The god-wars
The vesajan conflict for power, payed in blood by the residents of earth.
The God-wars, not just a war, but THE war that shaped the world of man as it is today. More than 40% of the total human population perished during the 2 centuries of war that reached all corners of the world, making it the bloodiest conflict mankind had ever seen. Some places would never recover, some wounds would never heal, and even now, half a millenia later, people have not forgotten.
The war of wars can be best discribed in different fases:Arkun had secretly prepared for the invasion of Eastern Theria for years. He had tricked his vesajan kin Bolkion and Giustis into building Bolkion's bridge ; a gigantic road that would connect the 2 continents by land. His plan was to wait untill the bridge was completed, enabling them to reach the east in a matter of days. This would give the eastern forces no time to unite and prepare, rendering them utterly defenceless.
Battle of Atkis bay, 362 A.V., East-Theria
The first confrontation of the god-wars. The eastern forces of Giustis had reinforced the beaches of Atkis bay. The east was far from ready, as Giustis was still ensembling their army by recruiting soldiers all over the gigantic continent. Dispite being vastly outnumbered, their superior position made it hard for Arkun's western army to set foot on land. This fight was done on land, on sea and even in the air, as Arkun had deployed all of his griffin riders, making it the first time griffins had ever been used in combat. At the end, the western forces of Arkun took the bay and marched north.
Siege of Babredon, 362 A.V., East-Theria
Arkun knew it was a matter of time before Giustis completed ensembling his army, and needed a foothold in the east to defend against a counter offensive. In the hills just north lay Bebradon: a capital city on top of a giant hill. This location would provide an excellent stronghold against attacks, and a crucial location for his supply chain to the east. While taking it wouldn't be easy, Arkun's western army was already stationed between them and their allies further east, cutting them off and making them vulnerable. After a month marching heavy siege weapons north, and a few minor battles, the western army reached the city of Babredon. Valueing time over anyting else, Arkun trew all he had at the stronghold, resulting in heavy casualties in his ranks. The losses were thousands against hundreds in favor of the east, but at the end, the west succeeded in taking the stronghold. Babredon would remain in the hands of Arkun for the majority of the war, and every offensive towards the east would start there.
The highland wars, 363 - 370 A.V., East-Theria
Arkun's western army had hoped an attempt would be done to take back the city of Babredon, after which they would launch a counter offensive to clear the highland of any hostiles. Giustis however knew those attempts would be futile, and decided to place his army, which was still growing by the day, at strategic locations throughout the highlands. One year after taking Babredon, Arkun realised that Giustis would not make the first move, and ordered his army to march further east. After 7 years and dozens of large battles, Arkun's forces had succeeded to reach the border of Athria . These battles, which resulted in the death of 85.000 humans, became known as the highland wars. During this time, many wooden walls were built by the east to stop the advance of the west. The siege weapons of the west were hard to manoevre through the hills, so they resorted to using amthali giants , which they fully clad in armor, to break down these walls. These bulls were well adapted to the rough terrain, and were also used to transport large quantities of supplies.
The nomadic cleansing, 365 -367 A.V., Suthria
Meanwhile in the southern continent of Suthria , an extreme dry season had caused division among the 2 ethnicities found there: the settlers with Damatis as their leader, and the nomads led by Avast . Damatis already had an alliance with Arkun, as their economies were tightly connected by trade. With the blessing of Arkun, he aswell was planning a war against his vesajan kinbrother Avast. The perfect time arose during this dry season when the nomads had to steal the food in order to survive, as they could no longer afford it. This caused dismay among the settlers, which Damatis used to start a war. During the 2 years that followed, the settlers cleansed the Crown of Suthria of any nomads, and forbid them to ever set foot on their land again. The crown however, had always been crucial for the survival of the nomads during the dry season. Avast united all the nomadic tribes, and planned a counter offensive. This nomadic horde was the biggest army the world had ever seen. The nomadic cleansing marked the beginning of the war of the crown; a war that is still waging even now, 8 centuries later.
