The Demon War
The Demon War was a violent conflict waged primarily on Acaelica's former subcontinent of Acaesura during 1156CR. It took place in the months following the night of 6 Arc Radia when--unexpectedly and without provocation--a series of massive planar gates to The Abyss opened up on Acaesura.
Overview
A Brief But Violent Affair
The entirety of the war was fought over a period of mere months, lasting until the defeat of Ozcymath during The Scourge of Acaesura. This event--which also reduced the subcontinent to the ruined archipelago now simply called The Scourge--also wiped out the remaining demon horde.
The war's brevity did little to limit its brutality, however. An accurate death toll has never been fully assessed but conservative estimates place that number in the tens of millions.
First Moments
Though the Abyssal gates remained open for no more than a few moments, hundreds of thousands of demons managed to pass through onto the Prime Material Plane.
Led by a demon lord called Ozcymath they immediately proceeded to ransack and destroy everything they could find, giving no quarter and seeking no surrender from those they met on the way.
The Ravelwinds
It was not long before the ravelwinds began to blow across Acaesura. Despite an immediate and incalculable death toll, however, the surviving demons were undeterred. Though the army had just been more than decimated, the remaining groups had become splintered naturally into sizes insufficient to invoke the winds further. These groups continued to spread outward from one another, never slowing their rampage and wreaking havoc everywhere they went.
It is supposed by many that Ozcymath was aware of the dangers these winds would pose, and unsure of how to counter them, simply deemed the casualties acceptable. They may even have been considered a strategic asset, as they killed countless Acaesurans just as quickly and indiscriminately.
A Verse to The Void Song
Because the invasion came literally overnight and utterly without prelude, Acaesura was not prepared in the least to defend itself. Actually rescuing the subcontinent was never truly an option for those on Acaelica who had yet to meet the demons, but it was clear that they too would face the same onslaught if no defense could be mounted.
In a gambit suggested by Inibis Valmeia and begrudgingly supported by Palasar Tolthik and Taslyn Cordaer, a group of highly capable adventurers were delivered into the ruins of Nuross and there entered her fabled inverted tower. Disarming its traps and subduing its failsafes, they managed to achieve their dark goal of releasing The Void Song from its prison of centuries.
The group, comprised of Quafiz Janus Timbers, Pickles, Zherrius, Fan-Garm and Teoz Ironmane would become heroes of Acaelican legend for succeeding in their suicidal task, though this is perhaps only the case given the success of Inibis' extremely risky longshot. The Party actually assumed the roles of these heroes during their experience with Castian's ambitious Verse to the Void Song batch of Underdark.
After being freed, the Void Song did what it has always been known to do best. It began killing everything in its path and the horde were unprepared to face such a foe. Despite their still impressive numbers, a stark majority was swiftly dispatched by a creature that could not only kill with ease but also turn allies against one another.
Although Ozcymath and his most powerful generals were eventually able to bring creature down, much of their irreplaceable army had been wiped out by The Void Song and the internecine combat it had provoked. As Ozcymath was forced to muster his remaining strength and restrategize, his progress across Acaesura was drastically slowed. The Void Song's release would ultimately ensure that the demons never reached the shores of Acaelica. Corralled and disorganized, they would be obliterated weeks later in The Scourge of Acaesura.
The Scourge of Acaesura
The ravelwinds phenomenon that had killed so many demons in the first days of the invasion would ultimately mark their undoing as well.
During a cooperative ritual designed by Lady Mallory and carried out by the three now called the voltas, the winds were deliberately summoned and methodically dispersed across Acaesura until nothing there remained--demon or otherwise. This event would later be given a moniker by Linelian in his wildly popular book On The Scourge of Acaesura.
Though there is evidence that some few demons escaped the scourge and hide still on the Prime, they likely number not more than a dozen with no master to serve nor purpose to fulfill.
Historical Significance
The Ascension War
Even ignoring the loss of life and the destruction of an entire subcontinent, the war would still be considered one of the most critical moments in Acaelica's history.
For starters, the revelation that Ozcymath's purpose for invading was to locate a Divine Spark present somewhere on the Prime single-handedly effected the ongoing Ascension War being waged between the tribes of Palasar Tolthik, Inibis Valmeia and Taslyn Cordaer (the conclusion of which will doubtlessly reshape the world forevermore).
Lasting Animosity
It is an understatement to say that attitudes toward demons in Acaelica have remained viscerally intolerant a decade later. Those attempting to summon such creatures are invariably greeted with swift violence. Moreover, any demon veterans yet surviving in hiding can expect to face brutality on sight from any with the power to offer it.
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