First Unhuman War
The First Unhuman War, sometimes referred to as the Great Hunt, was a conflict between elves and many non-human humanoid races that spanned multiple crystal spheres of the Prime Material plane between the 10th and 11th centuries DR. It established the hegemony of elves and the Elven Imperial Fleet as the uncontested dominant power of the known spheres for the next 400 years. After the war, a tribe of exiled orcs reorganized and become the scro, whose search for revenge would make them the main adversaries of the elves in the Second Unhuman War.
The Conflict
Prelude
The non-human humanoid races such as bugbears, goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, ogres, and orcs, who were collectively called "unhumans", had a long history of space exploration, flying aboard Spelljamming ships powered by shamans. Never united under a single banner, they frequently fought each other and other spacefaring races in isolated assaults and raids. Despite the lack of coordination, the sheer number of attackers involved in those raids resulted in the devastation of entire areas inhabited by dwarves, humans, and elves, despite their best efforts to defend their homelands.
After a long time of deliberation within the Council of Admirals of the Elven Imperial Navy, it was decided that an all-out war against all unhuman races was the only answer to end all raids permanently. This decision upheld a long-standing tradition held by the elven fleets to oppose any forces across the spheres that posed an imminent danger to elvenkind.
Although having initially grouped the Hadozee together with the other unhuman races, the elves reconsidered this decision after witnessing their culture and societal development and built a relationship with them. The Hadozee became allies with the elves during the war effort and remained close even after its resolution.
Battlefield
The first major engagement in the war was the Battle of Kule, a large battle fought in Greyspace starting in 185 CY, or approximately 965 DR. It was characterized by a massive offensive by the elven fleets that left the opposing humanoid forces scattered and broken. This type of aggressive maneuver defined the early stages of the war, which lasted for nearly a decade and wiped out about half of the orcish fleet.
The destruction of the humanoid fleets wrought by the elves as the war progressed was near total. It resulted in the extinction of many spelljammer classes such as the kobold angelship; the goblin porcupine, which once numbered in the thousands; the orc scorpion; and the massive ogre mammoth. The few ships of those classes that survived the war were not in service of the humanoid fleets, being employed either as human trade vessels and pirate ships, or mind flayer slave carriers.
The elven forces continued pursuing the unhuman races as they fled and sought aid from their surface-dwelling counterparts. Violent surface bombardments from the elven ships provoked the ire of powerful groundling wizards and clerics, eventually drawing the attention of deities themselves. At that point, the elven forces retreated and adopted a more restrained policy of limited ground attacks.
The only noteworthy goblinoid victory in the war was achieved by the Combined Goblin Fleet, under the command of the half-orc Gralnakh Longtooth. In an unprecedented display of organization and actual unification of the goblinoid forces, the Goblin Fleet dealt the first and only truly damaging blow to the Elven Fleet. By employing guerrilla tactics in a crystal sphere filled with small moonlets that could be used to hide ships and prepare ambushes, the Combined Goblin Fleet managed to continue fighting for years, despite the elves' constant escalation as they kept marshalling forces to crush Gralnakh's remaining beleaguered ships.
Realizing that Gralnakh's fleet was diverting too many elven forces from the larger war effort and that a proper strategy to defeat them would take too long, Aldyn Leafblower, the commander of the Elven Fleet at the time, met with Gralnakh and offered an armistice. The half-orc, knowing that his fleet's defeat was only a matter of time, agreed to cease the hostilities with the condition that his followers were given a world where they could thrive undistubed by elven interference. The elven Council of Admirals then reluctantly agreed to concede the world of Armistice in Winterspace―the most inhospitable planet they could find―to Gralnakh's people.
