The War In Heaven

The "War In Heaven" is an event that took place in the Aether. It was a total war between the 36 clans of angels that lasted for 156 years, and resulted in the complete annihilation of all angels. After the war's conclusion, the Aether was permanently locked off and remains inaccessible to this day. This also meant that the reincarnation cycle for angels was permanently disrupted, meaning angels can no longer be reborn.

## Major Events

### Sparks of War

Tensions between the 36 angel clans had been growing for quite some time. Each faction vying for more power and wanting to conquer more Aether territory. All available land in the Aether had been claimed, leading to small skirmishes between the clans. This all came to a head when the elder of the Raphael clan was assasinated by an unknown assassin, leading to a complete breakdown of communications and alliances. The "War In Heaven" had begun.

### Early Days Of The War (Year 1-5)

At first, it was just an escalation of skirmishes between the already aggressive clans, but one by one, more clans were brought into the war until all 36 were fighting in one way or another. The stronger clans, like the Raphael clan and Azrael clan, fought directly in massive battles. These clans both numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Only one clan attempted to remain neutral at the time, the Ariel clan, which was the weakest of the clans. Eventually, however, they were dragged into battle by the Azrael clan, who attempted to take an outpost of theirs. Defying all expectations, the Ariel clan managed to fend them off.

### Battle Of The Oasis (Year 5-60)

The "Battle of The Oasis" lasted for 55 years. In a way, it was a war in and of itself, however, the angels considered it to be one long lasting battle, therefore it has been documented as such. The "Oasis" was a strategic chokepoint for a large amount of trade and travel amongst the clans of the Aether. Every clan fought for control of this chokepoint in gruesome bloody battles. It is said that by the time the battle was over, the once bright blue lake was stained gold with the blood of angels, and severed limbs were scattered all around. Ultimately, the Raphael clan managed to take control of the "Oasis", but they suffered heavy casualties in the process. Cassiel Ariel managed to kill a high ranking Azrael clan officer at this time.

### Raphael Clan's Last Stand (Year 60-86)

After the heavy losses accrued in the Battle Of The Oasis, the Raphael clan was backed into a corner by the Azrael clan. The Azrael clan had suffered less casualties than the Raphael clan, allowing them to take out their remaining population with relative ease. Once the Raphael clan had been eradicated, it left a power vacuum that another clan, the Gabriel clan, took advantage of. The Gabriel clan had jumped from 3rd strongest to the 2nd strongest clan, which was bad news for all the lesser clans, as the Gabriel clan was known to be particularly barbaric. Untold amounts of damage, casualties and collateral, were observed when the Gabriel clan and the Azrael clan clashed.

### The Pact (Year 86)

The Ariel clan was on their last legs, it was only natural with them being the weakest clan. Despite the many efforts of talented warriors such as Cassiel Ariel, who amassed a kill count of 600, they simply did not have the power to survive much longer. That is until the elder of the Ariel clan forged a pact with a Wither. The effect was immediate and each angel in the Ariel clan had gained the power of 10 angels. A sudden dread had spread amongst all the other angel clans, they sensed a dangerous and powerful aura the second the pact had been sealed. It was at this point, annihilation began.

### Annihilation (Year 86 - 156)

After the pact had been formed the Ariel clan began systematically eradicating all the other angel clans, starting with the Azrael clan and working their way down by level of strength. It is said that not one Ariel clan angel had died during this process, and all the other angels could do were run, but they couldn't run forever. By the 156th year of the war, only the Ariel clan remained standing, victorious in their mission. The "War In Heaven" was over. Cassiel Ariel, while unconfirmed, is believed to have killed 657,395 angels, on his own, which was approximately 15% of all angels.