Antheran-Anthrantus War

### Provocation

The Antherans learn about one of their diplomats being in a public Anthrantus execution event, led by Supreme Overlord Valainen himself, and declare war to the Anthrantus.

### Outcome

Supreme Overlord Valainen is captured by the Freedom Guild and brought to the Antherans to make peace. A truce is made, and Anthrantus withdraw their forces to the Core, while the Antherans are split into two factions over the fate of the traitor scientist Jandal.

### Major engagements

The Siege of Athelas, The Battle of Dead River, The Battle of Scareff

Combatants| **The Antheran Allies*** Antheran Empire
* Zyrestes Empire
* The Jadé Order
* Ducky Empire (part of the war)
* X-Sporids
* Shadows
* **Freedom Guild**
* **Sporids**
* **Fraganlos Empire**
* **Ducky Empire** (start of the war)
* **Ancient ones** (non-canon)

Commanders| **Antheran Empire*** General Aldrok
* Commander Ardyn
* Athos
* Captain Marik

**Zyrestes Empire*** High King Leucarys
* Jaeharys
* Commander Arnor

**Jadé Order*** Grandmaster Urgus
* Anthon

**Ducky Empire*** Geno Shinjuku
* Highlord Halliant
* Supreme Highlord Miaron
* War Commander Visiate
* Supreme War Commander Avialos

**X-Sporids*** Xenolate (guidance)

**Shadows*** The Staff of Shadows (controlling object)
* Commander Arach'Zir

**Freedom Guild*** Ogg'Vordan
* Arach'Tanoz
* Vaegon

**Sporids*** Sporix

**Fraganlos Empire*** Captain Fort'ee (captured and injured)

**The Antheran-Anthrantus War** was a major war between the Antheran and Anthrantus empires that originally started when the Anthrantus kidnapped members of different races and ransomed them for military and sometimes technological intelligence. An Antheran diplomat was captured and his people refused to give the Anthrantus the information they sought out, so the diplomat was executed. This execution quickly spread to the media, which prompted the Antheran empire to act against the Anthrantus.

## The Conflict

### **The First Years**

At first the Anthrantus overpowered the Antherans with their superior numbers and firepower, so the Antherans decided to start building a superweapon called the Mega-Ring to combat the enemy. The plans for the Mega-Ring nearly fell in the hands of the Anthrantus, until a space captain successfully managed to recover them while a bunch of mercenary captains fought for its ownership.

One of the first Antheran victories was with the destruction of an Anthrantus weapons facility by captain Anthrok and his commandoes. It wouldn't have succeeded without the help of a space captain though, but it still was a victory to the Antherans.

Meanwhile, in the Metaphysical Realm of the planet Matrix, the conflict between Antherans and Anthrantus got reflected in there as well, when an Antheran named Anthon entered it along with four other creatures when they received an invitation to a strange mountain. When Anthon faced his fears and the shadows, he unlocked his Persona, TX-8500, and eventually was knighted as a Jadé along with the four others at the Matrix of Shadows.

### **The Siege of Cra-éet**

While the Antherans tried to find a way to surely defeat the Anthrantus, the Anthrantus arrived on a ruined Antheran planet and reclaimed the Staff of Shadows, a lesser staff of power from the ancient times, on Operation Mirage with the help of a space captain. The Anthrantus study it and find out that it can summon people's shadows from the Metaphysical Realm at force, so they plan on using it as a weapon (and as a tool, as it would be later found out).

Later that year, Anthon the Jadé Shark returned to his hometown Athelas at the planet Cra-éet, and helped its residents with the Siege of Cra-éet and later researching personas and the Duckylions that attacked the planet. Eventually Anthon learns that his old teacher from the University of Neptunia, Professor Crunch, was kidnapped by the Ducky and taken to their home planet, so Anthon starts planning for his rescue with his fellow knights.

The Siege of Cra-éet was another victory to the Antherans, even though the battle was interrupted by Ducky forces and their Duckylions, who were after Anthon and his persona. The battle ended when the Ducky and the Duckylions were defeated, as the Anthrantus didn't want to lose any more forces to outside threats. Both of the sides managed to capture one Duckylion each, and carried them away to their bases. These would be the basis for Duckylion-based tech that both sides would use later on in the war.

### **Dead River**

A few weeks after the Siege of Cra-éet, the Fraganlos captain Fort'ee was captured by the Anthrantus in the city of Dead River, when he tried to form an alliance between the Anthrantus and Fraganlos empires. The captain who was with him was set free to spread word about his capture, so they eventually went to the Far Sectors Conglomerate to ask for forces to rescue Fort'ee.

