The War For Kalaevaan

Military: War

What remained of Kalaevaan was crumbling, with each of their magical cities falling to the Undead and, as they did, bolstering the magical power of the Lich who led the writhing horde.   By 2475 ADD, only a fraction of the nation of Kalaevaan remained. The armies of the dying country decided to make their last stand at a stronghold named Kha-Turek.   As Kha-Turek came under siege, the armies of The Hand of Daelus and Dracllyn marched upon Nerekhana instead. The reasons for this are contested among historians, as well as whether it was the right decision.   Kha-Turek ultimately fell to the Undead, but in turn, Nerekhana fell to the living. The end of this war resulted in the destruction of the Lich, and marked the end of the Age of Conquest.

Kha-Turek was positioned within a mountain pass, effectively blocking access to the Valley of Spines beyond it. By this point, all of the arcane cities of Kalaevaan were lost, and so this defense was little more than a desperate plea for survival. Those at the Dracallyn or Daelus borders had long fled the country of Kalaevaan, which means that as the forces of the two neighboring nations entered the corrupted lands of Kalaevaan, they found nothing but desolation and the Undead. This resulted in a moment that is still debated between historians to this day for its befuddling nature:   As the forces of The Hand of Daelus and Dracallyn marched into Kalaevaan, neither army moved in the direction of Kha-Turek. Instead, both headed directly for Nerekhana. It is known that spells such as Sending can be used to communicate across long distances, and yet both of the armies who might've been able to provided relief to Kha-Turek chose not to. The explanations for this are numerous. Some believe this was the result of some form of magical dampening, preventing Kalaevaan from communicating. Some believe it was callous pragmatism, using Kha-Turek as a distraction and instead seeking to destroy the Lich at their seat of power. Others still believe it to be simple spite, as the relationships between these nations were tenuous at best. Regardless of the reason, Kalaevaan was left to hold off the bulk of the Undead horde as long as possible, on their own.   Dracallyn, approaching from the North-West, and The Hand of Daelus, approaching from the South-East, marched across the barren lands of Kalaevaan towards Nerekhana, With the majority of the Undead besieging Kha-Turek, the forces of the living managed to infiltrate the Necropolis of Nerekhana, and although the majority of the forces were destroyed, the individuals that are now believed to have been Champions of the Divine managed to finally put an end to the fearsome Lich that had rendered the former great nation of Kalaevaan a rotting wasteland of corruption.   Writers Note: This is one I'm definitely coming back to flesh out, it's just a reeeeeally difficult article to write up properly. I'll get to it, I assure you. I have to be very careful with this particular event cuz, well, I'd rather have the NPC in a player's head give their own account of events rather than it being an "omniscient narrator telling" of events. It's pretty relevant to the actual story we're telling and that makes this article a minefield of spoilers for me.