events leading up to the war

Tensions had been high for three generations between the Orbs and the Irbs. Peace between the tribes was the idea but both were suspected of vying for power or all the other tribe and those accusations lead to the other growing in self-defence. Both chieftens at the time had been raised to hate the other and it only escalated when Opanorb was in power, a ruthless and cunning Half-Ogre that felt weak depending on the Irbs for good metal. He spent time undermining (pun not intended) the Irb's trade efforts and relationships within the family, he was accused of leading wolves to attack a mother and new-born Irb which he denied, Reginarb doubted he was innocent, that boy would had grown up at the same time as Storb and presented competition. These actions lead Opanorb found outside the settlement's gate days before the new year began with arrows in his back, assumed to be under the order of current tribe chieften Mhorirb.

## Assault on the Irb settlement I

Opanorb's son Grimorb lead his brothers and cousins to march onto the Irb's settlement, they picked up their weapons and left swiftly, this left Reginarb feeling abandoned as Grimorb was leaving her to get revenge as she was due to give birth to Yorb. Grimorb and his men arrived at the Irb's settlement to find it quiet with it's gate closed, he shouted and shouted for the cowards to come out. From the tower appeared son of Mhorirb who played coy and gave his condolences. It was when Jassorb spotted a wagon with the banner of known merchants through the walls using magic that prompted Grimorb to state he wouldn't accept this and threw his Battle-Axe into the tower striking Mhorirb in the chest and collapsing from the tower. The following was a massacre of arrows, rocks and magic from Jassorb. Grimorb and his unprepared followers fled into the Vowal Mountains knowing the Irbs would follow as an attempt to draw them away from the Orb settlement.

## Intervention by the Erbs

The nearest tribe, the Erb tribe received word of what had happened and sent messengers to both tribes to end the bloodshed and come to a diplomatic solution. Grimorb's party and the Irbs that followed were deep into the mountains when the Erb's message arrived and practised guerrilla warfare for weeks, the Orbs had called for reinforcements from the settlement and the Erb's message of peace reached both parties which resulted in more conflict as the Irb's called upon the Arbs to support them against the Orbs. The Arbs agreed which left the Erbs to demand this stay away from the fighting, and in an attempt to minimise casualties, sides heavily with the Orbs would were overwhelmed and would surely fall.

## Mountain Fighting I

The fighting in the Vowal Mountains was coming to an end, supplies were running low, paranoia was high and more warriors were dying to the environment than the blade. The Irb's covered their retreat back to their settlement with an avalanche on a passing, buying them time. The Orbs led by Grimorb were ready to retreat as well but Grimorb suspected it was a trick and they were still in the Mountains. He wouldn't let his men retreat until they were certain, which would be too late.

## Assault on the Orb settlement

The Arbs had reached the Orb settlement and waited to ambush when the gates were opened, they got their chance and slaughtered many of the tribe's elders including Hershurb, wife of Opanorb before being driven out by reinforcing Erbs.

## Diplomacy between Orbs and Urbs

During the assault on the Orb settlement, Opanorb's cousin was on his way back from meeting with the Urbs who had declined his request for their support, he pleaded that the Irbs were not to be trusted and they plan to take the Black Plains for themselves but the leader of the Urbs, Braurb stated that maybe that was a goal worth achieving but through diplomatic means. Braurb was well connected with human hunters that passed through and recognised the Black Plains could not remain as Half-Ogre territory if the tribes stayed divided, he sought to allow Mhorirb to continue his conflict and meet him with open arms and hand his tribe over in exchange for his daughter Wovirb.

## Mountain Fighting II

Tired, hungry and freezing, Grimorb finally accepted Jassorb's belief that they truly had fallen back to their settlement and gave the order for his own to return. Trust in Grimorb had reached an all-time low from his brothers and closest cousins.

## Battle of Tall Tree Forest

Winter was coming to an end and Grimorb had rested up, met his new child which was a girl, this disrupted his faith in the Orb luck of breeding many sons and distracted him. Meanwhile the Arbs had been fighting the Erbs in the Tall Trees, with the Erbs pushed out of the forest and back to their settlement, the Arbs marched onto the Orb settlement when they had been ambushed by a refreshed Grimorb and began a battle last four days resulting in an Orb victory.