In the late stages of the war, the elven forces developed a method to destroy entire planets. The only known instance in which this power was used was on the world of Borka in Greyspace. On 201 CY (approximately 981 DR), the small planet, then a stronghold of orcs, goblinoids, and other races, was completely destroyed by the elves. The exact method was unknown, but it combined exceptional amounts of arcane and divine magic and was said to have counted with direct assistance by the Seldarine. This event was never repeated, as the elven fleet in Greyspace was completely destroyed by a series of accidents and attacks by other surviving humanoid fleets.
The escalation in destructive power was also present in the unhuman side of the conflict. Orc shamans created massive abominations known as witchlight marauders that were intended as first-strike weapons that could lay waste to entire elven worlds. They were exterminated before they could be deployed, as the elven forces quickly proceeded to destroy them as soon as their existence was discovered. However, a few dormant marauders survived in secret locations.
The creation and weaponization of mutated lifeforms was practiced by both sides of the conflict. On the elven side, voluntary elves and humans were mutated into bionoids, shapeshifting creatures that could turn into powerful insect-like warriors. Other creatures created by the elves included the spirit warriors. On the unhuman side, orcish shamans created the yitsan, while mutated hobgoblin shamans gave rise to the chakchak.
The destruction of the humanoid fleets wrought by the elves as the war progressed was near total. It resulted in the extinction of many spelljammer classes such as the kobold angelship; the goblin porcupine, which once numbered in the thousands; the orc scorpion; and the massive ogre mammoth. The few ships of those classes that survived the war were not in service of the humanoid fleets, being employed either as human trade vessels and pirate ships, or mind flayer slave carriers.
The elven forces continued pursuing the unhuman races as they fled and sought aid from their surface-dwelling counterparts. Violent surface bombardments from the elven ships provoked the ire of powerful groundling wizards and clerics, eventually drawing the attention of deities themselves. At that point, the elven forces retreated and adopted a more restrained policy of limited ground attacks.
The only noteworthy goblinoid victory in the war was achieved by the Combined Goblin Fleet, under the command of the half-orc Gralnakh Longtooth. In an unprecedented display of organization and actual unification of the goblinoid forces, the Goblin Fleet dealt the first and only truly damaging blow to the Elven Fleet. By employing guerrilla tactics in a crystal sphere filled with small moonlets that could be used to hide ships and prepare ambushes, the Combined Goblin Fleet managed to continue fighting for years, despite the elves' constant escalation as they kept marshalling forces to crush Gralnakh's remaining beleaguered ships.
Realizing that Gralnakh's fleet was diverting too many elven forces from the larger war effort and that a proper strategy to defeat them would take too long, Aldyn Leafblower, the commander of the Elven Fleet at the time, met with Gralnakh and offered an armistice. The half-orc, knowing that his fleet's defeat was only a matter of time, agreed to cease the hostilities with the condition that his followers were given a world where they could thrive undistubed by elven interference. The elven Council of Admirals then reluctantly agreed to concede the world of Armistice in Winterspace―the most inhospitable planet they could find―to Gralnakh's people.
In the late stages of the war, the elven forces developed a method to destroy entire planets. The only known instance in which this power was used was on the world of Borka in Greyspace. On 201 CY (approximately 981 DR), the small planet, then a stronghold of orcs, goblinoids, and other races, was completely destroyed by the elves. The exact method was unknown, but it combined exceptional amounts of arcane and divine magic and was said to have counted with direct assistance by the Seldarine. This event was never repeated, as the elven fleet in Greyspace was completely destroyed by a series of accidents and attacks by other surviving humanoid fleets.
The escalation in destructive power was also present in the unhuman side of the conflict. Orc shamans created massive abominations known as witchlight marauders that were intended as first-strike weapons that could lay waste to entire elven worlds. They were exterminated before they could be deployed, as the elven forces quickly proceeded to destroy them as soon as their existence was discovered. However, a few dormant marauders survived in secret locations.
The creation and weaponization of mutated lifeforms was practiced by both sides of the conflict. On the elven side, voluntary elves and humans were mutated into bionoids, shapeshifting creatures that could turn into powerful insect-like warriors. Other creatures created by the elves included the spirit warriors. On the unhuman side, orcish shamans created the yitsan, while mutated hobgoblin shamans gave rise to the chakchak.
