The Ancient Refuge (Seven Centuries Ago)

When the great city of Khoras began its catastrophic collapse, not all who dwelt within its borders were human. The extensive cavern systems that Khoras had discovered and partially excavated were already home to scattered goblin tribes—refugees from surface conflicts who had found sanctuary in the deep places beneath the prosperous city.

The goblins had established a precarious peace with Khoras's inhabitants, trading crude metalwork and knowledge of underground passages for food and manufactured goods. The scholar-priests of the observatories, ever curious about natural phenomena, had even documented the different goblin breeds and their unique adaptations to subterranean life.

When Chief Engineer Vexelar's ambitious excavation project breached the deeper cavern systems, it inadvertently connected these disparate goblin settlements into a vast underground network. What the surface dwellers saw as a geological disaster, the goblins recognized as an opportunity.

The Great Settling (During the Fall)

As Khoras crumbled above, the goblins below moved swiftly to claim the ruins. The different breeds naturally segregated themselves by their strengths and preferences:

Haureks, with their cunning and adaptability, claimed the upper levels where collapsed buildings created defensible chambers. They established the first crude hierarchy among the survivors, using their knowledge of trap-making to secure valuable salvage sites.

Imps, numerous and industrious, swarmed through the mid-levels, their superior hearing allowing them to navigate the rubble-filled passages with ease. They became the primary labor force, excavating usable spaces from the wreckage.

Grekkels, smallest and most magical, infiltrated the deepest chambers where Khoras's most advanced technologies lay buried. Their resistance to magic allowed them to survive in areas where dangerous energies still lingered from the scholar-priests' final battle.

Gaugaths, though preferring mountain heights, were drawn by reports of vast chambers and the promise of conflict. Small bands descended to claim the largest spaces, becoming the fortress's ultimate enforcers.

The Treasure Wars (Six Centuries Ago)

The first century after Khoras's fall was marked by constant internal warfare as different goblin factions fought over the ruins' treasures. The collapsed city contained wonders beyond imagination: astronomical instruments of incredible precision, metallurgical tools centuries ahead of their time, and most valuable of all, the preserved records of Khoras's knowledge.

The Haurek witch-mothers, recognizing the power contained in the scholar-priests' writings, established the first crude translation efforts. Though much knowledge was lost to goblin illiteracy and the damage of war, enough remained to give Grimlock's inhabitants advantages unknown to surface dwellers. The Grekkels, with their natural magical abilities, proved surprisingly adept at operating some of Khoras's more mystical technologies. They became the keepers of ancient devices whose purposes were only half-understood but whose effects were undeniably powerful.

The Rise of the War Chiefs (Five Centuries Ago)

As the easily accessible treasures were claimed or destroyed, the goblin tribes began to stabilize under the leadership of powerful war chiefs. The constant fighting had forged the strongest leaders, each commanding their own breed's loyalty while maintaining uneasy truces with the others.

During this period, the first attempts at organized surface raids began. The collapse of Khoras had disrupted regional trade routes and water supplies, leaving surface settlements vulnerable to attack. Grimlock's inhabitants, using salvaged Khorasi knowledge to improve their weapons and tactics, found surface raids increasingly profitable.

The goblin fortress earned its fearsome reputation during these centuries. Surface dwellers spoke in whispers of attacks that seemed to come from nowhere, of raiders who vanished into tunnels that couldn't be found, and of weapons that cut through the finest armor as if it were cloth.

The Time of Consolidation (Three Centuries Ago)

The rise of Alchester above brought new challenges and opportunities. As the surface city grew, its foundations increasingly pressed down upon Grimlock's upper levels. The goblins were forced to either retreat deeper or find ways to coexist with the expanding human settlement.

This pressure created the first true unified leadership in Grimlock's history. A council of war-chiefs from each breed established the Compact of Shadows—an agreement that would allow coordinated action while preserving each breed's autonomy within their claimed territories.

The Shadow Economy (Two Centuries Ago)

As Alchester's prosperity grew, so did opportunities for profitable cooperation. Forward-thinking goblin leaders realized that the surface city's criminals and corrupt officials could be valuable allies. The first shadow alliances were formed—goblins providing muscle and hidden storage in exchange for information and protection.

This period saw the development of Grimlock's sophisticated smuggling networks. Passages that once carried water from the Khorasi aqueduct became highways for contraband. The goblins' knowledge of the underground infrastructure, combined with salvaged Khorasi engineering techniques, allowed them to create hidden routes throughout Alchester's foundations.

The shadow economy also brought internal changes. The constant need for negotiation and planning elevated the most cunning leaders, regardless of breed. Intelligence became as valued as strength, setting the stage for the rise of leaders like Rax.

The Modern Era: Lord Rax's Ascension

Rax's rise to power represents the culmination of Grimlock's evolution from refugee camp to shadow empire. Born into the deepest warrens where only the strongest survived, he understood better than any predecessor how to unite the fortress's disparate elements. His tactical brilliance in the Battle of a Thousand Cuts demonstrated how ancient Khorasi knowledge could be applied to modern warfare. His understanding of each breed's strengths allowed him to forge the most effective military organization Grimlock had ever seen.

Under Rax's rule, Grimlock has become more than a mere fortress—it is a shadow reflection of Alchester itself, complete with its own economy, politics, and culture. The ancient Khorasi chambers serve as throne rooms and treasure vaults, while the fortress's inhabitants pursue their own ambitions in the darkness below.

The Present Threat

Today, Grimlock represents the accumulated cunning of seven centuries of survival and adaptation. Its inhabitants possess weapons forged from metals unknown to surface smiths, wage war using strategies derived from ancient Khorasi military texts, and maintain an intelligence network that rivals any surface kingdom.

Most troubling of all, the fortress continues to grow. Each generation of goblins born in Grimlock's depths is more organized, more disciplined, and more dangerous than the last. The ancient caverns that once provided simple shelter now house a civilization that has learned to turn humanity's most outstanding achievements against them.

The surface dwellers of Alchester go about their daily lives unaware that beneath their feet lies not just the ruins of a dead city, but the thriving heart of a shadow empire that grows stronger with each passing year. Lord Rax's most significant achievement may not be conquering his rivals, but transforming Grimlock from a place of exile into a power that could one day challenge the surface world itself.