Kurnish Famine

The Kurnish Famine was an extended period of starvation in the beginning of the Second Era following the mighty eruption of Kresh Garuul in Kurnhuelde, the orcish homeland. The ash fallout led to a very poor series of crop-years for the Kurnish people. With the Serranborn armies invading from the temperate south and ravaging the farmland, either famine or war was deleterious to the population of the Kurnish people. Only through enduring the losses and diversifying their agriculture did the denizens persevere, but their infrastructure and population suffered in the long run.

Kurnish Famine
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Kasfora Baruun (the Ashen Days)

The initial eruption of Kresh Garuul was relatively localized in its damages, decimating much of the upper mountain’s people. However, the ash spread far; where it landed, it thickly covered the land much like snow and began to sour the agriculture within weeks. The valleys near near the Kresh’Aran were covered in heaps of ash, effectively destroying any growing plantlife under it. The orcs came to know this time as Kasfora Baruun, or the Ashen Days. Livestock began to die off in swathes, poisoned by contaminated grazing from the dangerous ash.

Even farmers that were able to clear, resoil, and till their land again properly had trouble beyond the initial ash blanketing. The eruption had caused atmospheric changes as well, which began to affect the environment within the first seasons. The winters were more frigid and harsh than normal and the summers didn’t warm the land as much. When rain did come, it was acidic and dangerous. The acid rain poured down, halting much further seeding of the land by tarnishing the quality of the soil.

Serran Invasion of Southern Kurnhuelde

Main article: Serran Invasion of Southern Kurnhuelde

With the state of disarray in Kurnhuelde from Kasfora Baruun, the Serranborn begin to push in from the south to gain footholds. The southerners began pillaging and ravaging some of the farmland in the Drekkis Valley, a usually prosperous and fertile area. With their powerhouse of the food-economy in Kurnhuelde threatened, the orcs were pushed deeper into famine. In addition, the onset of war created some feelings of isolationism within the territories and it wasn’t long before food was being traded at exorbitant prices, if any, between them. The invasion pulled many bodies from the fields into orcish militias, further exacerbating the ongoing famine by reducing potential manpower to clear ash.

Agricultural Expansion and Outside Aid

Due to the cold, harsh climate change that had become a problem, the Kurnish began to try and diversify the grains that they employed. Previously, the Drekkis Valley had consistently grown wheat, but it instead sought oats and barley to try and subsist through the famine. These more versatile crops had been grown sparingly in the region before, but they soon became widespread out of necessity.

The arrival of elvish immigrants to the shores of eastern Kurnhuelde during the peak of the famine was of paramount importance to the native Kurnish. Among the rest of their supplies and wares from their homeland, the Quellamese brought with them rye seed, something new to Voreld. Over the next few crop-years, rye began to spread throughout the country. Rockier, drier, and colder areas especially along the Kresh’Aran found the most use, and the unarable land was worked for decent returns. Few knew where the strange boon came from, but those that do were very thankful for the stroke of serendipity.

Relying on their own agriculture was simply not enough, however, and the coastal cities of Kurnhuelde began to trade for as much food as possible from the Forellian nations. Mai’kawa, Mai’okon, and Brennis, among others, were able to export a great deal of shippable foodstuffs to the larger cities in Kurnhuelde. The orcs were desperate, but luckily the islanders gave them a fair deal, knowing of the grueling conditions that the Kurnish were experiencing. Because much of the livestock had died off, salted meats and animal products were commonly traded across the sea. The Forellian nations had to be careful however, as the Serran navy held some of the cities and blockades were frequent.

In the coming years, the war continued but Kurnhuelde’s infrastructure slowly held through. The spread of more versatile forms of agriculture was able to slowly stave off the famine, and many of the territories worked together in time to form strong knits of food trade. By the end of the era’s first decade, the industrious Kurnish were on their way back to a sustainable food-economy. It was a slow journey that took several years, but they eventually weathered the famine.

Lasting Legacy

The Kurnish Famine produced many jarring changes in the politics and culture of the orc’s homeland. A significant portion of the population were unable to survive the cruel conditions in addition to the warring, and the infrastructure of Kurnhuelde suffered. What was once a thriving collective of independent territories led to a broken homeland filled with disease, famine, and suffering. It is believed that this was the reason that the orcish eventually fell behind the other major sovereigns in terms of research and knowledge. With less people to feed the higher classes, much potential for technological advances and cultural enlightenment was lost. It took until the Fifth Era or so for the Kurnish to recover and become a competitive entity with the rest of the world in terms of economy and technology.

With the Quellamese elves arriving around the same time as the eruption, war, and famine, many among Kurnhuelde began to paint them as a scapegoat for their problems. The Old Orc was punishing them, they claimed, for not accepting the elves more graciously into their cities and towns. This type of sentiment led to further resentment and hostility toward the immigrants, especially within more insular or traditional territories. Despite this, those along the eastern shore understood that the elves were nothing more than unlucky. Even fewer knew the truth of the rye seeds being given to the orcish people by the elvish immigrants, something that was instrumental in combating the famine.

Because of their support and fair dealings, the island nations were praised by the Kurnish for giving them aid during a time of need. While nothing more than trade acquaintances previously, better relationships were tempered from the famine and trade increased significantly after the fact.

As a result of the famine and the measures taken to combat it, crop diversity and sustainability flourished. The orcs continued to grow a wide array of crops to fully capitalize on their varied terrain. While not as famous or industrious as the agriculture in Tulrisse, the Kurnish are known for their abilities to get something to grow in almost any sort of terrain -- rocky, sandy, or otherwise.