The vengeance of the Prima Rekna, 541 A.V., West-Theria
Since the scarring of Firigon, Rekna had taken a passive stance in the war, only fending off invaders and occasional naval conflict with Damatis's settlers in the sea of man. Rekna had been preparing, waiting for the perfect time to strike. To achieve this, he had created and trained a new elite army, called the Prima Rekna. These men had volunteered to join this army, as Rekna would never force his men to die on foreign land. West-Theria was weak and divided after the rebellion, and Rekna found the time right for revenge. So effective his elite army was, that they reached the capital of Arkalon in a matter of weeks. Rekna then confronted Arkun face to face, and demanded retribution for the damage done to his beloved land. As Arkun had not much left to offer, Rekna demanded the legendary armor of Arnethius to be sent to Firigon. At first Arkun refused, as this armor was now a symbol of his divinity, but at the end he had no choice.
The eastland uprising, 542 - 545 A.V., East-Theria
During the rebellion, Arkun had recalled the majority of his army out of east-Theria, leaving only small divisions behind in the bigger settlements to keep the order. As the east was left broken after the conquest of Arnethius, nobody dared to rise against the western occupier. This changed when tales of the Prima Rekna were spread all around the world, tales of how a firigan force took down the west in a matter of weeks, forcing a personal apology of a litteral god. This gave the eastlanders the courage to rise up, and attack all settlements under western control. Giustis also reappeared and brought the eastlanders together once more to take back Athria. 3 years later, almost the whole eastern continent was liberated, leaving only Babredon in western hands.
The siege on Kos, 542 - 551 A.V., Suthria
Tales of the Prima Rekna also reached the south, and sent a chill down the spine of Damatis's settlers. After all, they had also invaded Firigon during the conquest. Scared of possible retaliation, they withdrew their forces from all over Suthria, giving much needed relief for the nomads. As an apology, they sent 50 ships full of gold to Firigon, in the hope that they would forgive them. As a response, Rekna and his Prima Rekna entered the Kosi bay, and sank the 50 ships in front of the city. It is unclear whether the gold was still in the ships or not. Rekna stated that "no amount of gold on the planet is worth one Firigan rock" and that he would destroy one of the 3 big cities as retribution for the damage they did to Firigon. An alliance of nomads and the Prima Rekna sieged the city of Kos for the next 9 years, unable to take it, but dealing significant damage. In the year 551, the news that Aethos had returned reached Rekna. He feared the end was near, and took the fastest ship in the hopes of seeing Firigon one more time. Sadly he never did.
The war of the broken, 545 - 551 A.V., East and West-Theria
Arkun was never the same after the humiliation done by the Prima Rekna, and became desperate in his new attempts on invading East-Theria. The soldiers over both east- and west were now barely trained and ill prepared, and while they remained loyal to their god-lords, the moral was low. Arkun's western forces never came further than the Athrian border during these final years. As a result of the lack of organisation, the east was now able to land on western grounds without conquering Babredon first, and take the fight to them. When Aethos came to earth in 551 A.V., Giustis tried to plead with Aethos, but to no avail. All the Vesaja were banned from Earth, marking the end of the God-wars. Babredon however, was still in western hands. On a cold winter night, they opened the gates for the eastern soldiers outside, and ate and drank together. The next day, they shook hands and the western soldiers departed back to their home in West-Theria. Babredon, where it all started, was now back in the hands of the eastlanders after 189 years of war.
The war of wars can be best discribed in different fases:
Fase one: escalation
However, his vesajan kin discovered his ill intentions, and the bridge was never finished. This forced Arkun's army to sail around the ridged mountains of the belt , which prolonged the journey by several days, enabling the east to prepare for the oncoming invasion. While the western army was still far more superior, atleast they now had a fighting chance.
