| Category | Events |
| Regions | Hells Womb, Grashakh |
| Period | 1041 - 1096 |
In the year 1041, the Kamoni War reached its climactic conclusion. The vanquished faction—approximately 15,000 Orc civilians and combatants—faced compulsory relocation northward from the Kamoni Jungle. A contingent of Kal-Oni troops escorted them as far as the expansive Mortoth Plain, ensuring their departure. This compelled exodus of residents and warriors, predominantly former inhabitants of Tarkrath, came to be chronicled as the Arduous March.
In the ninth month of 1041, the weary throng of orcs arrived at the Dargirth River. The arduous journey had exacted a grievous toll—a thousand souls lost to starvation and exhaustion. They gathered materials to construct rafts for traversing the five-mile-wide waterway. Upon reaching the opposite shore, they would enter the notorious Ladneg Swamp, a territory with a demonic history. During one reconnaissance mission into the forbidding marsh, General Vuraug, chieftain of the Gud-Mortoth tribe, and his entire personal guard fell to a solitary adversary. Their slayer was a Lith-Crillion, a species long believed extinct by mortal reckoning. Now millennia in age, the legendary Blac'drugulois had traversed vast expanses across Bal-Kriav and numerous other worlds.
Blac'drugulois's encounter with the migrant's leader was no chance meeting. It was a carefully orchestrated plan devised by Gruumsh. Blac'drugulois was an old confidant, an intelligence advisor who had served under him during the Demon Spawn War. Gruumsh tasked him with improving the fortunes of the Arduous March. Without assistance, Gruumsh feared the migration would fail, torn apart by the powerful forces controlling the territory along their route into Grashakh. Gruumsh wanted them to survive for two reasons: first, they were sources of his divine power, the essence that empowers Higher Powers; the second reason was a conflict scenario that predicted the humans of the Great Exodus (998 - 1017) dominating the Brucrumus continent.
Conflict scenarios, or civilization scenarios for the non-War Gods, are routinely conducted by the Higher Powers. These simulations aid in determining when they must undertake the delicate task of assisting mortals without incurring the wrath of other Higher Powers or facing punishment from the The Balance for violating the Mandate of the Heavens.
At the time of all this in 1041, Gruumsh was but a minor cult power, occupying the lowest tier of the divine ranks. His followers were scattered and lacked concentrated or unwavering faith. Seeking help, Gruumsh reached out to another deity who shared his concerns over the influx of peoples caused by the Great Exodus - the god Ares. The two compared notes and agreed that action was necessary. Knowing that empowering Gruumsh would also strengthen a potential rival, the war-obsessed Ares nonetheless lent his support, envisioning the rise of a mighty orc civilization centered around Grashakh, the heart of the Brucrumus continent - the perfect breeding ground for conflict and grand battles. This is where the once-trusted advisor Blac'drugulois reentered the picture. After some convincing and his own investigation, Blac'drugulois agreed to assist Gruumsh's orcs, but on the condition that it be done his way, stemming from his past experience of Gruumsh often undermining his plans.
Blac'drugulois's leadership skills and policies would reshape the orc peoples under his command. He established field classes along the march and at camp, educating them rather than allowing them to engage in wrestling, drinking, fighting, and general hostilities. Those who refused to change or proved too bellicose were either eliminated or banished. Blac'drugulois, highly charismatic with a powerful voice thanks to Lith-Crillion technology, convinced the orcs that those under his leadership and future generations would no longer be a rabble to be driven into the wilderness. Instead, they would become a mighty empire of superior orcs, destined to rule over other peoples and establish the mightiest empire of Brucrumus.
Beyond Ladneg, Blac'drugulois's orcs journeyed eastward along the Agulbandal Depression. At the western edge of Halbintiru, they encountered fierce resistance from Strumpktar's dwarves. In the highlands north of Gathol, the orcs recruited and subjugated other orc and goblin tribes. As their numbers grew, they began offensive operations against the dwarves. The conflict continued for three years with neither side making significant progress. Blac'drugulois determined that fighting the dwarves was a waste of soldiers and resources, so they made a push for the Sorrow Pass. Fierce battles ensued along the way, ending only after Blac'drugulois's armies reached Typhalumus. In this dormant volcano on the southern tip of the Grashakh region, Blac'drugulois's people established the settlement of Gúluzgash.
In 1047, Blac'drugulois commenced his campaign to expand his territorial control northward into Nárfaltuin. Within these dense woodlands, his soldiers engaged in battle with Lorthrindal's wood elves during the War of Nárfaltuin (1048 - 1130). Concurrently, other settlement parties continued to advance eastward and northward, founding Othragmac in 1095 and then pushing further north via Lake Murkin and the River Glumgard, establishing additional fortified settlements along the way.
On 16 War March 1096, the Arduous March was declared complete. On this same day, Blac'drugulois instituted the Orchish Empire, which he governed as Emperor, administered by the High Command, and his people were no longer referred to as Orcs, but the Githirmil.