First War of Light and Darkness

Military action

The First Strike Against the Pale Flame

With Celian Maleficium’s empire of Kael’Dun rapidly expanding and her legions of demons razing all opposition, the gods could no longer remain distant. In response, they sent their champions to the mortal realm - divine warriors forged in radiant purpose: the angels.

The war began as a joint campaign between the angelic host and the elven clans of northern Valon, who had long suffered under Celian’s rule. Their goal: liberate the oppressed, sever the chains of the demon lords, and bring light back to the lands consumed by darkness.

At the forefront of the celestial army stood five powerful angels, leaders who would remain at the heart of all three Wars of Light and Darkness:

Maccius, Commander of the Host, clad in heavy armor and wielding a divine greatsword that blazed with the light of truth.

Nilsa, Seraph of the Blade, master of four magical swords, her combat style a dance of divine precision and brutal efficiency.

Leander, Herald of Dawn, armored and graceful, wielding a radiant bow whose arrows split the skies and spirits alike.

Astrea, Warden of Truth, wielding a shining spear, known for exposing deception and breaking infernal enchantments.

Solastra, Flame of the Sky, with her mighty hammer, forged in heavenly flame and thunder, striking down infernal constructs with righteous fury.

Their arrival sparked the first great resistance against Celian’s reign. Temples once defiled were reconsecrated. Elven cities lost to shadow were reclaimed. For the first time, the demons faltered.

But Celian had not built her empire without anticipating divine retaliation.

She unleashed her six Demon Generals, beings born from aspects of her own fractured soul, to crush the angelic threat. The conflict that followed - the First War of Light and Darkness - became a brutal, six-year struggle of divine might against corrupt chaos. The land itself bled as powers beyond mortal comprehension clashed across Ebbavion.

Despite early victories, the tide turned.

Celian used deception, infiltration, and soul-binding magic to sever the alliance between elves and angels. Trusted leaders were corrupted, sacred strongholds fell, and traitors rose within once-loyal courts.

In the war’s final year, Astrea fell during a desperate push into Viremalas, the City of Stone. Though she pierced one of the Demon Generals with her spear, she was ultimately overwhelmed and slain at the gates. Her body was suspended in chains above the city, a symbol of Celian’s dominion and the cost of resistance.

Maccius, Leander, and Solastra withdrew with what forces remained. Nilsa, wounded and shaken by the loss of her comrade, vanished soon after. Unknown to the others, her exposure to Celian’s corruption during the war had planted the first seeds of doubt and darkness - seeds that would later bloom into something far more dangerous in the wars to come.

Though the First War ended in defeat, it did not break the will of the divine. It taught the gods that Celian’s downfall would require more than strength - it would demand sacrifice, patience, and perhaps even betrayal.