The first confrontation of the god-wars. The eastern forces of Giustis had reinforced the beaches of Atkis bay. The east was far from ready, as Giustis was still ensembling their army by recruiting soldiers all over the gigantic continent. Dispite being vastly outnumbered, their superior position made it hard for Arkun's western army to set foot on land. This fight was done on land, on sea and even in the air, as Arkun had deployed all of his griffin riders, making it the first time griffins had ever been used in combat. At the end, the western forces of Arkun took the bay and marched north.
Siege of Babredon, 362 A.V., East-Theria
Arkun knew it was a matter of time before Giustis completed ensembling his army, and needed a foothold in the east to defend against a counter offensive. In the hills just north lay Bebradon: a capital city on top of a giant hill. This location would provide an excellent stronghold against attacks, and a crucial location for his supply chain to the east. While taking it wouldn't be easy, Arkun's western army was already stationed between them and their allies further east, cutting them off and making them vulnerable. After a month marching heavy siege weapons north, and a few minor battles, the western army reached the city of Babredon. Valueing time over anyting else, Arkun trew all he had at the stronghold, resulting in heavy casualties in his ranks. The losses were thousands against hundreds in favor of the east, but at the end, the west succeeded in taking the stronghold. Babredon would remain in the hands of Arkun for the majority of the war, and every offensive towards the east would start there.
The highland wars, 363 - 370 A.V., East-Theria
Arkun's western army had hoped an attempt would be done to take back the city of Babredon, after which they would launch a counter offensive to clear the highland of any hostiles. Giustis however knew those attempts would be futile, and decided to place his army, which was still growing by the day, at strategic locations throughout the highlands. One year after taking Babredon, Arkun realised that Giustis would not make the first move, and ordered his army to march further east. After 7 years and dozens of large battles, Arkun's forces had succeeded to reach the border of Athria . These battles, which resulted in the death of 85.000 humans, became known as the highland wars. During this time, many wooden walls were built by the east to stop the advance of the west. The siege weapons of the west were hard to manoevre through the hills, so they resorted to using amthali giants , which they fully clad in armor, to break down these walls. These bulls were well adapted to the rough terrain, and were also used to transport large quantities of supplies.
The nomadic cleansing, 365 -367 A.V., Suthria
Meanwhile in the southern continent of Suthria , an extreme dry season had caused division among the 2 ethnicities found there: the settlers with Damatis as their leader, and the nomads led by Avast . Damatis already had an alliance with Arkun, as their economies were tightly connected by trade. With the blessing of Arkun, he aswell was planning a war against his vesajan kinbrother Avast. The perfect time arose during this dry season when the nomads had to steal the food in order to survive, as they could no longer afford it. This caused dismay among the settlers, which Damatis used to start a war. During the 2 years that followed, the settlers cleansed the Crown of Suthria of any nomads, and forbid them to ever set foot on their land again. The crown however, had always been crucial for the survival of the nomads during the dry season. Avast united all the nomadic tribes, and planned a counter offensive. This nomadic horde was the biggest army the world had ever seen. The nomadic cleansing marked the beginning of the war of the crown; a war that is still waging even now, 8 centuries later.
Fase two: stalemate
The first conquest of Athria, 371 - 424 A.V., East-Theria
By now Giustis had united the entirity of the east, and gathered his army in Athria to withstand the advance of the west. 50 years long, east and west would collide around the Athrian borders. Sometimes the east was able to take back the highlands momentarely, but as they were unable to take the capital city of Babredon, they could never secure their position. The west on their turn, were able to push deeper in Athria, but never were able to cross the gigantic wall that was built to defend the peninsula. On this peninsula was the capital city of Athria, and the seat of Giustis. As long as the capital remained untaken, the east would never yield. About 2 million people died during this campaign that lasted half a century.
