The Great Devil Invasion

Military: War

A meteor originated from the Abyss lands in the western part of Ëndria, creating a massive crater. Countless devils pours through it and wreaks havoc upon the land. Armies are gathered and alliances are formed, and through intense fighting, the devils are defeated and their lord, Jubilex, is driven back through the gateway.

In 4112, a meteor from the Nine Hells struck the western part of Ëndria, forming a vast, 15-kilometer-wide crater. The impact tore open a rift to Zulbarrath, allowing devils to spill forth and ravage the surrounding lands. The dwarves of the Silver Mountains, deeply embroiled in rising tensions with Nicandria, initially dismissed the loss of their first scout team to harsh winter weather and delayed further investigation until spring. By the time the true threat was understood, the devil invasion had already begun, and the dwarves sent urgent calls for aid across Ëndria.

This invasion struck at a critical time for Midranor. Nicandria and the dwarves had been on the brink of war, their relations strained to a breaking point due to the dwarves' trade in military supplies with Nicandria's enemies, the Apu Metanu. Sanctions, blockades, and escalating distrust nearly ignited an armed conflict, yet the devil threat forced both sides to lay down their hostilities. The memory of the ancient war against the gods remained deeply rooted in Midranor’s cultures, and the people quickly recognized the necessity of uniting against otherworldly forces. In a remarkable and swift reversal, Nicandria removed sanctions, dismantled blockades, and reestablished trade with the dwarves to solidify their cooperation.

The first forces to respond included small, elite units of the Crimson Lions, yet even their skill could barely hold back the hellish tide. As the devil lord Jubilex emerged from the rift, taking command of the horde, it became clear that victory would demand the combined might of Ëndria’s armies. Over a grueling year of defensive warfare, the dwarves, Nicandrians, and Thar'ziq’s warriors fought together, holding ground against relentless waves of devils. Losses were severe, and the cratered landscape transformed into a sickening hellscape of acidic pits and churning ooze.

By late summer of 4116, with men driven to the edge of sanity by the horrors faced, the combined forces finally managed to push Jubilex’s forces back into the crater. In a desperate bid to end the battle, the Thar'ziq military unleashed their most devastating weapon—the Heart of Ruin. Rolled into the hellish horde in its massive ambesum cage, the containment was released, unleashing a cataclysm of raw elemental chaos. The devastation tore through the battlefield, consuming devils and land alike in a swirling inferno of elemental ruin. As Jubilex himself was forced to retreat, the surviving forces tried to seal the rift for good, but the damage made to the rifts integrity could not be undone. The Heart made it impossible to fully seal, as it thundering went through the veil into the Hells. With the Heart's fate unknown, the rift would remain a stain upon the land, and the scars of the battle would endure.

The Great Stairway’s construction cemented a new era of cooperation. Treaties formalized the removal of all sanctions and trade restrictions between Nicandria and the dwarves, while the dwarves pledged to cease all military support to Apu Metanu. The fortress endures as a testament to the resilience of Midranor’s people and their shared determination to resist the threats that lie beyond their world.