## Secret warfare and illnesses

Cousins were now fighting against cousins, women made to chose loyalty between their parents and their new families. Jassorb was sent away by his brother to hurt the Irbs where it mattered, their mines. Jassorb spent walks quietly approaching the Irb's mines on the west side of the Vowal Mountains and infiltrated the mines before transmuting the tunnels causing them to collapse into sand. This hurt the Irb's trade efforts and gave the Orbs another victory after the battle of [[Tall Tree Forest. With neglection to well-being and care, both the Orb and Erb settlements were stricken with disease which left them open and weak to attack.

## Diplomacy between Urbs and Irbs

Braurb had grown impatient of the Half-Ogre violence and met with the Irb chieften Mhorirb to discuss battle plans and how he could support the Irbs with food, lumber and women to maintain health at the settlement. Mhorirb accepted the support and Braurb began to return home when disaster struck.

## Ambush of Many Fish Lake

Braurb's diplomatic envoy was guarded by his son who had returned home a day earlier to respond to reports of a fire in the granary. The envoy had used boats to cross the Many Fish Lake as it was the only path available without using the Erbs crossing, the tribe that had been siding with the Orbs. Braurb's son was ambushed by arrows while crossing the land from Erb tribesmen from the shore, his men onboard reached home but all were lying dead on the boat, he was not to be found. This made Braurb stay in the Irb settlement which was now suffering from disease and low food.

## Skirmishes of the tundra

Grimorb made the decision to move his men north, in hope of limiting disease casualties, leaving the women, elders and children to the disease, a decision that was objected by Jassorb but supported by Reginarb who believed it was the only way, no matter how cruel. Moving north, Grimorb's party was spotted by Arb scouts and lead to skirmishes in the open tundra. Moving in and out of sight through the fog and shallow ditches, combat was quick and tested their minds more than their steel.

## Assault of the Irb Settlement II

Now reaching summer, Reginarb lead a number of wives, widows and not alike to go into the lower Vowal Mountains and attack the Irbs by surprise. They crossed the mountains and reached the settlement in the darkness of night. Reginarb made it clear that they were only there to kill any who presented a threat which was well-agreed, Reginarb wasn't a fighter herself but her name was enough to lead the best women to battle. She sent two women in over the wall and waited for their return to no avail. After enough time, Reginarb decided that she must go in and not send any others. She climbed over, snuck through the settlement which was unalerted and approached Mhorirb's hut only to be grabbed from behind by the cunning Braurb with a knife to her throat.

## Stand off at the Irb Settlement

Lead into a room with the two women's bodies bleeding from their necks were several men including her father and uncle. Her father Gasarb stood up in shock protesting the knife to his daughter's throat, Reginarb was horrified to find her father and uncle here with Braurb and Mhorirb but he reassured he was only here to talk peace. That was when Gasarb's brother stabbed him in the lower back and it was revealed that he had lead Gasarb here to eliminate him, blame it on the Orbs and undermine Arb command, pathing way for the Urbs and Irbs to take control of the Black Plains. Mhorirb then proceeded to taunt Reginarb and declare an imminent victory, he then turned to and asked Braurb:

*"Brother, we shall have a united kingdom of our own, strong against all outsiders, all I ask of you is to end this woman's life and you shall have my daughter as your bride to love you until the day you die in your deathbed. Your people the Urbs, the Erbs and the Arbs will all lose faith in the Orbs, their men are in the tundra fighting shadows and they have no honour that they would send their women to fight their battles, the tribes will see this, they will see strength, they will see me. So brother, end her life and save countless generations of Half-Ogre lives."*

Braurb nodded his head and began to slit her throat when the wall collapsed on him and Reginarb, a boulder had brought half the hut down. Outside of the hut were Irb tribesmen scrambling to the walls where Orbs, both men and women, Erbs, Arbs and Urbs stood side by side unifying the Black Plains against the very Half-Ogre who sought it through conquest.

