When
Nel'Akhiron began its campaign of conquest over the entire continent, there were those who disagreed with the leadership and governance of the
White Order. These dissenters rose up as the
Black Order to oppose the ancient and powerful wizards in charge, resulting in the conflict known as the Tempest War, which ultimately destroyed the capital city of
Veru'Kar and led to the collapse of the entire empire.
The Conflict
Prelude
For centuries, the White Order had (unintentionally) perpetuated the spread of Zhak'raa through the empire. It had grown steadily over years and was at the peak of its power. Eventually, it became clear that the White Order could no longer sustainably retain control over the nation without a "reordering" of the kingdom and its statutes. A large part of this decision came with the spread of Zhak'raa, which was reaching all corners of the kingdom. With it, came a fear that those who had previously been subdued would become organised, empowered by newly acquired magic, and rise up against them.
And so the White Order put forth the Masters' Codex, a document setting out the structure for observance of Zhak'raa and strict rules regarding how magic may be practiced. This was only the final straw for many regions that had long been opposed to the rule of the authoritative White Order and the magocracy that governed them all.
It was General Vizhax who first attempted to secede from Nel'Akhiron. Already, there were pockets of the empire that were so far removed from the governance in Veru'Kar that they were practically self-governed. To the White Order, their flagrant disregard for their authority had been a thorn in their side for many years, and the Zhak'raa they practiced bordered on the heretical. General Vizhax, a high-ranking member of the military, saw the value in a region to the south being controlled by their own people and merely paying tribute to the rule of Nel'Akhiron. This greatly angered those in the capital and so they attempted to quickly and quietly quell any insurrection. Ultimately, this mission failed, as General Vizhax turned on the empire and became a figurehead for the movement.
Thus began a crusade of crushing and dominating any region of the empire that tried to claim sovereign status or independant rulership.
The conflict began small, with scattered skirmishes in select locations. With the Black Order recruited greater numbers by the day, the pressure began to weigh on the White Order to crush the insurrection and silence any discussion of secession. The separatists had a powerful message and attractive goals that appealed to a wide range of the populace.
Inevitably, the skirmishes and battles escalated to full-scale war between the separatists led by the Black Order, and the centuries-old rule of the wizards and sorcerers that made up the White Order. These forces were, of course, backed by the government loyalists and imperial benefactors.
The war reached its peak and finale when the White Order, adamantly set on defeating the separatist army, heightened their experiments with Zhak'raa, with the intent of creating a spell or weapon that could inflict massive devastation upon their enemies. Hearing of their efforts, the Black Order set about preparing forces to besiege the capital city of Veru'Kar, City of Enlightenment.
This only worked to increase the desperation, haste and carelessness of the specialised individuals conducting wild and unsafe experiments. When the separatist army arrived at the gates of Veru'Kar, a disaster of unparalleled magnitude occurred, and the entire city (along with a circular area roughly 2000 km across) was utterly desolated in a magical event that left a colossal crater in the afflicted region. This crater was then immediately filled by the sea to the south in a tsunami that battered the inside areas. Further inland, lingering effects were experienced at least 1000 km from the edge of the crater. This effectively ended the war but also devastated the population of the empire and destroyed any claim to governance by competing parties.
In the wake of the catastrophe, the more religious sects and orders associated with the worship of Zhak'raa put into motion a plan they had devised for such an occurrence. Wizards, sorcerers, sages and scholars all gathered and hoarded what magical knowledge, artifacts and relics they could and sequestered them away in the most isolated places they could find. These individuals withdrew from society, taking with them all trace of magic from Nel'Akhiron, and hid in temples, towers, monasteries, and any other isolated locations that could be well-protected from the greater public.
This, ultimately, left the greater kingdom weak and defenceless. The tired and battered people of Nel'Akhiron felt lethargy from the withdrawal of magic, and fell to crime, desperation, starvation and plague. The remaining Akhir that did not go into hiding managed to survive a meager existence for some decades as society crumbled and cities were abandoned, rendering the great empire of Nel'Akhiron now obsolete.
Historical Significance
The Tempest War has left the continent battered and scarred, and the once-mighty empire of Nel'Akhiron in ruins. All that remains is now hoarded away by ageless wizards in their hidden keeps and monasteries. The cloisters are disconnected and hostile to any who might encroach upon their domain, paranoid of those who would seek to steal their magic and their secrets.
I'm curious about what the mages, sorcerers, et al. are going to do with all the magical stuff they've stashed away. Will they start rebuilding the continent? Will non-mage people attack the mages to get their (presumably valuable) stuff? It seems like you have the roots of some interesting stories here!