Grom began his carrer as the Warboss of the Broken Axe tribe of Goblins that lived at the eastern end of Mad Dog Pass. The tribe occupied one of the countless tumble-down fortresses that line the craggy and tunnel strew pass.
The Eating Contest (2400)
In 2400 Grom took part in an infamous eating contest where he ate raw flesh for a wager. Apart from being enormously tough, Troll flesh has the unusual property of being able to regenerate itself quite quickly. If a Troll suffers harm his flesh will almost instantly re-grow. It is this as much as their stubbon stupidity and iron-hard muscle which makes Trolls very hard to fight It also makes Troll flesh virtually impossible to eat unless very thoroughly cooked.
Determined to out-eat his challenger, Grom consumed a plate of raw Troll sateaks only to discover the meat regenerating inside his stomach. As the churning mass swelled within him his resilient Goblin digestive system got to work on the over-abundance of raw material. For days Grom lay moaning and groaning as at first the Troll's regenerative abilites outplaced his own ability to digest it and then his stomach gradually gained ground. Eventually an equilibrium was reached, and although the Troll flesh was still there Grom was digesting it as fast as it was regrowing.
After several weeks of fevered indigestion and almost terminal flatulence Grom emerged triumphant. He was also quite a bit fatter. Although he ate nothing afterwards he continued to gain weight thanks to the presence of the Troll flesh. He was to suffer from bouts of explosive flatulance for the rest of his life. To Orcs & Goblins size is power and Grom was looking very powerful indeed.
Waaagh! Grom (2410)
Within ten years of the infamouse eating contest Grom the Paunch had conquered the other tribes along Mad Dog Pass and subjected the Night Goblin tribes that lived around and under Thunder Mountain. It was the beginning of Waaagh! Grom. The Broken Axe tribe wandeered west and north, conquering the Orcand Goblin tribes of the southern World Edge Mountains and the Badlands.
By the end of 2010 Grom had led his horde over the Black Fire Pass and then northwards along the Dwarf-held highlands. They destroyed several small Dwarf holds and looted the tombs of the Dwarf ancestors, his forces roamed unopposed whilst the Dwarfs gathered their forces.
Battle of Iron Gate (2418)
At the Battle of Iron Gate, the site of one of the Dwarf gatways into Karak Varn, the Dwarf King and his army met part of Groms hordeled by Grom hiumself. After a long and hard fought battle the two sides retreated leaving many dead on the field but no clear victor. None-the-less the battle ultimately favoured Grom who could afford to lose vast numbers of troops without affecting his horde's trength. For the Dwarfs it was a disaster. Many of the King's best warriors lay dead and all hope of driving the horde away were gone. In desperation the Dwarfs sent to the Empire for help.
Unfortunatly for the Dwarfs and for the Empire the reigning Emperor was Dieter IV, the Elector Count of Stirland, prehaps the most ineffective and self serving individual ever to sit upon the Imperial throne. For many years Dieter had diverted resources away from the army and into his own pocket. Nothing had been spared to turn the city of Nuln into a spectacular metropolis with marble fountains, goldern statues, and dazzling gardens. Dieter had razed nearly half the city to build his awesome Palace of Gold with its surrounding temples and public gardens.
When the Dwarf King's messenger reached Dieter the Emperor reacted immediatly, not by sending help (for the army was so starved of funds there was no help to send) but by removing his entire court to Altdorf in order to be as far as possible from the threat of Grom's horde. Disgusted, the Dwarf messenger returned to Karaz a Karak where the King received the news of the Emperor's decision with typical Dwarf stoicim. Unable to contain the Goblin Warlord's ambitions, the Dwarfs resolved to shut their stout doors and defend their fortresses from within. For the next few years the horde ravaged at will through the mountains, desecrating shrines, despoiling tombs, and waylaying travellers, but Grom was unable to take any of the Dwarf holds or bring them to battle.
Groms Raids (2420)
As the Waaagh roamed freely over the Worlds Edge Mountains it was joined by multitudes of Goblins inclueding the Night Goblin tribes of Red Eye Mountain and many Forest Goblin tribes from the Great Forest. As his armies grew in number and strength Grom ventured futher and futher west, devestaing much of Stirland, Talabecland a even going as far as Hochland in the shadow of the Middle Mountains. Empire armies were met and defeated. The human population retreated to the towns and much of the countryside was abandoned. The Great Forest became a virtual Goblin realm where not even an Imperial army was safe.
Seige of Nuln (2420)
Nuln, whose city defences had long been neglected in favour of marbled magnificence was attacked and burned by the army of Grom. Emperor Dieter's marvellous Palace of Gold and all his great buildings and fountains were destroyed.
The horde moved westwards until the whole Empire became a land under siege. Communties driven from the countryside huddled behind heavily defended walls while outside the horde roamed and plundered at will. Seeing the humans abandoning their lands, the tribes of the deep forests and high mountains flocked to join the Waaagh. The end of the Empire seemed inevitable, for no land was being tilled or crops sown, beasts were slaughtered and seed grain ground to flour to feed the hungry. The Emperor seemed unable or unwilling to even raise an army, but skulked behind the walls of Altdorf and dreamed of better days.
Seige of Altdorf (2420)
While the Emperor did nothing, his cousin, Wilhelm Prince of Altdorf, was to prove the saviour of the Empire. He organised the defences of Altdorf and raised a new army from amongst the beleaguered citizens. Although Wilhelm's army was no match for the total power of the Waaagh, Grom's forces were split up all over the Empire into many small armies. By avoiding the largest concentrations of Orcs and Goblins Wilhelm was able to fight several successful holding actions and prevent Grom from completely devastating the Reikland.
Pillage of Middenheim (2424)
Groms attentions had turned to the west and the coastal regions of the Empire. After wreaking havoc throughout Middenland and defeating an army led by the Elector Count of Middenland, Grom reaches the shores of the ocean.
Groms Fleet (2424)
According to Imperial records the horde gathered on the coast of Middenland and began to construct a huge fleet. Acres of forest were felled to provide timber, and whole tribes of Goblins were sent to forage for materials amongst the ruins of the Empire. For weeks the forges bellowed and Goblins sweated as Grom's fleet took shape. It was a fleet whose like had never been seen before, vast hulks of crudely fashioned wood propelled by massive tread wheels and gigantic sails. The world watched as the fleet took shape. Riders from the Empire sent word to Bretonnia, Kislev and the sothern kingdoms warning them of the inevitable approach of the armada. Rulers throughout the Old World trembled and waited, hoping that the path of the Waaagh would pass them by. When the fleet put to sail outriders from the Empirefollowed its progress along the coast.
Battle of Marienburg (2424)
At Marienburg Groms fleet fought a massive sea battle against the Empire fleet, sending half the Imperial ships to the bottom of the sea and scattering the rest to the four winds. Marienburg lay open to the plundering Orc and Goblin horde and the sturdy Marienburgers prepared to defend their city. As fortune would have it the weather turned for the worse, and Grom's fleet was blown westwards before a devastating storm. The Goblins, unusedto the sea and ignorant of navigation, coulddo nothing but ride out the storm. At least one ship was broken up and its wreakage cast upon the coasts of Bretonnia, but of Grom and the rest of the Waaagh nothing was ever seen again in the realms of Men.
Invasion of Ulthane (2425)
The Goblin horde led by Grom from Old World invades eastern Ulthuan and ravages the land until defeated by Eltharion and a High Elf army before Tor Yvresse.