The War of Falling Stars

## Background

The conflict between Edath and Luracia took place from 188 TC to 196 TC, fifty-six years before the present campaign.

Edath was always a war-driven nation; ever since Maglubiyet, God of goblinoids, became the god of war when he slew Gruumsh, the god of orcs. The nation of Edath was originally a tribe of hobgoblins who fought back against their orcish rivals. After Gruumsh was slain, the tribe of Edath quickly rose in power as the orcs, now without their god, found many of their mages powerless, and the Edath tribe quickly overwhelmed them.

The tribe of Edath was one of many hobgoblin tribes that soon formed the nation of Edath. Under Maglubiyet’s patronage, the nation was primarily a military dictatorship that accepted no allies and looked down harshly on all who weren’t goblinoids, and this was how their nation was for centuries.

That changed, however, during the Time of Troubles when Maglubiyet’s mortal avatar and his armies were defeated by Be’Torn, The only non-goblinoid general in Edath who rose up to challenge the mortal god. Be’Torn’s army defeated Maglubiyet’s and Be’Torn also defeated the god in single combat, proving himself the better warrior in mind as well as in body.

After his ascension to godhood, Be’Torn’s loyal warriors began to run Edath differently. They sought allies among non-goblinoids, they ceased needless aggression and focused their efforts more on recruitment and cunning than on conquest.

At first, this shift was a boon to their enemies who saw a marked decrease in aggression from Edath. But over several decades, a pattern began to emerge where Edath’s former enemies would fall to infighting or economic ruin that would cripple them, followed immediately by an attack from Edath. It seemed Edath had not ceased their expansionist mindset, they had simply become more cunning in its implementation.

The Second convergence was an event that weakened a significant portion of the world, and Edath had somehow either predicted its coming or was so ready for anything, their response was unconventionally fast. During the Second Convergence, the Slaad that invaded Edath were quickly cut down and the Edath armies launched a counterattack into Limbo, where they beat back the Slaad and even defeated and captured several Githzerai strongholds.

Later, as the second convergence was coming to an end, the portals to limbo were being closed in droves by the Aeons of Arcadia and Mechanus. The armies of Edath took the adamantine citadels they had stolen from the Githzerai and flew them back into the Prime Material plane to use as flying fortresses before allowing the Aeons to close the portals under their control.

Much of the entire world was damaged or recovering from the Second convergence, and Edath had obtained nine flying fortresses, giving them a new combat advantage few other powers in the world could match. In the years following the second convergence, Edath used its power to expand even further, changing it from a somewhat dangerous nation to a globally recognised threat.

Particularly, Edath’s budding alliance with the Fire Giants of Halzvager was of great concern to Luracia. The Fire Giants of Halzvager had been fiercely independent after having broken ties with the other giants of the world, ambitiously breaking ties with all other giants because they felt their status in the ordening was too low. The Fire giants were innovators who could create siege machines and powerful rune-powered weapons that could further enhance, not only Edath’s ground forces but their adamantine flying citadels equipped with fire giant weapons could make them a threat to Luracia itself.

Luracia joined forces with some of their terrestrial allies who were already at war with Edath and tried to find a way to prevent this alliance from taking place. Luracia was too late to stop the alliance between Halzvager and Edath. But as battles were fought, Edath, despite their number of flying fortresses being greater than Luracia’s, still found themselves outmatched in the sky. Quality beat quantity and Edath was proven to have the weaker air power. Though the rivalry was too close for Luracia’s comfort.

Spies from one of the ground nations (No name fleshed out yet) learned that the Fire Giants were planning on opening a rift to the elemental plane of fire to begin harvesting more powerful minerals and fire elemental spirits to use as components to make stronger siege weapons. They planned on opening this rift using a magical landmark that the (Unnamed ally of Luracia) had at the center of one of their cities. Opening the rift would destroy the city, and Luracia rushed to stop this from happening.

Unfortunately, Luracia was going to get there too late. Innelia, the primal magic citadel was closer though, as it had been hanging back to offer aid and protection to a closer city. Innelia rushed into the fray and as the elemental rift was opening, Innelia landed on the rift and used its immense primal magic to permanently close it. However, with most of its magical reserves used up closing the rift, Innelia was unable to defend itself as three adamantine citadels descended upon it. Rather than let their citadel be captured by Edath, the druids of Innelia made the decision to activate Innelia’s self-destruct protocol. They managed to limp the fortress to a safe distance from the city, even as one of the citadels had begun boarding them, trying to cease control of the fortress’ controls.

It was said that a second sun burst into view over the city as Innelia ignited its remaining primal magic in a radiant explosion half the size of the city they had just saved, taking one of the attacking citadels with them.

### <LURACIA STANDS CAMPAIGN TAKES PLACE HERE>

Not long after Innelia’s destruction, both Luracia and Edath realised this conflict had the potential to escalate beyond what was best for either of them.

Luracia was looking at an enemy capable of dealing damage to them in a way they had never sustained before. If something like what happened to Innelia happened to the main city itself, Luracia, as a world power, would be wiped out in a single blow.

Edath was no longer interested in fighting Luracia either. This war was gaining too much attention for them in a world that already mistrusted and despised them. A continued war with Luracia would likely cripple their remaining flying citadels - of which they had lost two already - and rob them of one of their main, irreplaceable, military assets. Even if they did somehow beat Luracia, that victory would bring more enemies down on them. Both nations knew a ceasefire was in their best interests.

A peace summit was held where the leaders of Luracia and several other nations met with the leaders of Edath and their allies. A ceasefire was negotiated and Edath signed non-agression pacts with everyone they were at war with as well as all of their neighbours, effectively locking them in a ring of nations they were prohibited from attacking or trespassing on without incurring the united wrath of every other nation around them, as well as the wrath of Luracia and several other significant powers across the continent who now had a vested interest in keeping Edath caged.

Almost sixty years have passed since that peace summit, and aside from some minor incidents here and there, Edath has not declared or waged war in all that time.