Goblin Wars¶
"The war ended with the death of Orc warlord Uta-Bek in the Underdark." — History of Terrun (S386)
The Goblin Wars, 541–617 MA, were the war of the orc warlord Uta-Bek and his orc and goblin horde against the dwarf holds, and then against the humans and elves who allied with the Dwarves, fought largely in the Underdark. They are not the Goblin Wars of Proturas, the short war of the first Proturan settlers against the goblin tribes of their tunnels, ended in 644 AL; those are a section of the Rift Period. The 2020 history notes of this war, "this is REGIONAL" (S386); the 2014 compendium counts it among the historical events of Numenia and, in another place, the "Continent-Wide Events" of South Astia (S372).1
Causes¶
"Some of the most successful races after the Shattering had been the Dwarves, Orcs and Goblins. The Dwarves because they had weathered the Shattering better than most other races. Though they had lost almost 70% of their population in the Shattering, this was far less than other surface races which commonly lost in excess of 95%. Their superior engineering in many cases allowed entire dwarf-holds to survive, including much of their culture and technology. While almost every other race had to essentially start over. On the other hand, the Orcs and Goblins multiplied very rapidly and thrived in the early conflict. Up until 500 MA, conflict between Dwarves and the Orcs and Goblins was common, but mostly over small pieces of territory, hunting rights, raids, etc." (S386).
The war¶
"In 541 MA, a series of well-coordinated attacks under the banner of the Orc warlord Uta-Bek overran several dwarf holds. His early successes rallied many more Orcs and Goblins to his cause. The larger part of this war was fought in the Underdark, though many above ground attacks against Humans and Elves also took place. The early losses led the Humans, Elves and Dwarves to ally with one another against the common threat and provide for a common defense" (S386).
The 2019 overview adds how the alliance fought. "The Dwarves felt that the Orcs and Goblins were too numerous and represented and existential threat to themselves and the other races. Orcs also often took Human and Elves as slaves, while killing Dwarven survivors. The Dwarves went on the offensive, supported by a handful of Human kingdoms. The Elves were largely content to remain on the defensive. It is this historical issue which continues to a be a cause of friction between Elves and Dwarves" (S429).
"The Dwarven casualties in this war were terrible, losing nearly half of their population. However, the losses to the Orcs and Goblins were even more severe. Some estimates put the loss of their populations at 90%. By 617 MA, the Orcs and Goblins had been largely exterminated and pushed into the wild lands and deep passages of the Underdark. Human populations especially thrived in the wake of the wars, able to achieve real stability and security for the first time since the Shattering. The war ended with the death of Orc warlord Uta-Bek in the Underdark" (S386).
Earlier accounts¶
The 2019 overview (S429) puts the dwarves' loss in the Shattering at "almost 50%" and other races' at "in excess of 90%", and dates the end of the small raids to 600 MA; the 2020 history (S386) and the compendium (S372) give 70 and 95 percent and 500 MA. The compendium's regional chronology also gives the name "The Second Goblin Wars" to the Moradrim Invasion, the dark elves' later war with orc and goblin allies, which is the War of the Moradrim (S372).
Gap
No source names a dwarf hold that fell, a battle, or any commander but Uta-Bek, or says how he died.