Horde War
The Horde War was the defining military conflict of Eden’s First Age. The Monster Hordes, unwilling servants of the dark wizard Zaragon, waged a campaign of terror which lasted nearly nine years and ended only with the sacrifice of the legendary Augustus Might.
And yet, as bloody and horrifying as the conflict was, the longterm changes it brought to Edenian society were largely positive. The shape-shifting kíndallans—the “monsters” of Zaragon’s army—immediately sought to repair the damage they had done while under the sorcerer’s control. In the remaining years of the First Age, the kíndallans collaborated with the dwarves to create a series of astounding technological advancements which would reshape Edenian life for centuries to come. These included Genetic Elevation and Manipulation, the Personal Transfusion Device, and the Reekian Wall.
As thanks for their contributions to Eden, and in recognition that they had done more to repent than any mind-controlled persons could ever have been expected to do, the Council of Five used the kíndallan language of Moldése to give the five regions of Eden their official names: Ostké, Noddíké, Ésreké, Roktké, and Nalké, respectively.
The Conflict
Prelude
In 19 CE, frustrated by her sister Phina’s creation of Eden, the goddess Mira emerged from the Bü‘ükopo Oadü and presented to Zaragon the so-called Sword of the River. By presenting the sword to the first person she saw, Mira, whose domains were water and order, sought to beat her sister—the goddess of fire and chaos—at her own game.
The sword granted its wielder unfettered access to Mira’s powers. The only limits to what the sword could do were the limits of Zaragon’s imagination. Unfortunately for Eden, Zaragon was an incredibly creative and sadistic megalomaniac.
With one thought, Zaragon bound the wills of every kíndallan in Eden to his own. He commanded them to take on the most monstrous shapes they could imagine and to terrorize every corner of the world until he told them otherwise. And so, the Horde War began.
Deployment
While there were enough kíndallans in every Edenian nation to form sizable militias, it was in the region of Roktké—better known as Wonderland—that more of the shapeshifters had settled than anywhere else. It was also in Wonderland that Stagnekad the Defiler, the most charismatic and military-minded kíndallan of them all, had set up shop. And so, it was from Wonderland that Zaragon’s armies, led by Stagnekad, most frequently deployed.
Battlefield
Battles were fought all over Eden, in both rural and urban areas. Most of the fighting occurred in the largely agrarian and technologically “backwards” Wonderland, but skirmishes were also fought in Nova Meskera, in Newest Orleans, and amongst the urban sprawl of the Reekian megalopolis.
The Engagement
Fighting began with the Clash at Covenant, a heated battle in which the goddess Phina was vanquished by Zaragon in single combat. The war ended with the Battle of Frankburg Bridge and another one-on-one duel at the gates of the Zone Forbidden, this time between Zaragon and Augustus Might.
Most battles were fought between elven and kíndallan forces in the south. However, the contributions of halflings, dwarves, and human beings must not be discounted. A skirmish in Nova Meskera in the first weeks of the war brought General Kester Thidos and the rest of the Bekiskapan warrior culture into the conflict. That event reshaped things considerably. After the Bekiskapan got involved, the front lines were pushed back to the banks of the Oadü. As a result, most of the Hordes strength was kept on the south side of the river until the end of the war.
I have a couple of these where I've just gotten the prompt done as well. There are a few where I want to go back and add fun flourishes, but you gotta have structural articles too. They can't all be "The one where you create your own episode"!
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Exactly! What's funny is that now that I finally won something, I'm feeling soooo much less pressure this year. Like that one win was all the worldbuilding validation I needed (at least for now).
You are worthy! And actually a badass writer!
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