Tarterian War

The Tarterian War was an extended conflict in the late Fourth Age between the forces of Esturk, The World's End, against the lands of the Kingdom of Keeleon, as well as against the Hobgoblin Khanate.
The war was one of the defining conflicts of the late Fourth Age. The conflict resulted in the destruction of the Kingdom of Keeleon and ended with the defeat of Esturk by the Zenethian Heroes.

Background

Tarteria

The cycle of battle between Esturk, The World's End, and Zenthai, The Dragon King, has continued since its inception at the end of the Second Age.
After the events of the Great War, Esturk was set to slumber deep beneath the lands of Tarteria by Zenthai, The Dragon King, and the Zenethian Champions.
As the Fourth Age progressed, Zenthai put forth a prophecy to his followers of destined children that would be able to take up the mantle the Zenethian Champions left behind. He paired with each of the Champions to birth the Zenethian Children. It would be their destiny to claim the Zenethian Items and bring battle to Esturk when next he arose.

The Awakening of Esturk

Psaro the Manslayer

At some point before the 4A 995 start of the Manslayer War, Psaro the Manslayer approached the sleeping Esturk to propose an alliance. Psaro wished to destroy the world. At this time, Esturk laughed Psaro away. Even still, Psaro worked to prevent the rise of the prophecized Zenethian Children so when Esturk next arose, he would rise unapposed.
Earlier than Zenthai's prophecy predicted, Esturk began to stir in the world. It is not known what caused this early rise, however scholars most often attribute it to the Power of Evolution Esturk still possessed or to Psaro's interference. Once he began to awake, Esturk started affecting the lands around him with corruption and deceipt.
At some point, doppelgangers under Esturk's command entered the lands of Santeem, Kingdom of Endor, and Branca, the Kingdom of the South and began to affect changes there. It is assumed the same happened in the old Kingdom of Keeleon, however no records of such activity have survived the war.
At some point, Steverossa, the Illithid, defected from Esturk's service and entered Psaro's.

Known Events

The Destruction of Keeleon

Attack on Aktempto

The first place to be affected by the rise of Esturk was Aktempto. The orcish mines had dug too deeply, and the miners unearthed darkness and demons. A breach was made to a demiplane between the world of Azimuth and the realm of Nadiria, the Plane of Darkness, known as Doravelzog.
The attack on Aktempto was short. Any in the mines were killed and the city above was quickly overrun. The town's inn and residencial buildings were sacked, burned, or destroyed. Any citizens found were killed. Esturk's corruption spread to the land and darkened the skies above Aktempto with perpetual cloud cover. The waters of the nearby ponds and mountain streams were corrupted into violet, poisoned waters. A visible miasma clouded the air. Demonic fiends infested the area around the mines, including glabrezu, hezrou, abishai, chasme, and dretch.
In Aktempto was a shrine and the gravestones of Porgorag, Wielder of the Zenethian Hook and Chain, and Morazar, Wielder of the Zenethian Swords. This shrine was corrupted and the bodies of many dead orcs were piled onto the graves, staining the stone a deep red. The shrine became covered in thorny vines, and the souls of both Porgorag and Morazar were somehow taken from Zenethia, the Plane of Light, and they were corrupted into Esturk's first two Dark Champions.
The mines of Aktempto were turned to industry and the fiends began turning the resources of the Aktempto mine towards war. The armies of Esturk began to gather and spread in the Western Valley and beyond.

The Battle of the Northern Orcish Plains

While Esturk himself continued to gather power and prepare for his full awakening, Esturk's armies came down the Orichalcum Peninsula in 4A 995 and the Western Valley was overun. The small city of Gimoruk was lost with little resistance.
By this time, news of a demonic army had reached the Kingdom of Keeleon from those who had fled from Aktempto and Gimoruk. The armies of Keeleon gathered at the crossing of the Rexun River with the objective of keeping the demons from crossing into the fertile Northern Orcish Plains.
The demons reached the river crossing and the the two armies clashed on the banks of the Rexun. Many demons were slain and orcs were felled, and their ichor and blood spilled into the river, turning the water an oily red. As a last attempt to stop them, the crossing itself was destroyed, but the demons in their numbers were only temporarily hindered. The demons pushed back the orc forces from the riverbank, and from there the battle was lost as the orcish lines broke. The battle turned to a melee and then to a rout, and the demons chased after the broken orcs and cut down any who were caught.
With the battle lost, the way was now open for the demons to access the many cities across the Northern Orcish Plains, including the capital. Orcs from the battle fled and as news of the loss and the approach of demons spread among the populace, many fled to either the south or the north. Many orcs chose to flee across the Leviathan Sea, reaching places like Santeem and Endor as refugees.
Portions of the demon army went northwards, reaching the coast and sacking many settlements, including Port Haville. The bulk of the demons continued eastward, heading for the capital, Keeleon Castle.