Aftermath
After the war, the unhuman races never recovered their former numbers or any sort of organized presence in space. A few planetary nations of orcs sometimes maintained small fleets of converted ships that were used as pirate vessels, while a few surviving ogres still found work in commanding positions among pirates. Former spacefarers who found refuge on the surface ended up in human cities, taking up work as they could while staying away from the elves and nurturing their hatred and desire for revenge. Some exiled orcs were rumored to be reconstructing their scorpion ship fleet.
Artifacts of the war remained scattered in space for centuries. A particular line of defense that had been adopted by necromancers during the war was to fill regions of space with skeletons curled up into balls, which proceeded to attack and board any ship that came into proximity. Even centuries later, it was not uncommon for a ship to come accross such fields. It was also theorized that mercurial slimes, a form of deadly spacefaring ooze, were also relics of weapons used in the Unhuman War.
On the world of Plata, a contingent of goblinoid combatants was left stranded as their supply ships were destroyed by the elves. Even centuries after the end of the war, the humanoids continued believing that the fight was ongoing and that their side was winning, while at the same time they struggled to survive under constant pressure by the native aarakocra population.
The living weapons that fought the war on the side of the elves were immediately ostracized by elven society at the end of the war. Surviving bionoids were banished and left to fend for themselves. Many became renegades, bent on taking revenge on the elves they had fought to protect.
Of the unhuman survivors, one particular tribe of orcs retreated and settled on a remote planet. Under the leadership of Dukagsh, the orcs were trained in war discipline and tactics, survival, and culture. Following Dukagsh's vision, over the centuries they evolved into the race known as the scro and prepared to engage the elves in a war of revenge, eventually igniting the Second Unhuman War.
A group of ogres aboard a modified mammoth managed to survive the conflict and settled in the Steel Star crystal sphere. From there, they spent the following years conducting raids to collect ships and spelljamming helms to rebuild their forces and establish an ogre kingdom, with the ultimate goal of exerting revenge upon the elves. Initially thought to be just a rumor, the existence of the ogre kingdom around the Steel Star was confirmed by Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun.
Never forgive, never forget.
- Orcish Aphorism
Artifacts of the war remained scattered in space for centuries. A particular line of defense that had been adopted by necromancers during the war was to fill regions of space with skeletons curled up into balls, which proceeded to attack and board any ship that came into proximity. Even centuries later, it was not uncommon for a ship to come accross such fields. It was also theorized that mercurial slimes, a form of deadly spacefaring ooze, were also relics of weapons used in the Unhuman War.
On the world of Plata, a contingent of goblinoid combatants was left stranded as their supply ships were destroyed by the elves. Even centuries after the end of the war, the humanoids continued believing that the fight was ongoing and that their side was winning, while at the same time they struggled to survive under constant pressure by the native aarakocra population.
The living weapons that fought the war on the side of the elves were immediately ostracized by elven society at the end of the war. Surviving bionoids were banished and left to fend for themselves. Many became renegades, bent on taking revenge on the elves they had fought to protect.
Of the unhuman survivors, one particular tribe of orcs retreated and settled on a remote planet. Under the leadership of Dukagsh, the orcs were trained in war discipline and tactics, survival, and culture. Following Dukagsh's vision, over the centuries they evolved into the race known as the scro and prepared to engage the elves in a war of revenge, eventually igniting the Second Unhuman War.
A group of ogres aboard a modified mammoth managed to survive the conflict and settled in the Steel Star crystal sphere. From there, they spent the following years conducting raids to collect ships and spelljamming helms to rebuild their forces and establish an ogre kingdom, with the ultimate goal of exerting revenge upon the elves. Initially thought to be just a rumor, the existence of the ogre kingdom around the Steel Star was confirmed by Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun.