Waaagh! Grom
Waaagh! Grom was one of the most destructive and sucessful Waaaghs! ever. It was led by Grom the Paunch, a Goblin warlord. He and his army defeated the Dwarfs and invaded The Empire, vanquishing several of its armies and ravaging several of its provinces. Building a fleet, he later invaded Ulthuan, the homeland of the High Elves, where he was finally defeated by Eltharion.
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Beginning
The boss of the Broken Axe tribe, a goblin tribe established at the eastern end of Mad Dog Pass, Grom's rise to fame began around 2400 IC with an eating competition. Determined to win, he ordered a course of raw Troll steaks. Troll flesh has the particularity of regenerating unless thoroughly cooked, and the flesh began to regrow inside his stomach. Amazingly Grom's stomach managed to consume the flesh as fast as it regrew and Grom gained several pounds in weight, his belly widening tremendously. He would be plagued by bouts of explosive flatulence and constant agony due to chronic indigestion for the rest of his life.
As far as Goblins and Orcs are concerned, a large boss is a powerful boss, and under that reckoning Grom was powerful indeed. During the next ten years Grom managed to unite all local Goblin tribes and subjugated the Night Goblin tribes of Thunder Mountain. It was the beginning of Waaagh! Grom.
Dwarfs
Around 2410 IC the Goblin horde marched through Black Fire Pass heading north-east along the Worlds Edge Mountains, plundering several Dwarf tombs and destroying several of their smaller holds. A gigantic statue of Grungni was vandalised, and hacked into Grom's image. A Dwarf army intercepted the goblin horde near Karak Varn. The ensuing Battle of the Iron Gate was technically a draw with heavy losses to both sides, but Grom could afford the losses unlike the Dwarfs. Desperate, High King Bragarik sent an envoy to The Empire asking for help.
Unfortunately The Empire was ruled by the incompetent Dieter IV, who declined to send a military expedition to the aid of his ancient allies. Instead he quickly transferred the Imperial court from Nuln towards Altdorf in order to be as far as possible from the Goblin threat.
Disgusted, King Bragarik could only record the emperor's failure in the Book of Grudges, and lacking reinforcements the Dwarfs entrenched themselves in their holds. Rampaging without opposition, Waaagh! Grom was joined by several Forest Goblin tribes from the Great Forest and many Night Goblin tribes of Red Eye Mountain.
Unable to storm any of the Dwarf holds, the Goblin army turned west and invaded The Empire.
The Empire
Defeating some Imperial armies en route, Grom overran and devastated Stirland, Talabecland, and Hochland. Instead of raising new armies, Dieter IV did nothing but skulk and dream of better days while the Great Forest became a virtual Goblin realm where even Imperial armies were in danger.
As the goblin horde moved westwards the countryside was all but abandoned while the people fled to the cities. Nuln, the magnificent imperial capital whose defences had long been neglected, was stormed and burned to the ground. Middenheim was besieged. Averheim managed to hold on, defended by its militia and no less than 5 Knightly Orders, while The Moot was thoroughly pillaged. It fell to Wilhelm, Prince of Altdorf and Dieter's cousin, to organize the defence of the Reikland. Luckily for The Empire Wilhelm was a courageous and skilled general.
Noticing that the Goblin horde was divided in smaller armies, Wilhelm avoided the larger ones, and checked several of the smaller ones. Altdorf was saved as Grom's attention shifted towards Middenheim. Disgusted by the failure of his subordinates to take the city, Grom broke the gates himself.
Disappointed by the weak resistance, Grom only plundered the roof of a nearby temple of Ulric in order to build a large and sturdy Wolf chariot. Afterwards he led his army towards the coast, devastating Nordland. Upon arrival the goblins felled several acres of forest and began to build a massive fleet.
The Sea
High Elves
Notes & sources
- Warhammer Armies: Orcs & Goblins (4th edition) p.9, 10, 12 & 97
- Warhammer Armies: Orcs & Goblins (7th Edition) p.8, 9 & 37