Meanwhile, the Antherans find out in one of their colonies that the Anthrantus were weak to a parasitic variety of the Guillophiloides mushroom, so they take their findings to the Far Sectors Conglomerate to ask for access to the Fraganlos Warp Network, which the Anthrantus were using at that time. After some persuasion the judges of FSC decide that the Anthrantus were no longer allowed to use the warp network, and at the same time give the Antherans permission to use the warp network to spread their fungal weapon across Anthrantus colonies. This weakens the Anthrantus, which means that they couldn't easily attack the Antherans anymore, but the war wasn't over just yet.

The Antherans send a diplomat to Tryss along with a space captain, and they manage to impress the local Zyrestes nobles in order for the High King Leucarys to support sending aid to the Antherans. However, their plans are somewhat interrupted by the king's jealous brother Victarion and the Anthrantus he's working with, but the captain wins the Anthrantus in a duel. Thus, Leucarys agrees to join the conflict at the side of the Antherans, much to the chagrin of his brother.

The Zyrestes help the Antherans to take over Dead River, pollute it with the Guillophiloides spores and save the then-horribly-mutiliated captain Fort'ee from the clutches of the Anthrantus. With advanced Antheran medical science and knowledge, Fort'ee eventually recovered and resumed his duties as the captain of the Fraganlos empire.

### **The Rise of the X-Sporids**

The Supreme Overlord of the Anthrantus, Valainen, started to get disappointed about the progress that had been made during the war against the Antherans, so he summoned the Overlord responsible for managing the war, Mairon, and demoted him to Grand Highlord Miaron while taking control over the war to himself. Distraught by the demotion, Miaron was soon called by a mysterious figure clad in black robes, who talked about a weapon capable of destroying both the Grox and the Antherans if needed. This secret weapon was the Sporids, who lived in the planet Solum, located in the Ars system at the base of the Uranian wing according to the Liskus mapping system used by the Melorsia Alliance.

Miaron called his most elite forces, including his right-hand man Supreme War Commander Avialos, and travelled to Solum, taking the Staff of Shadows and the Staff-Holder they captured from the Grox with them. At the Site of Awakening the Anthrantus used the Staff-Holder to fool the ritual stone to think that the Staff of Shadows was one of the Lifely Hallows, and it was used by a righteous user. This opened the Vault of Sporix, which allowed the Anthrantus to enter it and hopefully negotiate with the Sporids and their lord, the mythical Sporix.

After fighting their way through the Vault, the Anthrantus eventually made it to Sporix, who refused to help then first due to not caring for the Anthrantus' plight, and then due to learning that it was Xenolate who told them of Sporix in the first place, wanting to provoke Sporix about his return and unsealment.

Sporix banishes the Anthrantus from the Vault and sics his Sporids against them, wanting to wipe out the Recusant's lackeys from his sacred planet. There were even some Sporifidied Anthrantus in them, having been transferred from Queen Zazex's hivemind to Sporix's. Miaron's troops defeat them though, and they capture some of the Sporids with them. Xenolate eventually aids the Anthrantus in creating the X-Sporids, Sporids free from Sporix's control. With their aid, the Anthrantus even out the Antherans in the conflict.

### **The Later Years**

Later on the Jadé Order rescues professor Crunch from Ankkis after having dealt with Ikuzo Recipeh, Stellar Grub's head cook on Liskian delicacies, and help the Minoris Ducky with banishing Idolus from the planet. HERM, the organisation responsible for deploying Duckylions, enlists their aid for the Antherans in return for knowledge about personas and the Metaphysical Realm, and help them develop the Antholions, Duckylions with the power of personas.

Thirteen years pass as the Anthrantus and the X-Sporids fight the Antherans and the Zyrestes for each other's annihilation. The Anthrantus develop their own Duckylion-based mech with Duckies kidnapped from HERM, called the Anthralion, which is piloted by both X-Sporids and shadows ripped from the Metaphysical Realm with the Staff of Shadows.

#### **The Battle of Scareff**

While Supreme Overlord Valainen oversaw the war against the Grox and got captured by the Freedom Guild in the Battle of Shodam, the now-promoted Supreme Highlord Miaron prepared for a final battle with the Antherans at the planet Scareff, where he planned to use the Staff of Shadows to strengthen the Anthralions and the shadow troops he deploys with it. Meanwhile the Antherans summoned a space captain to their aid while they discussed their next move with the Zyrestes and HERM.

After they learn what Miaron was planning to do with the Staff of Shadows and the Staff-Holder, the Antheran Allies decided to send the captain to a daring mission to destroy the Staff-Holder and bring the Anthrantus to their knees. The plan is successful, but then it was revealed that the Anthrantus had regained access to the warp network and had become immune to the fungal weapon. The planet Scareff was lost to the Anthrantus, while the Antherans' allies decided to leave the war, leaving the Antherans alone in the fight.

