You decide to invade the other world. Or rather, send a military expedition there.
1148 AD, Spring
The Army is underway to invade the new world; materiel, supplies and rations are being stockpiled while Spymaster's agents, in cooperation with Army officers and scouts, are getting detailed info on the surroundings of the other side of the tunnel and attempting to discern the locations of the orcish camps and settlements.
1148 AD, Mid-Spring
6
The scouts and spies worked hard for the past month and they bring information about the new world, which is potentially both disturbing and dissappointing.
Apparently, the sandy wasteland on the other side of the tunnel stretches for days. Careful observations and estimations seem to point that the wasteland might be as large as Methiant proper (that's it, without Tiftit, Ceodwell and Eval). Furthermore, the land, while possessing quite a few streams and minor rivers, seems to be unlikely to support farming. Twisted trees stretch toward the sun with needle-like leaves on them. Bushes, peppered with strange flowers, berries and thorns adorn every shadowed nook and valley.
The orcish settlements seem to be varied in size and location, apparently. Your officers believe that the Orcs, like their mountainous parties, might be living a nomadic style of life. For example, a large settlement that was spotted by your scouts shortly after passing into this new world for the first time is nowhere to be seen, it's location only confirmed by very old campfire pits and some disturbing mass graves, filled with bones of various animals (and what seem to be at least few dozen orcs).
Another interesting discovery was made in not a mass grave, but a special pit definitely made for ritualistic reasons. The spies found bones and skull belonging to someone
near human, but different, and definitely not belonging to an orc. The spies believe it might've been someone taller, of thicker bone structure, almost fang-like teeth and, surprisingly, larger brain-space in the skull than that of humans. Much of the bones were wrapped in what is now scraps of some blue cloth, possibly some kind of dress or uniform, and remains of rope, blackened and torn but still preserved in the sand, wrapped around what seemed to be hands and legs of the individual.
Very curious - especially that no representative of these species have been seen in this 'Orcworld'!
The Army is currently establishing a fortified camp on the other side of the tunnel. For safety reasons, Fireblood machines have not been brought to the other world yet. Your officers say that the last thing they want to see is Orcs seizing, or, Alldivines forbid, reverse-engineering Fireblood or weapons using it.
1148 AD, Late Spring
4
Some more of the orcish lands were charted. Some scouts, who went 'westwards' (if it is actually westwards, they're using the world's sun for directions), report that the land was much healthier there, albeit vegetation was still scarce and they have yet to find any animals besides some insects, small lizards and such.
1148 AD, Summer
Silver from Koi arrives in your Treasury.
1
Disaster has struck the expeditionary force! A large group of marauding orcs have captured three dozen of men who were charting the east of the tunnel, with only few escaping to report this accident. Your Army is scrambling to prepare a rescue operation, lest the brave explorers end in orcish mass graves.
A delegation of Pantheonist priests have arrived at your keep, asking for an audience.
"Most blessed Emperor! We've come to seek aid and benevolence of the Crown of Methiant. One of our most important and oldest temples have recently collapsed after an accident involving an ox-driven cart. We hope to rebuild the temple, but this year we're very short on funds. Our superiors have noted that you're enthusiastic supporter of cults in the Empire, and thus we've come to ask you to provide monetary aid to us, so that we can restore the old temple to its greatness."
You decide to...
A) Inform them that they're on their own, unfortunately.
B) Be generous and sponsor reconstruction of the old temple.