The siege of Orth, 424 A.V., East-Theria
Realising that Athria could not be taken at this time, Arkun took a risk and ordered his army to march further east. This left them vulnerable, as the bulk of the easter army now laid between them and Babredon, making them in danger of being trapped. The western forces needed another foothold in East-Theria, and the eyes of Arkun turned towards the dwarven stronghold of Orth. This stronghold was located between Athria and the rest of the continent, which ment that taking it would cause a big blow to the eastern army. However, Bolkion had distanced himself from the god-wars since the beginning, and had dug himself and his dwarven army in the stronghold, protected by the mountains of the belt . Therefore nobody knew what to expect when they constructed the siege weapons on the barren plains in front of the dwarven stronghold. What happened was... nothing. They fired all they had on the massive gate, but it proved to be indestructible. After a few weeks they had to retreat, as their supplies had ran out, and the ever increasing danger of being cut off. During all this time, they had not even seen one single dwarf. The western army had to fight their way out of Athria, as the eastern forces collapsed on them from several flanks. The whole operation was seen as a huge failure, which almost costed the entire western army. Arkun ordered them to reinforce the Athrian border, and take a defensive position while thinking of another plan.
The conquest of Firigon, 426 - 454 A.V., Firigon.
All this time Firigon was under control of Rekna . Just like Bolkion and his dwarves, Rekna had decided to take a defensive position, and keep his people from harm. They remained mostly unaffected while the world around them was burning, which made them stronger as the others were growing weaker. In addition, Firigon had control over the sea of man , which prevented the western forces from attacking east-Theria from the coast. Arkun feared that Firigon might grow too powerfull for them to take, and decided they had to attack them now before it would be to late. His position in east-Theria was secure for the time being, and a succesfull conquest of firigon would open up the sea of man for them, which in turn would give him more options to take the east. After 2 years of preparing, he attacked the western coast with an armada of more than 200.000 soldiers. The hundreds of firigan settlements and villages in the west stood no chance against the invasion, which caused them to flee to the eastern side of the island. Rekna had a big army to his disposal, one that could easily match the invasive army in a fight. Arkun knew this, and therefore attacked the western flank of the island from all different angles, dividing his army into several, smaller armies. The huge island, dense jungle, and distance between settlements made it extremely hard to defend. Slowly but surely, the western army was crippling the power of firigon. When Damatis and his settlers agreed to enter the war, and attacked the southern shore of Firigon with an army of 50.000, the end of Firigon was quickly approaching. Rekna divided his firigan army in two, and ordered a smaller force to stop the advance of the settlers. He himself joined the bigger army and marched towards the west, towards the armies of Arkun. The westerners avoided the firigan army as they always did, and fled by boat, only to return when the firigan army had left. However, this time, there would be no return. In something that is called the "scarring of Firigon", Rekna used his magic to blast away big parts of the western coast. This created steep cliffs, ranging from 40 meters to several 100 meters above sea level, impossible for humans to overcome. Rekna did this to the whole west- and southern shore, so that they could no longer be attacked from there, making Firigon alot easier to defend. Rekna was destroyed by the fact he had to do this, and swore that one day, Firigon would have their revenge.
The dance of the elements, 367 - 526 A.V., Suthria
Damatis and his settlers were always in a comfortable position. Avast's nomadic horde was ten times bigger than the settler army in the crown, but enjoyed a much more favorable position. In the wet season there was an abundance of food and water on the Suthrian savanna, which enabled the nomadic horde to attack the crown. However, the Atrevi river, which ran between the crown and the nomad territory, made it impossible for large forces to attack the crown at once which made the size of the nomadic army unrelevant. The smaller groups that crossed the river proved to be unable to break through the defenses of the large cities. The settlers just turtled their way through the wet season, and waited for the dry season. When the dry season came, the importance of the crown area quickly becomes clear. The savanna can no longer provide enough food for the horde, which forces many of them to migrate towards other locations. Then the settler army retaliates by attacking the remaining nomads, taking the entirity of the river for their own. Fresh water now also taken away from them, the nomadic tribes are forced to migrate even further. This dance of water and fire demands a heavy toll on the nomads, as each year tens of thousands would die of famine and thirst.
