Fall of Ironpass

Pivotal battle where the united Orc clans were defeated by Kingdom forces, averting a full-scale invasion of the Kingdom of Andor .

Background

In the years leading up to the Fall of Ironpass, a cunning and ambitious orc known as the Great Warchief rose to power over the Bleeding Skull clan, and eventually--with the secret aid of Ladesh the Ageless--managed to unite the major clans into a single orcish horde.

Events

By 157 KE, the Great Warchief had marshalled his forces and led them to the northern edge of the Titan's Teeth. Early warnings were reported by Northwarder mountain rangers, but as the orcs had kept their troop movements hidden in the Green Heart forests, there was no time to marshal the Armies of the East and West in order to counter the massive orc force. The Northwarden military was quickly mobilized, but it remained vastly outnumbered by the orc horde. The Companions, along with Arath'Marin, held a military council and decided that the Kingdom's only hope was to stall the orc forces in the Ironpass, a narrow mountain passage that led from Northwarden into the Northlands. Given enough time, perhaps the Kingdom armies could arrive before the orcs spilled into the open Kingdom lands and became uncontainable. The forces engaged in a bloody and desperate struggle on a rainy morning, each side acutely aware of the stakes of the battle. The Kingdom forces fought valiantly but the sheer magnitude of orc warriors meant that defeat was inevitable. In a final act of desperation, Arath'Marin brought down his sword, Murandir, the Black Blade, in a magical detonation that collapsed the mountain walls of Ironpass, burying thousands of orcs and sealing the only viable route between the Kingdom and the Northlands.

Aftermath

Following the Fall of Ironpass, the shattered orc clans returned to their homeland and customary in-fighting. Contact across the Titan's Teeth is rare, difficult, and dangerous. Thought destroyed, the Avelornic sword Murandir lay untouched for a generation, before its magic power eventually lured Azzerrad the Ageless to its location, who would in turn destroy the nearby orc city Tamoachan. The sword would eventually by reclaimed by Polaris Te'Laetheriel, a member of the Forerunners of Prophecy.

Event Date 157 KE Location Ironpass - Titan's Teeth Notable Participants Arath'Marin, the Darkblade Rafe Windsong Kin'Saan Watari Ser Mathias Ares The Great Warchief Roshak the Silent