## Diplomacy between Orbs, Erbs, Arbs & Urbs (two weeks prior)

The Orbs and Arbs had been fighting in the open tundra and the Orbs reached the Arb settlement and prepared to lay siege. A rogue Arb tribesman walked out unarmed and demanded the attention of Grimorb to seek help. Grimorb was surprised but listened to hear that there were Arb tribesmen who deviated from their leader Gasarb and were willing to hand over control to Mhorirb and that Gasarb was being led into a trap by his brother at the Irb settlement. Grimorb did not trust this information so the Arb tribesman ordered his people to open the gate, and bring out wrapped bodies. They were bodies of the suspected deviant Arbs, Grimorb recognised many of the faces and accepted that this was real. The tribesman even told his people to leave the gate open and lay down their arms, showing Grimorb that they're no threat and they're willing to work together and save Gasarb. An alliance was made.

Meanwhile in the quiet theatre of the great lakes, Urb tribesmen received word that Braurb's son was alive and held prisoner in the Erb settlement. So the healers of the Urb tribe approached the Erbs to make a deal without Braurb's wishes. They would tend to the sick and diseased in the Erb settlement in return for the safe return of Braub's son, with no real choice the Erbs hesitantly agreed. An deal was made.

The combined forces of the Orbs and Arbs marched south to the Orb settlement to recuperate and bolster their newly-founded war party. There was reason to believe a party of Arb deviants had fled their settlement and were heading to the Irb settlement to ensure their success. Grimorb sent his brother Killorb to investigate the area for the Arb deviant party. Grimorb learned that his wife had lead several women to the Irb settlement in attempt to assassinate Mhorirb and he forged a plan to march on the Irb settlement to put an end to this conflict and save his beloved wife. A plan was made.

Without enough time to fully mobilize, small parties of the Erbs and Urbs reached Grimorb who was the only leader with any real respect standing. His army was moving south and reinforcements joined every day from the great lakes. An army was marching.

## Battle of the Irb Settlement

Outnumbered four-to-one, the Irb tribe was under siege and didn't stand a chance.

Boulders were thrown from the tall dry grass and and a horde of half-ogres rushed towards the walls, led by Grimorb. Inside the settlement, Reginarb was trapped under the wall and the treacherous Braurb's lifeless corpse. As she was squirming her way out, Mhorirb was panicking watching his home under siege and was yelling orders. Reginarb broke free and charged towards Mhorirb with furious rage but was stopped when he threw her uncle between them and ran out the back telling two of his men to put her down. Reginarb defended herself with Braurb's warhammers against the bodyguards but was struggling when the door was kicked down by a hulking dark figure, it was Grimorb and he charged into the bodyguards and cut them down. The exhausted Reginarb wasn't ready to rest, her betraying uncle was in the corner, hiding behind nothing but a wall of regret and delusion. She rushed towards him, picked up him and threw him against the wall before pouncing on him and stabbing him in the chest with the knife he had just used to kill her father in the back.

The walls were overrun and the courtyard was swarming with half-ogres from all tribes, Grimorb approached a tired Reginarb and picked her up and carried her through the battlefield, as the Irb's tribemen are surrendering or fleeing into the mountains.

## Diplomacy between the united Black Plains

The war is over and peace is over the horizon, Grimorb returns home in a position of power.

He returns home to find a dozen grim faces and is told that his brother Jassorb and Killorb's son and daughter were killed by his mad sister Niphorb under the order of her husband Aararb, the suspected Arb deviant. Killorb decides to leave, to leave it all, he doesn't want anything to do with the Black Plains. Grimorb fails to persuade him to stay.

