About[edit | edit source]
| Years Active | 0 PR - 31 PR |
|---|---|
| Government | Martial Law |
| Allies | Swikedom |
| Enemies | Trudger |
| Primary Race | Hobgoblin |
Emergence[edit | edit source]
During the Holy War in the last century of the BR era, many underground tunnels, mountain caverns, and secret hideaways around the realm kept the citizens of Quelmar safe while the overworld was at war. To many, it meant a quiet and simple serene life, keeping out of danger, caring for the family you had, and nightly prayers to your god of choice.
To Chieftan Nuldrak and his men, it meant a chance to be undisturbed while they worked on plans for the greatest conquest a hobgoblin tribe had ever imagined. Within the first year after Tiamat's defeat, and two years before Realm War I formally began in 2 PR, The Shend had emerged from within the cliffs north of Fyrgen, a small town which Nuldrak had always dreamed of securing. Using intelligent war tactics, the hobgoblins claimed the mouth of the river Olyphemus, which was the main source of freshwater to the citizens of Fyrgen. From there, Nuldrak’s forces marched southwest, claiming the coastline a they made their way towards Chieftan Nuldrak’s dream conquest. While a perimeter was eventually set up around Fyrgen, the hobgoblins were unable to take the mountain itself and instead claimed the surrounding land. Over the next decade, The Shend clan worked to claim all of the territory surrounding Fyrgen, taking all possible sources of livestock, vegetation, and useful minerals.
Opposition[edit | edit source]
The town of Fyrgen itself is known to have strong historical ties to many powerful wartime figures including the leader of Trudger, Chief Trudgore. Fyrgen was a temporary housing for leaders in the Holy War as they plotted counter attacks against the fiery dragons of Pteris. For this reason, Trudgore put every effort in place fighting a proxy war against The Shend to keep Fyrgen liberated, despite the fact that the town was now swimming in a sea of The Shend.
After a decade, the stalemate led to The Shend’s very unusual shape, consisting of the river claim to the north, and a solid mass of territory except for the speckle on which sits Fyrgen. Due to a lack of progress, Nuldrak and his forces instead marched even further south, hoping to discover a new source of rich minerals or perhaps a source of water. Anything that would give them further leverage against Fyrgen (and thus Trudger) was considered a win in the eyes of this war-hungry nation.
Downfall[edit | edit source]
Their invasion push south was met with fierce resistance by the Kreen-folk of the Clowre who had re-emerged from the underground hiding places in response to the hobgoblin invasion. With mounting pressure from both the south and the east, the lines of the Shend were pushed back and their armies were routed. Things eventually came to a head in 31 PR when Nuldrak was slain in battle by Chief Trudgore. With this decisive victory the hobgoblin’s kingdom collapsed.
What emerged from the rubble were many bands of criminals and mercenaries who now roamed the deserts of Pteris. A large band of these hobgoblins, still referring to themselves as the Shend, became a large criminal organization in Western Pteris, profiting on selling weapons, mercenaries, and slaves.
Allies[edit | edit source]
The Shend’s only ally during the Realm War was the walled isolationist kingdom of Swikedom to the south. The Shend was the only nation that Swikedom would openly trade with and helped to supply the Shend with weapons and materials during the later years of the Realm War. After the Shend’s collapse and reformation into a criminal organization, Swikedom retained their partnership with the Shend as their largest trading partner. If Swikedom needed a job done outside their borders that could not be accomplished with changeling spies, they would most often hire Shend mercenaries instead of sending out any of their own. The Shend was the only nation to which Swikedom did not send changeling spies, though some rumors claim that the changelings were instead just better at hiding amongst the Hobgoblins. With Swikedom’s isolationist nature, and the Shend’s friendly relationship with them, many considered the Shend to be the public face of Swikedom, a claim the Shend would be quick to deny.
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