Destruction of Keeleon Castle

The demon forces approached Keeleon Castle and the remaining orc forces in the north withdrew inside. The gates were closed and the castle was prepared. The demon forces breached the settlement's walls and razed the buildings inside. The castle was besieged, but it was well defended and the demons could not break its gates.
The siege went on for a time. To break the city, the demons employed large catapults to fire missles filled with Demonoil from slain lesser demons. The missles tore great holes in the sides of the high castle walls, and corruption spread into the castle. Whether the gates were eventually destroyed or were opened from the inside is not known, but the demon forces breached the castle and it was taken. A demon commander named Balzack took the castle as his own and demons infested the keep and the city.
The royal family was killed expect for Princess Alena, who fled the castle southwards with a handful of retainers and escaped.
With the fall of the castle, the last holdings of the Keeleon forces in the north was lost. Those that fled southwards regrouped with the orc armies in the Southern Orcish Plains and prepared to defend the southern reaches of the kingdom. The demon forces sacked the settlements in the center of Keeleon and continued their march south.

The Battle of the Southern Orcish Plains

To the north of Kievs, the largest city in southern Keeleon, the last forces of the orcish army met the encroaching demons. So stretched were the orc forces that they pulled the garrison at the southern Astana Garrison to bolster their numbers. Records from survivors show the battle was a quick engagement. Many demons were slain, but the orc battle lines were broken. The orc army was scattered and would not recover for the rest of the war.
With the last army in Keeleon felled, the city of Kievs was taken and the Southern Orcish Plains were overrun. Orcish survivors fled east to the Serra Coast, and the bulk of the demons continued southwards towards the Orog Range and the rest of Tarteria.

The Battle of Hezrou Pass

After the Astana Garrison was abandoned by Keeleon, Grand Khan Drack of the southern Hobgoblin Khanate ordered his forces to occupy it, for the hobgoblins had heard of the demons causing much destruction in the north. The Orog Range has very few crossings and the Orog Pass was strategically important to the defense of the Khanate.
The demon forces reached the pass and the Red Blades of the Khanate engaged them in a fierce and bloody battle. The hobgoblins held a line of defense in the pass and allowed no demons to breach it, and many demons were killed. For the rest of the Tarterian War, these forces would continue to clash in the Orog Pass (now called Hezrou Pass).
Though the hobgoblins would be slowly pushed farther and farther southwards, the worg cavalry, including Kholvek Vundruk, traversed through the dangerous forest and mountain passes to the west to reach the Southern Orcish Plains. They engaged in a long series of hit and run battles with the rear lines of the demons, slaying many and distracting their focus. The hobgoblin lines were never broken and they held firm against the demons.
Because of this, the major army of the demons would remain occupied in the far south of Tarteria for the rest of the war, allowing the remaining orchish survivors, including Princess Alena, to escape the continent, as well as letting the Zenethian Heroes arrive and turn the course of the war.

The Zenethian Heroes

The Battle of Port Haville

In late 4A 995, the Zenethian Heroes sailed to Port Haville. The city had been sacked by demons and many of the buildings were destroyed. The Heroes attacked and sunk a ship of minotaurs from Psaro the Manslayer that was docked there. They then entered the city and found demons still remained there, including dretch, vrock, and bebilith. In battle with the bebilith, Trip was slain and revived. They rescued an orc shamaness named Agatha from a prison, who informed them of the events of the war and where the survivors may be found. She also told them of the Fire Spire Sands, where they would be able to continue their goal of gathering the Zenethian Items, divine equipment hidden away for them to defeat Esturk.

The Battle of Ruin's Temple

After meeting Princess Alena, the Heroes travelled westward to Ruin's Temple in the Fire Spire Sands.
In the desert, demons including dretch and babau roamed the sands and the Heroes engaged in a three-way fight with them and huge air elementals. During the fighting, Joseppe was slain, and the Heroes revived him in the battle. With the puzzle of Ruin's Temple completed, the Heroes claimed another of the Zenethian Items: the Zenethian Axe.
Despite Esturk’s proximity, the Heroes did not yet have all the tools they needed to face him. With the best hope of aiding those who remained in Keeleon being the completion of their quest, the party redoubled their efforts and left Tarteria for new waters.

Assault on Aktempto

In 4A 996 after they gathered the remaining Zenethian Items, the Zenethian Heroes returned to Tarteria. The approached the city of Aktempto and saw the corruption of the region around the region. Aoth Stormwind and Petra D'Silva scouted the settlement. They found desecrated memorials to Morazar and Porgorag and the entrance to the mines was infested with demons. Suddenly, Aoth shot an arrow and alerted the demons to them. The demons could outpace them and both could not flee. Aoth left Petra at the mines as a distraction so he could run back to the rest of the party, chased by a retriever construct.
The Heroes returned in full to save her, but Petra had deceived the glabrezu in charge of the mines, convincing them she had brought the Heroes as sacrifice. She had convinced the demons to bring them to Esturk directly and bypass the many demons that still infested the mines. The Heroes were led deep into the mines of Aktempto, and the area changed deeper and deeper in until they reached a place between the Material Plane and Nadiria, the Plane of Darkness.