Months have gone by, winter is coming and the Black Plains is reaching stability. Now in an acting position of power, Grimorb asks the Arbs tribeman that approached him in the siege of the Arb's settlement and organised his people to lay down arms to identify himself. He does so, tells Grimorb his name is Vikarb, son of Husclarb and Grimorb appoints him to represent the Irb's settlement. Braurb's son who was held prisoner by the Erbs was appointed to take his father's position as representative of the Urb tribe under Grimorb's leadership. He also supported Tyrorb to represent the Erb tribe, who was the daughter of the Erb's chieften who succumbed to disease. Trouble was brewing in the Arb tribe as they couldn't decide who to lead, most people wanted the brother of Vikarb but a smaller group of more powerful half-ogres wanted Fawarb, son of Aararb to represent the Arb tribe. The other tribes' representatives didn't like this but Grimorb could not afford to go to war with the divisive Arb tribe so he agreed to let Aararb's son Fawarb represent the Arb tribe. This was disliked by many but before there was time to discuss it, scouts had reported news that would tear this alliance apart.

## Sightings of Mhorbirb & Aararb

The chieften of the Irb tribe, the Orb's greatest enemy throughout the war and the chieften of the Arb tribe who ordered the assassination of his brother, niece and nephew, both were spotted in the height of the Vowal Mountains, backed by Arb deviants and Irb warriors that escaped the battle. Grimorb knew they must be eliminated but everyone disagreed, that they were too tired and the chieftens presented no threat. Being told that "revenge is a fool's game" and him going against it is what caused everyone to lose faith as he ordered 30 exhausted and wounded warriors to follow him into the mountains for his personal glory, but no one would refuse an order aloud.

## Mountain Fighting III

With 30 warriors at his back, he marched into the mountains to face his enemy. The next three days were bad decisions after the next, ordering his men to climb peaks where they would near-freeze and fall, to take dangerous paths and leave horses behind and carry the supplies themselves. eight half-ogres died to the environment, and not a word of regret from Grimorb, ten more had deserted in the night before and had taken many supplies with them. Only 12 remained when campfire smoke was spotted and Grimorb pushed harder. They climbed up the ridge to find a camp below, 20 half-ogres, the camp was nothing short of in ruins, no supplies and no tents, just a fire and the remains of slain half-ogres over the fire, they were suffering.

Grimorb's party begged that he go back home, and "they're not worth it and we're not strong enough". With every face Grimorb looked at, he couldn't name a single one, this war he started with his family were all dead, sick or had left, surrounded by fearing strangers he went dark, threatened to fight anyone to the death who didn't show courage in the face of battle. Grimorb wasn't about to let Mhorirb and Aararb get taken by the cold, it would had been too easy.

The sun was coming up and the enemy was waking up for another dreadful night only to hear a roar and see Grimorb and his party charging towards their fire. He went straight for Mhorirb who was barely awake when Grimorb cut his head in half with a swinging sword. As Mhorirb's cranium fell off and his brains spewed, Aararb made a run for it and Grimorb followed after, leaving his outnumbered men. Tumbling through crevasses in the snow, Aararb could not see Grimorb anywhere and he moved with caution before the only light in the crevasse was blocked out by Grimorb jumping on him blade first, ripping through his chest, every rib snapped as Grimorb reached the ground. Aararb cried out but there were no words heard, only blood gurgling from his mangled carcass.

Grimorb left his kneeling open corpse in the snow with his sword left stuck inside and tiredly walked back to the campfire to find 5 of his men left, slaughtering the most weary of enemies that defended themselves with teeth-picked half-ogre bones. Grimorb didn't even glance at his men, he simply walked back the way they come and his men who sacrificed everything was left confused by his silence and followed him back home. No one talked the way back, no one got the glory they expected and no one was left to fight.

The war was over.

## Aftermath

When he returned home with 25 missing men, the settlement was quiet and all of the clans had distanced themselves from his poor leadership and selfish acts of revenge which he got in exchange for a united Black Plains and being it's unofficial leader. The outcome of the war didn't change much except cost lives, the tribes stayed divided, and wouldn't trade or even communicate for several years, not until bandits moved into the area as it was less guarded, only then did the tribes begin to talk to each other as they had common enemies. Following tradition and the only way of life the tribes knew, they had sons and daughters that needed to be married off so past grudges weren't forgotten, but weren't held by the younger generations. The warriors of this time would grow old and some would die like their hatred of each other. Grimorb would continue to venture out, only returning to impregnate his wife Reginarb for the next twelve years before settling down, surrounded before his 12 sons who would grow up and seek riches and victory of their own.