The Cleansing

"History is written by the victors."
Although this is not universally true, to a great extent historical accounts of past events most often paint the victors in a favourable light. After all, the victors of a conflict should now be in control, and be able to oversee what is being recorded about them. The years-long series of conflicts known as The Cleansing were called so by the victors of those conflicts - the joKara Wizard Princes.
The Cleansing took place when the megalomaniacal joKara mages rose up against their peaceful counterparts the Valeri mages, hunting them down and disposing of them in all manner of nasty ways. Contemporary mundanes referred to the events as the Mage Wars. And the Valeri simply called them the "Massacres".
If all associated events are included, The Cleansing actually took place over the course of 2000 years, when the joKara ceased to be complacent in their position in the global society and felt they were destined for world domination. Beginning roughly 82,000 years ago, the joKara “fought back” against what they decided was oppression by the Valeri mages. Working together (for virtually the only time in their history), they eventually managed to gain more magical power than the Valeri. Valeri magic would be the only obstacle to the joKara achieving their dream of manifest destiny. By eliminating the Valeri, the joKara would have no opposition from the general populace.
The final culmination of events was a showdown between the Valeri mages and the joKara at the Battle of Ardon, a small fishing village which would have rather declined the honour had it known. The joKara won this decisive victory, and the Valeri were routed. There were two exceptions to the joKaran victory – Taraanna Durn and the Grey Eight.
The Grey Eight were a group of elite Valeri mages who lived extraordinarily long lives, and managed to avoid being captured or killed during The Cleansing, with the exception of their leader, Garin Varel. The rest stayed in hiding, rarely meeting or communicating with each other. 
Taranna Durn was a major Valeri city where a large group of mages collected and together phased the city and its inhabitants out of reality and into a different dimension. Time moved slower there, and they thought they could outlast the Wizard Princes. However, the joKara mages discovered the plot, and though they could not get to Taranna Durn, they cast spells to isolate the city and everything in it from ever returning to reality. Taranna Durn and its inhabitants have been trapped for millennia.
The year was now 80,500 KY, and the reign of the Wizard Princes had begun.
Category:Events and Conflicts (Elara)