Slaughterhouse at the Two Hundred and Eighth Tower
The Slaughter at the Two Hundred and Eighth Tower was a crushing defeat for the Empire during the reign of Magnus VIII. Two Imperial battalions sent north against goblin raids were crushed by Durbuluk Urgior's troops. The decisive role was played by goblin hexblades with heavily enchanted weapons, against which the Imperial army could not find an effective answer.
A forgotten tribute
After the death of Anna I, the goblins in the north began to test the boundaries of the empire again. Durbuluk Urgior seemed to have forgotten the older tribute with which Anna bought the peace of the northern provinces. Magnus VIII. responded by sending two battalions to defend the border with the newly increasing goblin power. The emperor expected the raids to be suppressed, but Urgior decided to take a much bolder step.
Attack at Tower 208
The clash took place at one of the towers of the third line of defense, referred to as Tower 208. The site, which was supposed to symbolize the Imperial control over the border, turned into the battlefield of one of the greatest defeats of this era. Urgior was no ordinary raider. His army was prepared, focused and equipped in a way that the Imperial command had not expected.
The Hexblades
The decisive force of the battle was the goblin hexblades. These elite warriors wielded heavily enchanted weapons with which they could cut through Imperial troops with terrifying ease. The Empire had no answer against them. Even magic couldn't stop these specialized fighters fast enough. The lines began to collapse and the battle became a slaughterhouse.
Magnus's answer
The defeat was for Magnus VIII. a heavy blow. He immediately began assembling seven battalions, one of the largest armies in the empire's history, and prepared retaliation. In the end, the great campaign did not happen, as Urgior was killed by the goblin Skull Hunters. Still, the Slaughter at the Two Hundred and Eighth Tower remained a warning that the Northern Orcs were no longer just a chaotic threat, but a force capable of defeating the Imperial battalions in open combat.