The Battle Against Esturk

On 2 Avedar 4A 996, the Zenethian Heroes reached a precipice over endless darkness. The World’s End took flight in this space to meet them, and Zenthai forced his way into this space between worlds to face his rival. Esturk summoned three Dark Champions of his own: the stolen souls of Morazar, Porgorag, and Trip.
While the Heroes battled the Dark Champions, Esturk and Zenthai fought in the air above them. Joseppe fell immediately and was revived in the battle. During the melee, Esturk invaded their minds in turn and offered them dark rewards and the power to save their stolen friends and slay Psaro. They shook off these temptations and steeled their resolve. Eventually Morazar was felled, then Porgorag. Lastly, Rath defeated Trip and rescued her soul.
The battle above went poorly for Zenthai. Alone and still wounded, he had not the strength to hold back Esturk indefinitely. He could not defeat him, but he could make it so his children might. Latching onto Esturk, Zenthai pulled a shining rainbow crystal from The World’s End, and as the dark Dragon screeched, the power exploded, sending Zenthai crashing into the battlefield below. Esturk flew down and landed heavily on the mortally wounded Zenthai. And with a final attack, Esturk killed The Dragon King.
The body of Zenthai scattered into lights that spread through the cavern and coalesced upon each of the Heroes. Emerald light infused them all, as Zenthai touched each of those who stood witness to his fall. With his touch each were granted Zenthai's Blessing, and the strength of resolve to face this fight once more filled them.
Though Johanna, Ivan, and Brigitte fell in the fighting, the party kept struggling against Esturk. As they ground him down, he became more crazed and more desperate. In a swarm of spells and arrows and weapons, the Zenethian Heroes fought back against the darkness, and with a final blow, they sent Esturk, defeated, back into the darkness, back into slumber once more. They revived and recovered themselves, and as they left this place, they sealed the entrance behind them with an explosion.
With Esturk defeated, the demons across Tarteria were banished, and the Tarterian War came to an end.

Aftermath

The war left most of northern Tarteria destroyed and the Kingdom of Keeleon was ended. Though the damage in central and southern Tarteria was limited, it would still take generations to fully recover from.
Several places in Tarteria were severely corrupted as a result of the massive amounts of demonblood spilled there. The corruption in and around Keeleon Castle would continue to spread and infect the region of the Desecrated Hills, the Hezrou Pass would do the same for the Orog Range, and the mines of Aktempto would continue to corrupt the Orichalcum Peninsula.
As a result of the displacement of the orcish populace, orcs would become more common in other areas of Azimuth, such as eastern Iluvitar and in Endor, the First Mountain. A number of these orcs would return to these lands later to form the Queendom of Keeleon.
As a result of their blood claim to defending the Hezrou Pass, the Hobgoblin Khanate claimed fealty over the pass and the areas of the Southern Orcish Plains closest to it. Queen Alena would eventually negotiate a dual fealty over these regions in the wake of the war.

Legacy

• "The Story of the Zenethian Heroes" tells of the adventure across Azimuth the Heroes took at the end of the Fourth Age, including their activity in the Tarterian War.

• The holiday Heroes Banquet celebrates the Zenethian Heroes and their contributions to the Tarterian War, the Manslayer War and their continued effects on the world.

Conflict Type

War

Start Date

Late 4A 994 / Early 4A 995

Ending Date

2 Avedar 4A 996

Locations
Kingdom of Keeleon
Aktempto
Keeleon Castle
Hezrou Pass

Outcome

• The war ended with the deafeat of Esturk, The World's End, causing the dissolution of the demon armies present in Tarteria.

• Esturk, The World's End, killed Zenthai, The Dragon King.

• The Zenethian Heroes defeated the Dark Champions and set Esturk, The World's End, to slumber once more.

Major Battles
The Destruction of Keeleon

• Attack on Aktempto

• Battle of the Northern Orcish Plains

• Destruction of Keeleon Castle

• Battle of the Southern Orcish Plains

• Defense of Hezrou Pass

The Zenethian Heroes

• Battle of Port Haville

• Battle of Ruin's Temple

• Assault on Aktempto

• Battle Against Esturk

Major Combatants

Esturk's Forces

Esturk, The World's End
Dark Champions
Demon army

Tarterian Forces

Princess Alena
Zenethian Heroes
Zenthai, The Dragon King
Grand Khan Drack
Kholvek Vundruk
Keeleon army
Khanate army