The
Battle of Lost Memories (1412 CR) was the turning point of the
Rift War where the forces of the
Nine Hells, under the command of the
archdevil Zariel, clashed with a baatorian army on the banks of the
River Styx.
While ultimately a victory for Hell, many of the infernal legionnaires were subjected to the memory-erasing effects of the Stygian waters, forcing losing parts of their personalities or their pasts.
The Conflict
Prelude
For over a year, the infernal legions of the Nine Hells were in disarray after a massively horde of baatorians emerged from a newly opened rift in the Avernian landscape, capturing abandoned and neglected fortifications. Bel, the Archduke of Avernus, was unable to mount an effective resistance, as the baatorians disrupted supply lines and trapped many infernal legions between themselves and the forces of the Abyss.
During this time, Glasya,l daughter of Asmodeus and Archduke of Malbolge, arranged a meeting with Tiamat. The events of this meeting are unknown, but its ultimate result, whether through bargaining, trickery, or force, was the release of the archdevil Zariel from her imprisonment.
Newly freed, Zariel raced across the Avernian landscape, rallying the forces of Hell under her banner and reorganizing them to confront the baatorians head-on. After much manuevering and a few skirmishes, the two forces met for the first time on the banks of the River Styx.
The baatorians planned to fight defensively, holding fortifications on the far side of the Styx from Zariel's army, and the baatorians' commanders, accustomed to the cautious tactics of Bel, did not expect the infernal legionnaires to attempt an assault across the Styx itself.
However, Zariel bodly ordered a charge across the river, having commandeered barges from across Avernus for the purpose. As the infernal forces crossed the Styx, they were covered by trebuchets and cannons, both stationary and on
flying fortresses. The baatorians were taken by surprise, but recovered and began peppering the attackers with artillery of their own, sinking many barges and splashing others with Stygian water. However, each boat hasd been modified with propellers, and Zariel continued announcing her orders over an amplied sound system throughout the entire battle, forgoing conventional military procedure to keep one's orders hidden, so that even devils suffering from stygian-induced amnesia or confusion would still hear the orders to fight and be taken their by their barges.
Zariel's bold plan was a success, though the ultimate fight was costly in lives and casualties, though the devils gave as good as they got, and the baatorians were forced to flee the field of battle badly broken and shaken by Hell's new commander.
Though costly, the Battle of Lost Memories was the key turning point in the Rift War, breaking the momentum the baatorians had achieved. Though the fighting would continue for another two years, the forces of Hell never gave the baatorians a chance to recover, making their demise all but inevitable.
Historical Significance
The Battle of Lost Memories is remembered to this day as the defining battle of the Rift War. Following Zariel's ultimate victory in 1414, a mile-high tower of baatorian skulls was placed on the shore of the Styx where the battle was fought as a commemoration of those lost and a threat to all that would oppose the Nine Hells.
The Battle of Lost Memories also left its mark on many of the devils that fought it, as the waters of the Styx permenantely erased memories and personalities of the battle's veterans. Some of these veterans, such as the succubus
Delle Bellfiend and the orthon
Azzimon, would leave the infernal legions to pursue mercenary or non-military roles.
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