Fase three: world at war
The war of animals and beasts, 457 - 479 A.V., East-Theria
Dispite Arkun's forces failing in conquering Firigon, all was not for nothing as they had weakened them tremendously. In the south, Damatis was winning the war against the nomads easily, and their combined naval forces now enabled them to take control of the sea of man. Giustis's eastern forces was booking victory after victory in the highlands, pushing the few western forces stationed there back to the stronghold of Babredon. Arkun did not care, as long as Babredon was his, western Theria would be safe of possible invasion. As the bulk of the eastern army was preparing to take Babredon, in the far north of East-Theria, Arkun had another plan. His forces combined with the settler army of Damatis, invaded the eastern continent south of the Garden of Aethos . As the eastern army was far away, the villages and cities stood no chance against them. Thousands of warbeasts were imported from Suthria, wich enabled them to sweep through the heart of the continent like a hurricane. Tens of thousands of woman and children were brutally murdered. Word of these atrocities quickly reached the soldiers in the north, and many of them abandonned the army to return to their families.
The second conquest of Athria, 459 - 467 A.V., East-Theria
With the eastern army was dissolving into mayhem, most of Arkun's forces were sailing back north while smaller groups would continue to terrorize the eastern continent from the south. Damatis's settlers and gigantic fleet were tasked with patrolling the sea of man, effectively keeping Firigon out of the war. Arkun's western army made quick work of taking back the highlands, and invaded Athria once more. Arkun knew that, once he took Athria, nothing stood in his way anymore of world domination. Better prepared than ever, the western army was now able to push back the demotivated eastern army and take the Athrian peninsula. Only the capital remained, which was also sure to fall very soon.
The war of the half-man, 467 - 510 A.V., East-Theria
Having heard of the brutal acts of his kinbrother, Bolkion could not risk that Arkun would become overlord of the outside world. He combined the forces of his dwarves of Orth with the Vandur dwarves located more to the south, and joined the war. The combined forces of the east and the dwarves proved too much for the western army to handle, and they were once again pushed back into the highlands.
Fase four: Arnethius
The conquest of Arnethius, 514 - 524 A.V., East-Theria
For the third time, Babredon was the only stronghold left in eastern Theria under Arkun's control. It seemed like the end of the war had come, but little did they know, that the worst was yet to come. An Amthali boy was born with a unique magical mutation, which made him the ultimate weapon of war. When Arnethius , wielder of the true flame, turned 17 years old in 514 A.V., he was sent to eastern Theria to turn the tide of battle. The dwarves and the eastern army were no match for the general's true fire, and in just one year the highlands were once again under western control. While the eastern army once again prepared to protect Athria, Bolkion witnessed the power of Arnethius, and considered the outside world lost. He ordered his dwarves to return underground, something that the people of East-Theria would never forgive. Sadly, Bolkion was right, and Arnethius led the western army straight through Athria, and took the capital for the first time. This nearly costed his life though, as an arrow just missed his heart during the siege. Afraid of losing his weapon, Arkun ascended his general, which made him even stronger. There was still work to be done; Giustis had fled to the other side of the continent, and was prepared to fight to the last man. Arnethius made quick work of the remaining army, but Giustis could not be found. During his 10 years in East-Theria, Arnethius is thought to be personally responsible for the death of more than 100.000 people.
Rebellion of Arnethius, 524 - 540 A.V., West-Theria
East-Theria and Giustis were defeated, Rekna's firigans were trapped on their island, Bolkion's dwarves had gone into hiding, and the allied settlers of Damatis had the nomads of Avast under control. The war was as good as won, and yet Arkun's mind was troubled. First there was the problem of Kartan , who found out about the war and threatened to summon Aethos to end their reign on Earth. Secondly there was Arnethius, who had gathered a huge following in west-Theria. Scared that Arnethius would overtrow him, Arkun tried to kill two birds with one stone by ordering Arnethius to destroy Kartan's observatory . Ideally, the outcome would be that Arnethius would be killed by Kartan, and Kartan would be unable to reach Aethos. To his surprise Arnethius killed his vesajan kinbrother Kartan in the progress, which made him even more scared of his general. He then ordered the assasination of Arnethius, which all failed. This turned the general against his god-lord, who started a rebellion against him that would shake western Theria to it's foundations. 16 years and hundred thousands of deaths later, Arkun would stand victorious. More information here: The rebellion of Arnethius .
