Lore - Orgoth Occupation

This article covers events from the Orgoth arriving in Immoren in 608 BR (Before Rebellion) through to their final destruction by the dragon Toruk in 201 AR (After Rebellion).

For other time periods, see: Template:Lore history articles

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The invasion of the Orgoth from across the Meredius and the long period of their occupation forever changed the Immoren continent, and directly shaped the nations that we know and love in the current game setting.

This dark era lasted for eight centuries but is divided into three distinct periods: the first two hundred years of the invasion and bloody subjugation, four hundred years of occupation, and the tumultuous two hundred year rebellion which eventually served to drive the Orgoth out.

Orgoth Orgins

After being repelled by the Divine Court, the Infernals still coveted souls. They learned that they could reach into the minds of certain mortals, influencing their actions or communicating to a degree. The Fellgoeth Order managed this, contacting a human nation and essentially, slowly, subverting the entire nation to their whims - these became the Orgoth.

Invasion

608 BR

A vast Orgoth armada lands on the shores of Garlghast Island and begins construction of the great fortress of Drer Drakkerung.

600 BR

The first Orgoth blackships land on the western shore of Immoren.

569 BR

The Khadic empire capitulates to the Orgoth.

542 BR

The Orgoth take over Rynyr, but are unsuccessful at invading Rhul.

538 BR

Seeking to expand their holdings beyond Garlghast to the remainder of the Scharde Islands, Orgoth blackships destroy a Satyxis fleet sent to intercept them. In response, Lord Toruk personally takes to the skies for the first time in centuries and annihilates the any of the Orgoth fleet within proximity to the islands.

433 BR

The Orgoth hold total dominion on the humans of western Immoren, except for the city of Caspia.

The Orgoth settle in to their new home, and nothing disturbs the status quo for nearly 250 years.

190 BR

Orgoth governors begin to have much less regular contact with their homeland.

Occupation

Thamar's deal (c. 150 BR)

During the Orgoth occupation Morrow, a human god with the gift of prophecy, became troubled as he could not see a future of hope and freedom for his mortal followers. As his followers dwindled in number under the Orgoth rule so too might he be in danger of fading away. His sister Thamar understood this too and, knowing of the Infernals' nature through her own research for more power, she confided in her brother Morrow of a plan she'd been devising. Although Thamar's plan was terrible, it was the only course of action Morrow could see with a spot of hope for the people of the Iron Kingdoms, and he consented.

Taking her first faithful with her, Thamar made contact with the Nonokrion Order of the Infernals, a group of Infernals in competition with the Fellgoeth Order that controlled the Orgoth, and struck a bargain. The Infernals would use their power to alter the very reality of Caen itself, granting humanity access to the Arcane powers (that Menoth had essentially denied them when he suppressed human's divine spark). In return Thamar would deliver to the Infernals the Elven Gods that had escaped them long ago. The Infernals demanded more, and Thamar consented: as well as the elven gods, the price would be no less than two-thirds of Humanity, to be deferred and collected at 1000 years hence. However Thamar did manage to bargain for one more thing: those truly devoted to Thamar would be spared of direct Infernal control or contact.

Humans in Immoren did not know, and still don't know, of Thamar's actions. We, the players, did not learn about it until the Oblivion book was published in 2019.

Timeline

c. 150 BR

Humans begin the study of Arcane magic. All human magic prior to this date has been Divine magic derived from Menoth.

Thamar is alleged to have imparted the Gift of Magic on humanity, based on visions bestowed on her most devoted advocates.

A cabal of occultists begin the task of deciphering the visions and learning Arcane magic. Their organisation becomes known as the Circle of the Oath.

137 BR

Birth of Madruva Dagra, the first Immorese sorcerer.

96 BR

Sebastian Kerwin publishes Dissertations on Thaumaturgical Formulation, a study in the control of magic using specialised runes.

81 BR

Kerwin institutes the Arcanist’s Academe, the first known assembly of wizards, in Ceryl.

69 BR

The Orgoth execute over five hundred priests in an event known as the Vicarate Slaughter. It is in retaliation to a raid conducted by Dominic Cavanaugh to rescue 300 Thurian slaves.

67 BR

Kerwin joins the Circle of the Oath and converts it away from its Thamarite roots.

64 BR

Kerwin publishes the Synthesis.

63 BR

The Orgoth destroy the Arcanist’s Academe, allegedly killing Kerwin. His body is never found.

