Without question, the Caelestise-Sura War was the most consequential conflict in the history of our world, going back as far as the Awakening. Indeed, in most applicable ways, the war and its ripple effects have forged the societies of each Realm - the world as we know it would not be as it is had it not occurred, and the world from before the war no longer exists in any meaningful way outside the memories of the few who have survived to this day.

— Preface to The Cage of War: Recounting the Events and Influence of the Caelestise-Sura War

Overview

Early in the life of Empirica Sin, when the world as it is known today was new, there was an age of relative peace. The Realms had not yet truly begun to acknowledge one another. Instead, each went about pursuing their own interests, working out their own cultures, forming their alliances and empires. In this time, each of the Realms found the other strange and confusing... and like many living beings they sought to avoid those things they did not understand. This could be considered a Golden Age... in a way - a time without extreme strife or conflict. It was also a veiled time, when no one knew much of the world beyond their own surroundings and their own people.

Of course, the Age of Veils could not go on in perpetuity. In the end, an avoidable diplomatic catastrophe would bring a swift, violent and irrevocable end to this time of peace.

Lead-in to the War

In Year 358, after centuries of isolationism, the Age of Veils came to a close with the arrival of messengers in both Gaean and Astrum. The messengers hailed from Incaendium, and had come to announce an upcoming diplomatic mission sent by the Sura - the people later known (and henceforth referred to for simplicity) as Demons.

Ralora Fauni, an early example of what would become the Arrazos line of Cubae. She was instrumental in the early development of Incaendium's civilization. Before her death, she sought to expand her people's knowledge and influence beyond the borders of the Third Realm.

The proposal suggested that Incaendium would send one of the newly risen leaders of the still developing society there to each Realm in the hopes of establishing a bridge of communication, trade and information-sharing across Empirica Sin. The offer was accepted, and so the Cubae stateswoman, Ralora Fauni began a multi-month trip along with her escort of supporters, servants and guards.

Ralora first made her way to Gaean, where she met with the early tribal leaders of the (sole, at the time) mortal race, the humans. The mission there was an apparent success, and trade routes were plotted and established between the two Realms.

Once business was concluded there, Ralora then made her way to Astrum.

That is where the trouble began.

Ralora's Arrival

Upon her arrival in Astrum, Ralora was ushered to the informal grouping of Dei who formed the leadership of (a then more united) Astrum. The difference in the culture of the Demons a and the Caelestise (later, and henceforth, called Celestials) immediately made itself known in both small and large ways.

The most difficult to navigate friction, however, arose between Ralora and the Dei of Order, Ibrai as, being who he was, Ibrai was unable to tolerate her chaotic nature.

Ibrai, Dei of Order. One of the First Generation and among the most powerful of the early Celestials. Physically, he resembled a metal statue, and his personality was just as inflexible as that implies.

The Gathering & The Spark

It is not wholly understood what caused the escalation that followed. It is known that Ibrai encountered Ralora interacting a number of Fey on various occasions, and that he considered them far too responsive to her anecdotes and philosophies. It is said, also, that during her short weeks in Astrum, Ralora befriended a number of young Aurali and Dei... though if that is true, it is unknown what specifically may have passed between them that would so deeply offend Ibrai.

It is known, however, that a personal altercation occurred between them during the fourth week of her stay - an altercation that left her bruised and Ibrai with a gash across his throat carved out by her claws.

In the wake of this confrontation, Ibrai met with the rest of the unnamed leadership circle and demanded that Ralora be expelled from Astrum. Though it was acknowledged that many Dei found Ralora's wildness unsettling, Nindinva nonetheless determined that there was more benefit to establishing an alliance with Incaendium than to expelling her.

Ralora remained... but the troubles had just begun.

There is no official record of the next chain of events - or perhaps the records were destroyed - but history cannot truly be erased... particularly not among immortals.

It is said that, in the next meeting between Ralora and the Dei, Ibrai lost his temper with her and used his considerable power advantage to force a behavioral change in her - dampening her spirit and making her "docile." This violation would not be forgiven. At the end of the meeting, when he finally released her from his control, Ralora gave him another gash - this time across his face - before leaving the meeting room in a rage.

The next day, Ralora was found dead. Ibrai neither pretended to innocence nor tried to justify, or even explain, his actions, saying only that the necessity of his actions were self-evident.

He also didn't apologize.

