Infernal Wars

**The Infernal Wars** (1 bsr - 26 asr) were a series of conflicts between the denizens of Gernon and the rogue Prince of Hell Phentis along with his forces.

### Initial Invasion

Phentis was a prince of Hell in service to Lucifer, who decided he wanted to expand his power. He discovered a thin spot in reality where a large rift could be opened to the material plane, and led his army into Skarlsboro. The initial attacks were devastating, and to stop the devils from expanding across all of Jorundum the dwarven king ordered the creation of the Skarlsboro Shield, a massive force barrier that locked the rift within the city. This resulted in the capital being abandoned to the devils, and a general diaspora of dwarves due to the lost homes.

### Scientarian Phase

Alek Tellumnar spent years working to conquer the dwarves of Jorundum, partially due to the expansionist goals of the Scientarian Empire, but also because the Skarlsboro Shield employed divine and arcane magic beyond that of almost anything else on Gernon. Once the army was in place, in 10 asr the shield was destroyed, and the battles between the armies of Phentis and the Empire began. A running war of attrition developed in the Antax Mountains that bled the empire white, and was a major reason why the western half of the empire fell after the return of Kalderus and the loss of Alek Tellumnar. Fighting continued with remnants of the empire's army and the forces of the newly formed Union of the West, until 25 asr when the final battles began. Phentis managed to blow through the lines of the defenders personally, and rampaged across the continent until he was finally slain.

### Conclusion

Initially sanctioned by Hell, the chaotic behavior of Phentis, particularly his employ of demons such as Belzonlock and Griselbrand, Lucifer had grown to issue an allocution of the entire project. Phentis knew that Lucifer would be coming for his head soon, and so risked everything on a suicidal charge to crush his mortal foes and attempt to found a permanent devil realm in the material plane. After Phentis was slain by the combined forces of the Union of the West and the Scientarian Empire, Lucifer made contact with the mortals and issued an apology and granted wishes to the leaders. The wishes granted by Lucifer included:

* Trigwocket: Creation of a gnome homeland guaranteed in independence by the forces of hell. If the independence of the state is threatened, devils are allowed to come to their aid.
* Kusetare: Resurrection of those killed during the final battle with Phentis.
* Adele: The gift of infinite knowledge.
* Brynhildyr: Guarantee that no devil from hell would be allowed onto the material plane for 100 years, save for those that might defend the new nation of Trigwocket.

### Lasting Effects

The Infernal Wars left a long lasting scar on the peoples of Gernon. Thousands of Fiend Spawn were born from the rampaging armies of Hell, increasing the population of these beings 10 fold in the areas the war touched. The dwarven diaspora continues with many dwarves settling outside of Jorundum, especially in Kurosekai and Nuhaven. The creation of the independent state of Trigwocket is an obvious effect, and many consider the wars a vital reason why the Scientarian Empire was willing to relinquish the western half of their empire.