54 BR

The Circle of the Oath is destroyed by the Orgoth.

25 BR

Circle of the Oath survivors found the Order of the Golden Crucible.

Rebellion

0 AR

The Orgoth governor of Fharin demands a tithe of eight thousand slaves to ship across the Meredius to the Orgoth homeland. Instead the Fharin citizens revolt and kill the governer.

The rebels call themselves the Iron Fellowship and declare war against the Orgoth.

7 AR

The Iron Fellowship is crushed by the Orgoth.

28 AR

Oliver Gulvont invents the first firearm.

32 AR

The Battle of the Hundred Wizards: the city of Tordor is liberated with the aid of over a hundred arcanists led by the archwizard Cortis Vendarl.

40 AR

The Orgoth recapture Tordor and put all arcanists to the sword.

83 AR

The Circle Orboros unleash the rip lung plague on Immorese and Orgoth alike.

84 AR

The Army of Thunder rise to liberate Rynyr with new firearms improved by the Order of the Golden Crucible.

86 AR

The Army of Thunder successfully holds Leryn against an army of ten thousand Orgoth.

93 AR

Corben finds a cure to the rip lung plague.

111 AR

The Fraternal Order of Wizardry is founded by Victor Baerd, under the city of Ceryl.

147 AR

The Umbreans start to rebel against the Orgoth.

155 AR

Maximillian Nivin creates the first cerebral matrix — a device capable of limited reasoning capacity.

158 AR

Maximillian Nivin and Elias Decklan create the first man-sized automaton.

164 AR

The humans and trollkin of western Immoren form the Iron Alliance under the leadership of the Council of Ten.

177 AR

After being smuggled from Ceryl to Caspia, Decklan proposes the creation of colossals to the Council of Ten, utilising a more advanced version of the cerebral matrix.

181 AR

The Iron Alliance begins construction of the first colossals.

188 AR

The Orgoth assail Korsk, destroying the colossal facilities and killing countless arcanists.

191 AR

The first colossal strides from Caspia.

201 AR

The Orgoth retreat from Immoren. They initiate the Scourge, destroying the vast majority of their records and structures, poisoning wells, salting fields, and slaughtering thousands of slaves before being driven from the shores of Immoren.

They regroup their forces on the island of Garlghast, their first fortress, but are destroyed by Cryx.

This decimates the Cryx forces but Toruk considers it worthwhile, as he becomes the de facto owner of all the Orgoth magic and technology that survived the Scourge (barring a few items scattered across Immoren).

It is unknown whether the Orgorth planned to counterattack the main continent or retreat all the way back to the Orgoth homeland (that they lost contact with nearly 400 years earlier).

Meanwhile, in Ios

The Rivening

The Elven Gods had been trying to get back to their home in the Veld for centuries, and had finally found a spot upon an ancient battlefield where the barrier between worlds was weak enough. However Thamar had also found them and to uphold her bargain, she told her Infernal collaborators where the Divine Court were.

The Infernals ambushed the Divine Court in the darkness between worlds, separating them and slaughtering all of them except Scyrah, Nyssor, and the Gatekeeper (who had been captured by the Infernals so they could learn how to enter Urcaen).

Lacyr, the leader of the Court, in her final moments managed to impart what remained of her godly powers into her raiment, or Mantle, and thrust Scyrah the Goddess of Spring away from the battle to safety. Nyssor, Father of Winter, had been apart from his divine family, shepherding his faithful the Nyss, but when he felt what was happening he rushed to their side. He was too late, however, arriving only in time to rescue Lacyr's Mantle and find Scyrah wandering the darkness, so he guided her back to Caen. He took the Mantle, in which the power resides to restore a new Divine Court and grant it's possessor the power of Lacyr, and sealed it away in his frozen vault along with himself, so that he might survive long enough to ensure it's power was passed on - Lacyr's intent was for Scyrah to have it and ascend to Lacyr's place.

Unlike you, the reader, the Ios people have no idea what befell their gods. These events were only revealed to the players in 2019.

140 BR

The simultaneous death of nearly all their gods drives most Iosan priests insane. This event becomes known as The Rivening.

34 BR

The elven god Scyrah returns to the nation of Ios. She had left with the other gods in 840 BR (see Lore - Deep History), but is the only one to return. She is in an almost catatonic state, unable to explain what had happened to her or where the other elven gods are. She retreats to her Fane and falls unconscious.