Rising of the Six

Quest for Revenge

Aeons ago, in a time only recalled by the eldest immortals, a world-shaking rebellion was launched by the fiendish Sons of Sarundel. Following the War for Death Itself, where Darycia and the aforementioned Sarundel waged war for dominion over departed souls, both Gods clung to life by a meagre thread. Being the favoured party of the rest of the Baelonmori Pantheon, Darycia was permitted to remain in stasis on their home realm. Sarundel, however, vanished. The other deities despised the cruel God and sequestered their ailing body in some forgotten corner of reality. For a brief period, peace was achieved.

Whilst the virtuous world celebrated the war's end, one powerful faction remained irate. The Six Sons of Sarundel were incensed by the loss of their progenitor and their supposed maltreatment at the hands of the divine. This fury mulled into an unquenchable thirst for vengeance. Eventually, it swelled into action, and the hellish lords initiated a crusade that would become known as the Rising of the Six. They rushed forwards with a surprise attack, surging into the heavenly realms of Darycia with the hope of slaying the wounded deity. In the process, they abducted thousands of exalted souls and dragged them into the torturous depths of Sarundel.

This invasion granted an opportunity to the Daughters of Darycia, who were born to stand against the malevolent brothers, to prove that they could fend off their malicious counterparts. Although they offered staunch resistance, had it not been for the intervention of the Pantheon, the Daughters would have most likely failed. The reason for their near defeat was simple: the Sons each owned two holy heirlooms (a pair of swords tailored to their needs) whereas the Daughters did not own one. Their progenitor had appealed to their kindred deities to bestow such an item, but their request was denied; the Gods were hesitant to allow anyone to possess such artefacts after witnessing the power they granted to the Sons of Sarundel. Thankfully, after the Rising of the Six was quelled, they finally relented. In the wake of the war, the heavenly defenders were each granted a Holy Heirloom, collectively known as the Shields of Darycia.

Future Precautions

Since the Sons of Sarundel were stripped of one blade each following the conflict, the Daughters only needed one Heirloom each. The Shields of Darycia possessed all manner of powerful effects, but perhaps their most important feature was the defence they offered against the Sons of Sarundel. If one of the Swords of Sarundel was to be swung against a Shield of Darycia, both items would shatter. This outcome would be far more dire for the Archdevils than it would for the blessed sisters; the Gods would restore the Daughters' Heirlooms, but would not offer the same generosity to the wrathful Sons.

It was not just their blessed shields that arose following the revolt. Although the God of the Condemned was defeated and greatly weakened, they could still provide power to their devilish spawn. In this way, the fiends could slither out of their hellish pits and into other planes. The gods were eager to limit such excursions. They forged several enchanted manacles and clamped one on to the wrists of the Sons of Sarundel and several other formidable fiends, but kept each shackle's counterpart elsewhere; whilst this other artefact exists, the wearer of its correspondent part cannot leave Sarundel. These powerful restraints are known as the Chains of Hell, and many infernal cultists strive to uncover their locations.