Era of Dolor

After the Second Great Holy War ended, the world enjoyed an actual moment of peace, with international relations forged in the ashes of the devastated world. A new golden age blossomed, as people, wealth, and new ideas flowed freely across the world, and new technologies developed, to the amazement of the general public. This era came to be known as the “Fifty Golden Years”, as it seemed that most, if not all, problems had faded from collective memory.   In the decades following the war's end, Queendom of Boudigia and her subjects began funding expeditions to colonize the territories of Mictlan. This move caused significant friction with Tolan and its Queen, Opochtli. The inhabitants of the territories were divided and subsequently conquered by their new masters, resulting in a constant ebb and flow of conflict between the people of Mictlan, the colonizers, and Tolan itself. These came to be known collectively as the Colonial Wars, and it soured relations between Boudigia and other countries. Boudigia would reap many benefits, making it a global power.   This era would not last. Some even say it was destined to fail from the beginning. Some say hubris and a lack of faith caused this downward spiral. Whatever the case, the world would change drastically, and it would not be a peaceful transition.   In 1322, the sky worldwide had darkened, rained for 7 days and 7 nights. This caused many cities and towns to flood, forcing many to leave their homes. On the 8th day, the oceans were teeming with life as new species of fish and other aquatic creatures that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, the peoples of the world however did not have time to bask in this new bountiful ocean, as monsters from the deep started attacking the surface world, these creatures were relentless in their furious assault as many coastal cities and towns fell one after another to these invaders. Anaid, in particular, was besieged by a malevolent kraken and its minions; the violent storms this monster conjured drowned many of its inhabitants. The combined forces of Kenor had to be levied against these creatures from the deep to repel them. The Kraken was wounded, some say slain, but a corpse was never found. In the aftermath, many thousands of people were dead, and thousands more had to work hard to rebuild what was left. The bountiful years had been washed away in front of everyone's eyes; all that was left was to accept this fact and move forward.   As fate would have it, the years of toil were not over. In the shadows of the world, a group of four individuals plotted their dissension, and together they made the pilgrimage to Abaddon with their followers to execute such a plan. These four came to be known collectively as the Masters of Mayhem, and they sought to bring this weakened world to its knees. Safrax, the Earth Burner, Yindé, the Sun Archer, Gévaudan, the Sea Wolf, and Sir Dullahan, the Red-Handed led them. Safrax and Yindé worked in tandem to carve a path out of Abaddon and into the neighboring countries, but their primary focus was to make it to the heart of the Bundesrepublik Reichsland. This horde burned everything in their path, reducing entire cities and towns to ash and making the land itself uninhabitable.   Meanwhile, Gévaudan and his navy sought to invade Boudigia, taking Sir Dullahan and his Knights of Sheol. The Boudigian navy fought as best they could, but they could only prolong their inevitable loss in their diminished state. Once the fiendish troops made landfall, they wreaked havoc across Boudigian lands, cutting down everything that stood in their path, seeking to seize the critical urban centers first, while burning everything else in their path.   In southern Kenor, the Siege of Germania was a nightmare. The fiends, fueled by revenge, devastated the capital. The hero Chrisyle would sacrifice many soldiers to evacuate the civilians, eventually falling in combat himself, but not without gravely wounding Safrax with a bullet to the heart. Safrax had to retreat to Abaddon to heal, which was enough to halt the progress of the horde.   During this pause, the Tolani Navy, the Tawantixu, the Talennuwa, and the Mictlan militia rushed to aid the weakened armies from Kenor. They helped to rally the remaining armies to push the fiends back into Abaddon. In the north, the Tolani navy clashed with Gévaudan’s navy while the ground forces fought against the Knights of Sheol.   The Masters of Mayhem saw the fight was lost, so they decided to retreat into the shadows from whence they came. The only exception was Sir Dullahan, who surrendered together with his knights. He was sentenced to exile with his guard; his exact whereabouts are unknown. His company of knights was pardoned by Boudigia and allowed to work as mercenaries, which was considered a very controversial move.   The Abaddonian War ended in 1330, in the aftermath, Tolan and its allies forced Boudigia to release its colonies in Mictlan, and thus the United Confederation of Mictlan was formed, Reichsland was unable to maintain a hold of its territories, and so it was fractured between local warlords, bandits, forces loyal to Führer even after his death and those still loyal to the republic remained determined to rebuild their country. A great wall was built on the border of Abaddon and all other countries to protect against future incursions, and this monolithic project was a joint effort between the Empire of the Great Temuj, Ali Empire, Koschevoy, and what remained of the Bundesrepublik Reichsland.   In 8 years, the bounty the people of Kenor had enjoyed had escaped their grasp, while the current age has impressive technologies, few can say they enjoy its benefits. While the population boomed after the war thanks to medical advances, most lived in toil and hardships, barely having enough to last the day. The splendor of the past century seems like a distant memory; what the future has in store is anyone's guess, but what is certain is that the age of industry and its consequences are here to stay.