Be-Rasuru dueled Corvek Aluntar on Forsakemenot, over who would wed the Child of Rain. Corvek slew Be-Rasuru with a hidden knifeblade, and Be-Rasusu’s brother called it murder and siezed Corvek and Corvek’s entourage and hung them on wires from the diplomatic yacht’s bow. And Corvek’s master Lerreb Thinks-And-Speaks sent word across the water to the Prefect, and the Last War began.

And the Child of Rain and all the peoples of the Wi’Ra’Fo died in fire as the Council of War sent Duke De-Kalel, recognized master of the spells of flame and thunder, to avenge this slight. The seas shook, and death flew in the wake of the white ships that traveled the Sea of Creation. The Empire of Perfection drew together its mightiest Undying rune-carvers and darkbonds, and working in concert they launched a great storm which blew north from the Isle of Word to the Diamond Isle and uprooted the trees and drowned the crops and the very stones of the Eternal City Ka-Rone shook and the children in the streets trembled and died, and in the wake of that death came tens thousand soldiers on hundreds ships, and the Most High opened the door to the Dark and the invaders were as nothing. And the Perfected Empire conquered the Vadd, and made it a client-state, and pressed its people into service and gave them axes and then the Most High opened the door to the Dark and the Vadd was as nothing. And the Prefect called for ice, and ice did the Prefect’s will, and covered the Diamond Isle and many froze or starved and the Council of War bent the ice and cast it into the heavens, from which it rained on the Isle of Word and tore from maps the city of Urrberreb.

And this was the first month of the Last War.

For twenty years, fire followed fire and death poured upon death without end, until the Celestial Firmament shook under the strain and a pillar of heaven broke and fell. And they died and they died until even the Most High lost the thirst for battle, and the Prefect fell on the sword and was replaced; and after twenty years of agony the armistice was signed.

Now the Empire and the Isle hold balanced the power of the world, and are as allies, though the Empire ended and spread anew. The Undying say they have no taste for war, but the Dark stirs in our hearts.