Great Violet War

> "*Nakkal calls upon us to be merciful to our enemies, but we face no mortal foe. You need not bother yourself with remorse, for the enemy would sooner murder you, defile your wife and enslave your children than make any honourable peace. Grant them no quarter, for we shall receive none.*"
> ― King Ashura Meqalyet
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The **Great Violet War** was a prologned conflict within Qarohayn, in the far north of Kalzuranur, between mortal forces and a large-scale demonic invasion which passed through a Dreadstorm. Taking place from the 3rd to 1st centuries BC, it was not only the longest Dreadstorm in history, but the longest continuous war against a singular demonic incursion. The Great Violet War can be split into two distinct phases; the Fall of Qarohayn and the Violet Crusade.

## Fall of Qarohayn

The **Fall of Qarohayn** was the longest phase of the war, beginning with the catastrophic eruption of a Dreadstorm in western Qarohayn. The thunderous boom of reality sundering apart could be heard as far as Nesaria, and the shockwave obliterated the nearby town of Urkesh - though the true destruction came with the subsequent wave of mutation and swarms of demons that came pouring out of the gaping wound in space.

As the Dreadstorm persisted for decades on decades, the raw magical energy bleeding out from it also began to corrupt the very land itself, playing havoc with the weather, with gravity, and even with space itself. The sky was tinted violet and purple across all of Qarohayn, and the soil and sands were blackened by a barrage of unseen energy. Rivers changed course without warning, chunks of land detached themselves from the earth and began to coalesce in the sky as floating islands, and both plants and beasts took on unnatural forms and turned hostile to mortal life.

Only those in the most isolated areas and sturdiest strongholds were able to survive, but the situation remained desperate. Few births produced healthy children, with most either coming out stillborn or as mutants who had to be immediately put to death. Food became increasingly scarce as the areas that could be safely farmed continuously shrunk, leading to mass starvation and severe civil unrest. Communication and trade with the outside world became near-impossible, as attacks by demons and mutants were almost guaranteed if one ventured outside the relative safety of their home - and even then, staying put was far from peaceful, as many of the fortified cities inhabited by survivors fell to demonic assault.

By the time of the Violet Crusade, the population of Qarohayn had fallen to approximately 5-10% of its pre-invasion levels, through a combination of violence, famine and low birth rates. Most cities of Qarohayn lay in ruins, now inhabited by mutants and demons. In some areas, the demons appeared to have created new societies in place of the old extinct ones, styling themselves as the new rulers of the land - though in most cases, they were content simply to destroy the world of mortals.

## Violet Crusade

The **Violet Crusade**, also known as the Qarohayni Crusade and the Crusade of Ashura, was the effort of Ashura Meqalyet to drive out the demons and re-establish a mortal - and specifically Nakkalite - presence in Qarohayn. It was the shorter of the two phases, beginning in 42 BC when Ashura marched into Qarohayn and declared himself King. Though initially met with disdain by the other nobles of Kalzuranur, he soon came to be recognised as the legitimate ruler of Qarohayn for his herculean effort in reclaiming the land.

Ashura Meqalyet was a noble, but only one of minor status, ruling a small collection of lands that could not financially support the massive army Ashura required. Instead, Ashura offered to reward service with farmland in Qarohayn once the land had been reclaimed, and he sent thousands of letters to all corners of the Nakkalite world making this known. This offer was ignored by most, but it was especially attractive to the inhabitants of Makkad and Katranur, who desired to escape the harsh marginal lands they lived on and settle new homes in fertile country. Ashura also promoted himself as a protector of the Na'Quahesto, proclaiming Qarohayn to be a safe haven for their race where they would be treated as equals to Humans, in turn drawing great numbers of Na'Quahesto to his cause.

As a result, the Violet Crusade caused a permanent demographic shift in Qarohayn. The native Qarohaynis, who were almost extinct by this time, were overwhelmingly outnumbered by the followers of Ashura - who all settled in Qarohayn as permanent colonists, providing they survived the war. This initially caused some degree of uproar amongst the native Qarohaynis, but they were soon pacified as Ashura made sure to grant the natives the best, most fertile lands as well as positions of power and status within their home country.