### **A Deal with the Devil**

The Antherans sent one of their diplomats to the Malifect Empire at their most desperate time, but they only got cryptic remarks on how the Antherans should make peace and join the Anthrantus in their struggle against the Grox. Meanwhile, the Freedom Guild brought Supreme Overlord Valainen to an Antheran planet as a bargaining chip to end the conflict between the Antherans and Anthrantus. This stopped the Anthrantus from attacking that planet, as they didn't want to hurt their leaders.

Negotiations between Antherans and Anthrantus start to form, but rumours start to grow on the planet about a traitor, held prisoner in there due to revealing to the Anthrantus how to nullify the fungal weapon. Certain Antherans wanted to execute the traitor on spot, while others wanted to put him to a fair trial for his actions. Chaos spread, but the negotiations had to go on. The captain had to fight through their way against rioting Antheran rebels to bring Valainen to the Anthrantus, and with him safe back with them, the fighting ceased and the Antheran-Anthrantus war ended.

## Sides of the War

### The Antheran Allies

#### The Antheran Empire

The underdogs of the conflict. The Antherans began the war against the Anthrantus when one of their diplomats was executed publicly by the Anthrantus. They were the first ones in the war, and the last ones to end it.

#### The Zyrestes Kingdom

The Zyrestes joined in the conflict when an Antheran diplomat and a captain managed to persuade Valryn Leucarys to join the conflict in the Antheran side. The Zyrestes helped to save captain Fort'ee in the battle of Dead River and fought in many battles until the losses started to be too great, and left the fighting after the Battle of Scareff.

#### The Jadé Order

The Jadé Order was formed at the beginning of the Antheran-Anthrantus war and were responsible for the successful defence of Athelas, saving professor Crunch and bringing the Minoris Ducky and HERM to the Antheran side. They reduced their role later on in the war due other, more pressing matters, such as stopping Mark Question or protecting the fledgling republic of Oculus from outside threats.

#### The Freedom Guild

The Freedom Guild joined the war at its end, when they brought the Supreme Overlord of the Anthrantus, Valainen, as a bargaining chip to the Antherans to end the conflict. They succeed, but the Antherans were fractured in the process, with a civil war looming in the horizon.

#### HERM

The Heuristical Enemy Regulation and Management, or HERM for short, joined the war at the Antheran side after the Jadé Knights gave them some intel on the Metaphysical Realm and helped them defend their city Ankio-3 from the Angels. Before that they first attacked both sides of the conflict at the Siege of Cra-éet to try and capture the Persona-user. They helped the Antherans in creating the Antholions, but left the conflict after the Battle of Scareff.

### The Anthrantus and their allies

#### The Anthrantus Empire

The Anthrantus are the main opponents of the conflict, with them having the advantage in form of superior firepower and numbers. At the middle of the conflict they struggled, and at the end they got the advantage again but got forced to accept truce after having their Supreme Overlord Valainen get captured by the Freedom Guild.

#### The X-Sporids

The Sporids with free will, the X-Sporids joined the conflict at the Anthrantus side after they were created from captured Sporids by Xenolate and the Anthrantus. After the war the X-Sporids continue the war against the Grox with the Anthrantus, but the Anthrantus don't know that the X-Sporids have plans of their own...

### Other sides

#### Sporix and the Sporids

Sporix was tried to be plead to join the Anthrantus side by Grand Highlord Miaron, but Xenolate's intervention meant that he refused to help them. He later sent some of his Sporids against the Anthrantus, but they lost and got turned into X-Sporids instead.

#### The Fraganlos Empire

The Fraganlos tried to make an alliance with the Anthrantus, but failed when their captain Fort'ee got captured by them. The Antherans sent Fort'ee home after he was healed from his ordeal in Dead River, and the Fraganlos otherwise stayed out of the conflict.

#### Idolus

Idolus tried to make the Minoris Ducky his servants after he succeeded with the Majoris, but was thwarted by the Jadé Order, HERM and their Duckylions. After the battle in Ankio-3, HERM joined the conflict at the Antheran side and helped to develop the Antholions.

#### The Ancient Ones

This section has been declared as ***non-canon*** by the creators of the CRASH Shared Continuity.However, it is still kept to give information on it and why it's considered non-canon.In the non-canon adventure Shrines of Old Gods, a robot named 001 claims that the Anthrantus were originally bipedal creatures with far more civility than today. The robot turned some of the Anthrantus into these "Ancient ones" and killed off the other fighting factions from their planet. This faction is not canon due to the problems they caused to the backstory the creator of the Anthrantus planned for them.

## Adventures in this event

### **1.** Execution Day

This adventure sparks the beginning of the war between the Antheran and Anthrantus empires because of how an Antheran diplomat is executed by the Anthrantus. This prompts the Antheran empire to take action in hopes that the Anthrantus will think twice about ever kidnapping their own kind.