The war of sand, 528 - 542 A.V., Suthria
The treaths of Kartan had made Arkun paranoid, and he looked for ways to defeat aethos the celestial if he ever was to return. He found out about the Magus , merely a myth, but he believed it was the solution. Aside from Kartan, Avast was the only one that knew the desert and could retrieve this artifact. He made a deal with Avast, promising to open up the crown to them if he delivered it. When Damatis found out about this deal a few years later, he withdrew his army from the sea of man, and set his mind on conquering Suthria as a whole. Avast had disappeared, and the nomadic horde was once again divided into countless smaller tribes. Divided they stood no chance against the advance of the settlers, who drove them further and further east and into the desert. The Impadi road was made as a solid connection and supply line between the settler army and their home in the crown. Among the nomads, Avast earned the name "the absent god".
Fase five: The downfall of the west
The vengeance of the Prima Rekna, 541 A.V., West-Theria
Since the scarring of Firigon, Rekna had taken a passive stance in the war, only fending off invaders and occasional naval conflict with Damatis's settlers in the sea of man. Rekna had been preparing, waiting for the perfect time to strike. To achieve this, he had created and trained a new elite army, called the Prima Rekna. These men had volunteered to join this army, as Rekna would never force his men to die on foreign land. West-Theria was weak and divided after the rebellion, and Rekna found the time right for revenge. So effective his elite army was, that they reached the capital of Arkalon in a matter of weeks. Rekna then confronted Arkun face to face, and demanded retribution for the damage done to his beloved land. As Arkun had not much left to offer, Rekna demanded the legendary armor of Arnethius to be sent to Firigon. At first Arkun refused, as this armor was now a symbol of his divinity, but at the end he had no choice.
The eastland uprising, 542 - 545 A.V., East-Theria
During the rebellion, Arkun had recalled the majority of his army out of east-Theria, leaving only small divisions behind in the bigger settlements to keep the order. As the east was left broken after the conquest of Arnethius, nobody dared to rise against the western occupier. This changed when tales of the Prima Rekna were spread all around the world, tales of how a firigan force took down the west in a matter of weeks, forcing a personal apology of a litteral god. This gave the eastlanders the courage to rise up, and attack all settlements under western control. Giustis also reappeared and brought the eastlanders together once more to take back Athria. 3 years later, almost the whole eastern continent was liberated, leaving only Babredon in western hands.
The siege on Kos, 542 - 551 A.V., Suthria
Tales of the Prima Rekna also reached the south, and sent a chill down the spine of Damatis's settlers. After all, they had also invaded Firigon during the conquest. Scared of possible retaliation, they withdrew their forces from all over Suthria, giving much needed relief for the nomads. As an apology, they sent 50 ships full of gold to Firigon, in the hope that they would forgive them. As a response, Rekna and his Prima Rekna entered the Kosi bay, and sank the 50 ships in front of the city. It is unclear whether the gold was still in the ships or not. Rekna stated that "no amount of gold on the planet is worth one Firigan rock" and that he would destroy one of the 3 big cities as retribution for the damage they did to Firigon. An alliance of nomads and the Prima Rekna sieged the city of Kos for the next 9 years, unable to take it, but dealing significant damage. In the year 551, the news that Aethos had returned reached Rekna. He feared the end was near, and took the fastest ship in the hopes of seeing Firigon one more time. Sadly he never did.
