Mahkina War

## Combatants

Kanarzand
Bavel

## Strength

Mahkina
Summoners

## Casualties

Heavy
Death of most inhabitants.
Unknown, likely heavy.

The **Mahkina War** was an event that occurred one thousand years prior to the events of the campaign. It was a war waged between the city of Bavel and the city of Kanarzand. The war ended with the emergence of Penance, causing death and sorrow to rain down on Ozuma for the next millenium.

## Story

Prior to and at the time of the war, Kanarzand was under the rule of a polytheistic religious authority, who, for the most part, had control over magic. The people with predisposition to wield magic were at an advantage to those who could not. One day, a tribe of workers called the Al Bhedole invented appliances dubbed "mahkina," or machines, that achieved things that were previously only possible with magic, turning the tide and displeasing the authorities, who lost their leverage over the common folk. Instead of demonizing the Al Bhedole and their mahkina, the government elected to find a way to take advantage of them.

The Al Bhedole became increasingly audacious with their inventions, and the government became more and more tyrannical. Not only the Kanarzand government, but most city-states, had their own Al Bhedole workshops developing mahkina, giving rise to the mahkina cities. The Al Bhedole didn't have the option of refusing to build further mahkina, or else they would be executed.

The city leaders at the head of Kanarzand declared the head mage of Kanarzand, his daughter, and his followers as heretics for straying from the path of their gods. Soon thereafter Kanarzand attacked Bavel, sparking the war, but hadn't excommunicated the "heretics," counting on their charisma to win the war and wanting to use them until the very end. Kanarzand hoped that, this way, Bavel would give up on using mahkina weapons against them. The worst fear of Bavel wasn't the mahkina wielded by Kanarzand, but the summoners, and they sent assassins to the base where they gathered, aiming to exterminate them using bombs that resembled bandersnatches.

The leader of the Al Bhedole, Bedoh, had a mechanical footsoldier project he called "Fake Al Bhedole" that he wanted to substitute human infantry with. The development wasn't going as quickly as needed and Bedoh, in his cowardice, sought to fool his own allies and used real human Al Bhedole fighters covered in yellow suits and gas masks. They wielded long wire-like whips and were weak, lacking any battle prowess due to no prior training. The first "model" shown to Velm was scared and spilled blood when struck by a sword. During the battle with the assassins from Bavel, Velm realized no such thing as fake Al Bhedole existed, and that they were human units.

Kanarzand had the upper hand over Bavel. Knowing this, and fearing for the imminent execution of himself and his family, the lead mage of Kanarzand, Yevon, departed the metropolis in secret with his daughter, Tashasca, and her husband, Zayon. As the Bavel forces reached Mount Gazaget, they witnessed the ruins that had been Kanarzand, a multitude of fayth atop the mountain singing the "Hymn of the Fayth", and a monster they called Penance looming over the horizon. By the time word reached Bavel, a ceasefire was called and the war ended.

## Aftermath

Yevon, Tashasca, and Zayon were able to escape Kanarzand before Penance destroyed it. While Penance began to travel across the world destroying mahkina cities, Yevon studied magical books in the libraries of Bavel to discover a way to destroy the monster. In his old age, Yevon was unable to conjure up enough magical power to defeat it himself, but he taught Tashasca his ways shortly before he died. Tashasca and Zayon traveled back to the ruins of Kanarzand and used the final summoning to defeat Penance. However, the peace was not meant to last. Penance reemerged shortly after, restarting the spiral of death and destruction.

The Al Bhedole, who were now known as the Bedore, were blamed for the war and hunted down. For the next thousand years, the Bedore were to live in separate communities, detested by the followers of Yevon.

The effects of the war are still visible in modern Ozuma from the mahkina ruins in Be-Sia, the De'ehen Highroad, Bikumi Island, and the Rest Lands.