The Twilight War

Endless fields; sprawling forests; blessed waters; laughing children—gone.

- Seer Alba

Though Eden was considered sacred land by all, it was not without its darkness. Its history is rooted in the bloody conflict of Luminism and Voidism, two major religions that once coexisted in peace. The Twilight War is a global war that unearthed their latent grievances and pitted them against each other. The genocide of the proto-humans, the eradication of Voidism, and the rise of the scalebacks—it all can be traced back to the Twilight War.
This war spread no further than Eden’s atmosphere, yet its ramifications reached beyond the planet in the form of Heaven's Kiss, a disease born from the essence of shattered aeons.

Visions of Disaster

"When I look upon you, my head fills with screams. I see fire and bloodshed and faces I don't recognize. I fear the peace we covet may soon leave us," Alba told me.
I always thought he was too high-strung for his own good.

- Geralt Dexter, decades before the Twilight War.

Ever since his awakening, Seer Alba was plagued by visions of Eden’s destruction. He could never predict the date of these events, yet these visions were often vivid and extensive. One evening, without warning, the Cosmic Spine was set aflame, and Seer Alba’s worst fears were realized. Though the culprit was revealed to be King Bertrand de Eden, this was discovered post-mortem.

The causes of the Twilight War are difficult to trace, but two key events are thought to have contributed to it. As the Cosmic Spine burned, it released a portion of the First Star’s energy across the universe. This cataclysmic event, the true impact of which is still undocumented, horrified both Luminists and Voidists. In their search for answers, they blamed each other and turned the blessed lands of Eden into a desolate wasteland.

The Scorched Spine

Due to the Cosmic Spine’s burning, the Fount of Genesis dried completely. Without the Fount's holy waters, no aeons or kobolds could be born. This unprecedented incident sent widespread panic across Eden, and clerics of the First Star prayed for a seed to plant another Cosmic Spine.
Weeks passed with no prayers answered. In response, the Voidists declared the "complete and absolute destruction" of Luminism. Emboldened by a perverted sense of justice, the Voidists laid siege to Western Eden. They torched the lands, believing the cruel act one of poetic justice.

Eyes From Below

The scalebacks, who had been imprisoned beneath Eden’s surface, were said to be visited by a dragon wreathed in divine light. With a flick of their hand, the being tore a hole to the surface and led the scalebacks to freedom, upon which the dragon disappeared.
With the Twilight War ongoing, the scalebacks met no resistance during their escape. This sudden freedom, however, left them aimless. It was Geralt Dexter, considered the strongest of his kind, that organized the scalebacks into a suitable army.

The Singularity

At the center of this madness was King Eden. Nobody understood the damage a single man could do.

The Voidists struck without warning, leaving the Luminists struggling to mobilize early into the war. The majority of Luminist aeons were unaware the Voidists had stormed their lands, but as smoke plumed from the remains of a destroyed Luminist church, the Luminists rallied in self-defence. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. The Luminists were driven from their homes, and hundreds were shattered daily. Eden became a planet-wide battlefield of philosophy and vengeance.
The atmosphere was filled with the essence of shattered aeons, essence that would never find an afterlife. Once a Luminist’s core was destroyed, all energy within would become sealed in King Eden’s crown and become part of the Singularity, a mass of untamed arcane energy. Through the Singularity, the King was granted magic exceeding that of Eden’s most powerful archmages. He could bend the earth he walked upon to his will with a thought.
King Eden sought kobold magic, yet the kobolds were warned by the Luminists to flee Eden shortly after the first Luminists shattered. With the kobolds gone, King Eden gaining inconceivable power, and the Luminists’ numbers dwindling, it seemed hopeless for the Luminists. Their god had not answered their prayers, and many experienced a crisis of faith, spurning Luminism and disappearing from the already small Luminist army. It is during this mass loss of faith that the scalebacks entered the war and sided with the Luminist aeons.

Stomp your feet, and raise your heads proudly! Leave none alive!

- Geralt Dexter

Tipping the Scales

Dexter met Seer Alba shortly after the latter fled to Southern Eden to escape the Twilight War. As decades had passed since the two spoke, Alba did not recognize Dexter. The two were friends, and much of Alba’s knowledge of the proto-humans came from Dexter himself. And now, with the numbers of the scalebacks, Dexter and Alba sought out the remaining Luminists to attempt to form a proper defense against the Voidists.
This proved to be the most difficult step of their battle, as much of the Luminist community had been diminished due to either their loss of faith or death at the hands of the Voidists. Though the scalebacks were powerful warriors, they were few in number, forcing them to remain out of sight for a large portion of the Twilight War’s duration. Without Alba’s clairvoyance, he and Dexter would have wandered aimlessly.
Alba led the scalebacks to where the Cosmic Spine once remained. To their surprise, they found both Luminists and Voidists praying before the ashes. Somehow, neutral territory had been formed at the Fount of Genesis.
Alba realized, then, that faith in the First Star hadn’t yet died. Though he was a Luminist, he understood that Voidists worshipped the same deity. It was a simple matter of reigniting fervor in those who hadn’t completely abandoned their faith, and soon, aeons joined arms with the scalebacks.
With the additional support of aeons, the scalebacks were powerful enough to match their enemies in combat. Alba was no warrior, but his place in Dexter’s army was cemented by his own faith. Dexter gave his army a target; Alba gave them a purpose: to preserve.

Mad King's Folly

Towards the end of the Twilight War, King Eden’s mind began to splinter from the Singularity’s surplus of energy. Though King Eden had grown strong, his body could not withstand the continuous growth of power. As months passed with his army’s numbers dwindling under the crushing force of Dexter’s soldiers, King Eden became unintelligble and aggressive to his subjects. Soldiers that once fought for their king began deserting him in increasing numbers.
Through Alba’s clairvoyance, King Eden was found dead atop his throne in Northern Eden. Though most of his body was intact, the skin was flayed, and a portion of his torso had been turned to dust. The air was polluted, and numerous humans in similar condition to King Eden’s corpse lay scattered about the throne room. It is believed King Eden succumbed to the effects of Rapturous Touch, which would make him the first known victim of the disease.

Aftermath

Though the Twilight War is ancient, the scars it left have never faded. Eden, which was once a utopia to its inhabitants, is now completely uninhabitable and has since been forgotten. The scalebacks, which took their freedom during the war, have become hostile towards humans and are still haunted by their own history. The aeons and kobolds scattered throughout the galaxy, their numbers dwindling by the century. The proto-humans, which once dominated Eden, were systematically hunted and slaughtered by the scalebacks.
The War’s impact led its survivors to devote themselves to preventing another calamity. The Zenith Confederacy, an organization known for forming Galactic Law, was established by the scalebacks, who can now be found inhabiting multiple star systems. The aeons and kobolds still seek a second Cosmic Spine, yet their prayers have not been answered. To this day, they await the return of their deity, hoping that they may share in the glory of their ancestors.

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Planetary