In
The Stagnation, the deities had taken a more vested interest in the lives of Cantarsus. Grimori, the god of war and predecessor to
Gorgos, had persuaded his followers to enact a ritual that brought his full form to their realm. His arrival was followed quickly by carnage and destruction across the continent of Taisunia.
Kano and
Mora both sent avatars to help stymy the destruction. The former felt it his duty, as creator of life in the realm, to protect its denizens.
Mora is no stranger to death, but the sudden imbalance risked her dominion as well. These avatars were able to gift great powers to the followers of each god and built a powerful army that met Grimori in the Endless Plains where they slew the god. Upon his death, his dying soul seeped into the earth before solidifying to a solid sphere deep underground. This core was later found at the center of the Taisunian mine and was the cause of the explosion leading to more devestation at the hands of Grimori even after his death.
The Conflict
Prelude
Prior to the discovery of vitraxine, the humanites of Cantarsus survived primarily at the whims of the deities. Massive creatures, capable of decimating entire settlements, roamed the lands. The humanites were the only family of species capable of worship, however, and devout followers were able to garner the attention of their deity. These divine spellcasters were the primary source of protection for any settlement, and their presence allowed the humanites to flourish even in this time.
The worshippers of Grimori wanted more than just protection though. They wanted to be able to conquer the dangers in this land to allow humanites to rule with absolute power across the continent. Sensing the bloodlust in his acolytes, Grimori manipulated them into completing a ritual that would bring his entire divine form to walk the earth among them. His reign of terror would go on for decades as the avatars of Mora and Kano built up armies to stand against him. During his many battles, his blood was spilt creating small deposits of vitraxine across the continent.
The battle took place on the Endless Plains, a huge swath of grasslands in what is now northern
Dakshinatl. The wide open expanse was chosen by the avatars as Grimori tended to guerilla tactics less out of necessity and more out of sadistic pleasure. This wide expanse would ensure Grimori himself could be found and targeted directly as he towered above his followers. The avatars had been told by their deities to choose their battlefield and use his short temper to instigate the battle there by claiming superiority in combat over him.
Fueled by divine vigor and might on both sides, the battle raged nonstop for one week. While the avatars had taken great care and providing themselves every advantage, Grimori was still the god of war. During the last decades, he had set his followers to building great weapons of war powered by his celestial blood which were in full force during the battle. He strategically placed his forces across the battlefield as well, leading to great losses in the much larger opposing force. Still, the avatars were eventually able to slay the god, instantly destroying the spirit of his army which fled.
The army of Grimori lost only around 150 soldiers out of a total near 3500. The armies of
Mora and
Kano lost thousands of their army of 10,000. Still, the death of Grimori essentially ended the war. Without his strategy and cunning, his forces quickly fell to fighting amongst their own ranks as people clamored for power. The war was over within a year of his death.
Throughout the war, Grimori relished in combat. This direct approach to leadership put him on the front lines, and while his celestial nature kept him from dying, it did not stop him from bleeding. His spilled blood is the primary source of the veins of vitraxine throughout the continent. Additionally, the war led to the death of most of the monstrosities that roamed the land allowing the humanites to flourish even more. The
hearthshell turtle is one of the few remaining species of this time.
The soul of Grimori that seeped into the ground upon his death solidified deep beneath the soil and would later be unearthed as the Taisunian mine and leading to the Late Vitraxine Period. The crystalline center that led to the explosion upon cracking was the final remnants of his being allowing him to reek havoc one final time.
Between the vitraxine spread across the continent and the loss of the species that had dominated the lands at the time, Grimori can be seen as the primary reason the humanites have grown into such a dominant force. This idealistic view has been used by
Gorgos to encourage his own followers to repeat the cycle.
Historical Significance
The Stagnation was not a period of documentation but rather survival. As such, the knowledge of this battle and the consequences of it are primarily known only by the
Aevitians and those they deem worthy. The long-term effects may never be historically linked to their cause even as they reverberate throughout the chronology of
Cantarsus.
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