The war of the broken, 545 - 551 A.V., East and West-Theria
Arkun was never the same after the humiliation done by the Prima Rekna, and became desperate in his new attempts on invading East-Theria. The soldiers over both east- and west were now barely trained and ill prepared, and while they remained loyal to their god-lords, the moral was low. Arkun's western forces never came further than the Athrian border during these final years. As a result of the lack of organisation, the east was now able to land on western grounds without conquering Babredon first, and take the fight to them. When Aethos came to earth in 551 A.V., Giustis tried to plead with Aethos, but to no avail. All the Vesaja were banned from Earth, marking the end of the God-wars. Babredon however, was still in western hands. On a cold winter night, they opened the gates for the eastern soldiers outside, and ate and drank together. The next day, they shook hands and the western soldiers departed back to their home in West-Theria. Babredon, where it all started, was now back in the hands of the eastlanders after 189 years of war.
Start Date
362
Ending Date
551
Q & A
Where was Ykryn?
Ykryn was in West-Theria during the whole war, and alligned himself with Arkun. Many weapons and creatures used by the west during the war where disigned by him, earning him the nickname "the demon" and "the deathspawner" among eastern and firigan soldiers. During the war he created 2 extremely powerful creatures in the vampyres and the lycans . Luckily for the world, one had no interest in fighting, and the other came too late, and was never deployed. Ykryn was also key in the defeat of Arnethius, as his specially designed drakehounds were able to weaken this extremely strong foe. If the war had dragged on longer, there is no question that Ykryn would have played a bigger role.
Where was Haliseen?
Haliseen was the apprentice of Aethos, and not part of the original 8 Vesaja sent to Earth. Haliseen was sent there after the war, in the hopes that she could undo some of the damage that her kin had done.
Why didn't the Vesaja fight themselves?
The Vesaja were never afraid of losing their own lives during the war. For them, this was just a fight among family. They thought that only a Vesaja could kill a Vesaja, and therefore their lives were never at risk if none of them fought. This point is proven when Arnethius killed Kartan, and Arkun fighting his general himself as now his life WAS at risk. The Vesaja knew their power, and knew that if they fought, they could die and the planet would be destroyed in the progress. Therefore an unspoken rule of not using their magic was logical.
Why didn't Arnethius conquer Bolkion and the stronghold of Orth?
When Bolkion withdrew his dwarves during Arnethius's conquest of the east, he stated the following: "When Arnethius comes to burn our home, I, and I alone, will be the one to face him". Arnethius was very capable of conquering Orth, but Arkun never gave the order. This might be because he was scared to lose his weapon, or he did not want to risk his kinbrother's life, proving the previous point that the Vesaja had no intention of killing eachother.
Why did Arkun invade the east?
Also open for debate. Some say the Vesaja were not immune to the addictive affect of power, and wanted more. Some say that Arkun believed that the true test of Aethos was to see who of them was the best leader, and that he had to conquer his vesajan kin to prove his superiority. And then there are those who say Arkun was just bored, or that this war was caused by a grudge dating back to their time on planet Vesa.
Where did Avast go?
During his quest of finding the magus to save his people, it is said that Avast witnessed a giant elder dragon crossing the Sear . This made him do research on the topic of giant beasts, which made him believe that they would come once again and destroy them all. The God-wars suddenly seemed pointless, so he disappeared somewere in north-east Suthria and prepared for "the only war that mattered". Many say Avast had grown insane.
What happened to the followers of Arnethius?
They were prosecuted, and sentenced to death. Those who escaped ran, and banded together to form the state of Liox . They still believe Arnethius is the one and only god of man, and that the Vesaja were false gods who used mankind for their own good.
After the war
Despite the atrocities of the war, Vesajism remained the most practiced religion on earth. Almost all of mankind aligned with one or more particular god-lords during the war, but that didn't mean they renounced all the others. Who was considered a good god, and who a bad one, was subjective and mostly determined by who your ancestors aligned with during the war. But at the end they remained gods, and would be worshipped for the things they were most known for.
Example: For most people in eastern-Theria, Giustis was seen as the god of men, and Arkun was the power hungry god from the east that tried to conquer them. Dispite this, Arkun is still the god of magic, ambition and the elements. This means he is still portrayed and worshipped at various places and occasions by the people of east-Theria.
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