The Scourge of Grukzan

"We should be thankful Grukzan was content to remain on the seas. There is no doubt in my mind that were an orc of his cunning and brutality to ever set their eyes on conquering our realms we would be powerless to stop them."

— King Davos III of Caidawin

It is fairly common for Orcs to take to the seas and launch raids along the eastern coast of The Freelands but none are as feared as the crews of Grukzan The Sea Tyrant. This orc raider sails a ship known as 'Hel Kraken' and commands a vast fleet of captured ships crewed by orcs, trolls, and ogres which he has used to terrorize coastal settlements for close to 30 years. Grukzan would become a true legend with his largest and final raid, known as The Scourge of Grukzan, which is still sung about by orc raiders to this day.

Summary

After several years of successful raids and naval conflicts, Grukzan desired greater conquests, he would achieve what no orc raider before him had by burning the entire coast from north to south! Before setting sail he had a vivid dream of the entire ocean aflame with orcs chanting his name. Taking this as a blessing from Grummsh, he gouged out his left eye when he awoke and set sail. To this day the many places have not fully recovered from the carnage Grukzan brought down upon them.
First, they struck the Hill dwarf settlement of Sedurinen. Anchoring their boats on the coastline, they waited till nightfall and caught the town completely unaware, wiping it out completely. The next target was the heavily defended Dwarven Khauzat Allasinod. Their siege cannons sank many of Grukzan ships but they reached the stone gates and blew them open several ships loaded with dragon powder and sacked the dwarven forges. Following this they began raiding The Freelands, an area now all too familiar with Grukzan. When he reached Highcliff the nobles expected Grukzan was sailing into the city to collect his usual bribe. Instead, he and his crew scaled the cliffs surrounding the bay and looted their manors, burning them to the ground.
As Grukzan continued south news of the raid spread across Merkia. A combined fleet of Kathil, Tharessi, Caidawin and Alendan ships sailed to finally put a stop to the orc. Known as The Battle of the Dragon Sea, this was the largest naval battle in Merkia's history, with Grukzan emerging the victor. When Grukzan reached the shores of Zauwry the Sorcerer Kings summoned huge magical storms to try halt Grukans advance but he sailed onwards at great cost to what remained of his fleet, he burned all the fields surrounding the Tower of Tolivar. Finally, he set out to the Isle of Dovjukaar and sailed into the port of Dovpraal. Grukzan challenged Shaqowuth to a dual in exchange for one piece of the Red Dragons horde. Possessed with the might of Gruumsh himself, Grukzan overcame the dragon and claimed a giant ruby as his prize and returned to Uruk-Tok victorious. Grukzan did not remain content for long, however. Disbanding his fleet, he sailed east proclaiming he would only return once he had defeated all the monsters of the sea.

Historical Basis

Many who live inland question the validity of Grukzans legend, for example, it is highly unlikely Grukzan managed to defeat Shaqowuth in a one or one dual and likely stole the ruby in some other, less impressive fashion. Due to the huge losses Grukzan sustained during his raid much of the account spread in Uruk-Tok could only be spread by himself and his crew, who no doubt inflated many of the details. However, for those on the eastern coast of The Freelands the wounds from his raids are still fresh in their memories, and they probably also helped Grukzans legend grow through heresy and rumors.

Spread

While the threat of Grukzan was known in many coastal areas through stories spread by sailors, after Grukzans Great Raid his legend spread all across Merkia. This was mostly by refugees fleeing the coastal towns and villages that had been sacked by Grukzan's fleet. Their tales were picked up by traveling merchants resulting in the tales of Grukzan being known far and wide.

Cultural Reception

In Uruk-Tok, Grukzan is a hero amongst the vast majority of the orc tribes, with many orcs aspiring to follow in or surpass his legacy. For the rest of Merkia however, his tale inspires great fear and a reminder of the great threat orcs can possess when united and mobilized under an effective leader.

Date of Setting

1335 -1338

Related Locations

• The Freelands