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- Empire of Polonia - Previously, the empire had controlled the entirety of The Riding - the southern bank of the Green River from the Forearc Basin to the foothills of the Badcrag Mountains. Despite a small series of initial victories over the forces of the Orcish Dominion, by 166 AFE the reach of the Empire extended upriver only as far as Hornsferry.
- Ancient Dominion of the Unending Lands - Before this period, the Orcish territories between the extending had extended westward from the Darkstone and the Pillars of Krokus into the Badcrag Mountains and had been ruled over by an uneasy alliance of Orcish tribes - predominantly the Red Claw Tribe and the Black Fang Tribe. In 163 AFE, an ancient power initially based in the Temple of Eternal Embers and eventually relocating to Harketh united the existing Orcs tribes and formed (or reformed) the Ancient Dominion of the Unending Lands. Initial forays included the sacking of Highbridge, but the Ancient Dominion's control of territories west of the Pillars of Krokus currently includes only the lands between the Green River and Caterwaul Run.
- The Hate Incarnate - A fanatical region sect of unknown size, the Hate Incarnate appeared from within the Black Forest in 165 164 AFE and seized the battered city of Highbridge. The sect has repaired the walls of the city and currently controls it.
- The Riding - The older country last ruled by Lord Willmuth III continues to be occupied, whether by the Empire, the Ancient Dominion, or The Hate Incarnate. The closest the old realm comes to self-rulership is the city council in Highbridge. The council is allowed to manage day-to-day activities as long as it doesn't overstep boundaries placed upon it by The Hate Incarnate.
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The following spring, a small army of newly equipped Orcish troops spilled into The Riding and quickly advanced on Highbridge, driving the inhabitants of small Riding villages before them. Upon reaching Highbridge, this army, numbering around 200, destroyed Overtown, crossed the High Bridge, circled the city, and set up camp outside the western wall of the city. The Polonian defenders - numbering close to 1,000 troops and defending the tall and thick walls of the city - felt no need to sally forth from the city as . It was evident that the Orcish forces did not have sufficient numbers to lay siege to the city and were not equipped to block river traffic. Feeling that their position was unassailable, the Polonians within the city merely manned the walls and waited for Legions of Polonia reinforcements.
On the second night after their appearance, magic was used to blast a huge hole in the western wall of Highbridge and the Orcs stormed through the city, headed for the Baron's Grounds. After a few hours of heavy fighting within the citywalls, the Orcish army was chased from the city by the Legionnaires and the . The next few days consisted of a series of running skirmishes in the farms and forests outside of Highbridge. The Polonian reinforcements eventually turned the tide in these skirmishes and the remnants of the Orcish Army are presumed to have retreated across the Green River back to the lands of the Ancient Dominion.
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In the days immediately after the initial assault on Highbridge, a group of forty to fifty zealots of The Hate Incarnate entered the largely undefended city of Highbridge, killed or chased out the remaining Polonian forces, and established their rulership over the city. Using magical means, they repaired and began patrolling the city walls. A single attempt by a force of approximately two hundred Polonian legionnaires to reclaim the city was shattered by magical attacks and control of the city was never again contested.
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