The Glerkod rebellion
Before the Rending, there was a kingdom that an orc king ruled. He was heavy-handed but just, and his successor, his fifth son, was believed to become an even greater ruler. Unfortunately, the cataclysm came, and both died, leaving just a few weak replacements as potential new kings. The succession war lasted only for a few months because nobody was willing to fight after the devastation of the cataclysm, and king Oguk became the new ruler. Oguk’s line produced only weak rulers, and after three generations, the kingdom was on the brink of destruction. The kingdom was besieged from multiple sides. The soldiers’ morale was at an all-time low, while poverty caused by the cataclysm and the wars were at an all-time high.
This was the state of the kingdom when Glerkod, a young hobgoblin officer and leader of the king’s guards, snapped and killed the king. He was mowed down quickly by the rest of the guards, but the news of his act traveled like wildfire through the kingdom, sparking a more significant uprising throughout the realm. One uprising, in general, was the cornerstone of what later became a full-blown rebellion. Agrek, a hobgoblin general and elder brother of Glerkod, was on the border pushing back a lizardmen incursion from the neighboring marshes. When the news of his brother’s death and the multiple uprisings reached him, he knew immediately that this was the time when the kingdom could be taken from the current line of rulers and create something better. He quickly agreed with the leader of the lizardmen hoard that they would stop the fighting, and the lizardmen would lend a sizeable force. If Agrek could dethrone the current dynasty, talks will start about how the kingdom can help the lizardmen live better or even create their unified territory.
Agrek’s forces tore through the kingdom quickly and easily. He was a renowned general, and there were only pockets of resistance. Many people who partook in the many uprisings joined his forces, reaching the capital only in a couple of weeks. Here Agrek declared himself regent until a new ruler was elected and started to free the kingdom from the last supporters of the previous king. Unfortunately, the weeks it took him to reach the capital gave time for the potential heirs to amass their forces too. They were furious with Agrek making himself a regent and retaliated with an iron fist. They raised every village, town, and city which turned against the old regime. They killed every man and woman, old and young, to demonstrate who owns the kingdom and everybody living in it. Hearing about these horrific events, in some settlements, the residents just gave up those who revolted against the king and watched how the forces of the heirs butchered them. Still, these acts of massacre usually increased the resolution in the citizens. They fought against the armies of the heirs until their dying breath. Finally, the two armies met, and it wasn’t a question of who will win. Although the sizes of the armies were similar, the rebels fought for their lives and families and had a sweeping triumph.
After this victory, there was no question that Agrek would become the new ruler. He accepted the position, but it took him almost two years to secure it by hunting down everybody who still fought against him. Ultimately, all his remaining enemies fled to far, unhospitable lands because Agrek was true to his word and made peace with the lizardmen. He helped them carve out their territory and made the newly created kingdom a liege state of his dominion. After the wars, Agrek stepped down as king to make room for someone better suited to be a ruler and became a hunter of those who still posed a danger to the fledgling Dominion of the Hobgoblin.
Without Glerkod and Agrek, we wouldn’t be what we are
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