### **2.** Hope Reborn

In this adventure the captain has to save the plans of the Mega-Ring from the Anthrantus so that they can't use it against the Antherans. Along the way they have to face bounty hunters who are also interested in the plans for the usage of them for their empires.

### **3.** Antheran Commando

The captain has to team up with Captain Anthrok and his Commandoes to destroy an Anthrantus weapons facility.

### **4.** Knights of the Source

In this adventure the war between the Antherans and Anthrantus is reflected by the Matrix of Shadows due to Anthon, an Antheran, being there. It does the same with four other creatures, who face the shadows of their hometowns/empires to obtain their Personas and become the Jadé Knights.

### **5.** Operation Mirage

The captain recovers the Staff of Shadows for the Anthrantus from a ruined Antheran planet, and fight a few shadows along the way.

### **6.** Anthon’s Resolve

Anthon the Jadé Shark returns to his hometown of Athelas and helps to defend the city during the Siege of Cra-éet. He also sees the Duckylions for the first time and learns that Professor Crunch has been kidnapped by the Ducky Empire.

*(The next five adventures take place within the same 48-72 hour timespan)*

### **7.** Dead River Part 1

The captain gets a mission to escort captain Fort'ee to the city of Dead River, where they get ambushed and captured by the Anthrantus.

### **8.** Fungal Warfare

The Antherans discover that the Anthrantus are weak to a certain type of parasitic mushroom, so they start to mass-produce it.

### **9.** Dead River Part 2

The captain comes to the Far Sectors Conglomerate in order to plea for their help to save Fort'ee. The Antherans also arrive there and introduce the fungal weapon to the FSC. The FSC decide to let the Antherans to use the warp network to spread the spores, while banning the Anthrantus from it.

### **10.** Zyrestes Negotiations

The captain and an Antheran senator come to Tryss in order to try and persuade High King Leucarys to help the Antherans in their distress. They manage to do so, but not before being challenged by Victarion and the Anthrantus he's working with.

### **11.** Dead River Part 3

The Antherans team up with the Zyrestes to try and save captain Fort'ee from the Anthrantus city of Dead River. After a long struggle, they manage to save the horribly mutiliated Fort'ee and destroy Dead River. This is also the first time the fungal weapon is seen in action.

### **12.** Sporids and Spiders

Grand Highlord Miaron and Supreme War Commander Avialos from the Anthrantus Empire try to persuade the Sporids of Solum and their master, Sporix, to join the war at the Anthrantus side. It all turns out to be a failure when it is revealed that Xenolate was just using them to get into the Vault to tease Sporix, but the Recusant then helps the Anthrantus in creating the X-Sporids.

### **13.** Antheran Supply Escort

The captain helps the Antherans in escorting a supply convoy to a besieged Antheran city.

### **14.** Neon Genesis Duckylion

The Jadé Order arrives on the planet Ankkis in order to save Professor Crunch, but they get tangled up in the conflict between the Majoris and Minoris clans, and their Angels and Duckylions. At the end it is revealed who was behind it all, but nevertheless the Jadé gain the Ducky's trust, and they decide to help the Antherans in their war by helping them construct the Antholions.

*-        (13 year time gap)*

### **15.** Anthrantus Warpath Part 3

Supreme Overlord Valainen is summoned to Queen Zazex's homeworld because she wants to give him new instructions. Queen Zazex instructs Valainen to pull his forces from most of the Antheran worlds and direct them to planet Shodam.

### **16.** Anthrantus Warpath Part 4

The Anthrantus invade the holy Squilumin planet of Shodam in order to try and reach the Aetherlife. They manage to do so and resurrect Supreme Overlords Gorthain and Zythainex, but Supreme Overlord Valainen gets captured by the Freedom Guild.

### **17.** Rebuild of Antholion

This adventure tells about the Battle of Scareff and how it went. The captain is called onto the Antheran side and helps them first to defeat the Anthralions, and then to destroy the Staff of Shadows and the Staff-Holder. At the end it is revealed that the Anthrantus regained access to the warp network, and with the help of the traitor scientist Jandal, became immune to the fungal weapon. The Antherans evacuate the planet, while HERM and the Zyrestes leave the Antherans alone in their war.

### **18.** A Plea With the Ancients

An Antheran diplomat is sent to a planet that an ancient race named the Malifect could be living on. This diplomat tries to plea with the Malifect to get them to aid the Antheran Empire with the war. Unfortunately the Antheran people didn't get the response they wanted. The Malifect gave the Antheran people vague predictions of the future that told them not to worry that their people wouldn't be destroyed and the war would soon end on good terms with both races.

### **19.** A Deal With The Devil

This adventure marks the end of the war where the Freedom Guild gives the now-captured Supreme Overlord Valainen to the Antheran people so that they can use him as a major bargaining chip to use to end the war and bring peace between the two races.

*(War ends in a stalemate)*