The rage. I can't begin to express it. That we were there to protect her... and that we so spectacularly failed.

I know that you say it is not our fault. Perhaps that is, in a manner of speaking, true - neither a one of us nor all of us could have protected her from Ibrai, in the end - nor could we have managed to claim his blood in her name. Even so, when I think of that man's face, the urge to destroy crawls out of my stomach and claws its way out of my throat. I want to scream.

I swear, Kybella, there will be a reckoning.

— Except from a letter sent by Laelea Kanete to her childhood friend (and Ralora's sister) Kybella Fauni
[ h3]Chaos & Rage

Though Ralora's entourage knew better than to pick a fight with the Dei - and on their home ground no less - they would not forgive, and they would never forget. The entourage returned Ralora's body to her home... but not without promising some unspecified retaliation.

Within weeks of their departure, Astrum received an official request out of Incaendium demanding that Ibrai be sent to face justice.

Ibrai's Fall

As one of the most powerful of the Dei, Ibrai was not intimidated.

He boldly walked into Incaendium, and the still forming epicenter of the land, Vin. Of course, no one can know what he was thinking as he stepped into the circle of judges. Those who knew him said he expected to have demands made of him - apologies and restitution - things he would have reluctantly given in exchange for a cessation of possible hostilities.

Having met very few of Incaendium's residents at the time, he could not have understood what was to come. The Celestials had not, at the time, come to understand the full nature of Void Energy. As far as he knew, the only beings in the world capable of harming him were his fellow Dei.

It was a miscalculation. As soon as he stepped into that circle, as the noontime light hit his face, the judges raised their hands in unison... and tore his body to shreds with their Magic.

The Catalyst

Ibrai's corpse was returned to Astrum in pieces.

At least most of it was.

The War

Astrum's response was immediate. Struck by the cruelty of Incaendium's justice - and frightened of the sudden realization that there was a power rising in Incaendium that could rival - or even surpass - their own, Astrum launched their first attack. It began small - an attempt at establishing deterrence. However, this profound misunderstanding of Demonic society resulted in an escalation as Incaendium rose to the challenge and deployed their own warriors.

So began the first war in Empirican history.

Laelea Kanete

Originally a member of Ralora's entourage, she was sufficiently distressed by the murder of her leader to devote herself to increasing her power in order to better protect herself and her people. Ultimately, this would result in her forging an mentor-student relationship with a Dei named Barisille who would train her in the use of psionics. Laelea is believed to be the first Demon to have mastered the use of Od and the first of any species to master both. She subsequently became a leading force in structuring Demonic society, and ultimately became the first Imperator.

Legendary Hero

The Shape of the War

Due to the Geography of Empirica Sin, the war between Incaendium and Astrum affected their middle-neighbor far more than it did the two superpowers. Gaean served as the primary location of the conflict, which ultimately would reduce much of the land to ruin. It also caused the humans within to cluster into larger settlements as they sought to retreat from as much of the land as possible.

Of course, not all of the war played out across the ground - sea deities clashed with water djinn and maero, and the Boundless Sea and Lonely Sea alike played host for dozens of large scale conflicts, and in 390, a ship of war demons was felled by a sea creature under the thrall of Tal. Even the air above the land was not free of damage, as flying Celestials and Sura clashed overhead.

Though the Caelestise-Sura war raged on for three-and-a-half centuries, the virtually unlimited firepower, extraordinary durability and endless lifespan of both Celestials and Demons ensured that there were surprisingly few actual casualties among the sides - a few thousand each of Celestials and Demons were killed or injured beyond full recovery.

The same could not be said of the Mortals whose land played host to their hostilities. Hundreds of thousands of mortals were lost in those years... but the longterm presence of Celestials and Demons in Gaean had other side effects as well.

Changes to the World

As is to be expected, a conflict of such scale unleashed a great deal of power into the world -- and inspired changes in all three Realms.

The arrival of the Aedvectis

Though it cannot be known for certain, it is believed that the extraordinary level of Void Energy and Od tossed around for such a prolonged period of time is responsible for the tear in the World-Veil that periodically results in the arrival of an Aedvect of the Otherworld, either in whole or with their soul alone.

Samar Kalil

The first Aedvect and an educator from the Otherworld. She helped to develop methods for Mortals to access Magic and Psionics. She also adopted the child who would grow up to be Peydin Kalil. It is unknown what happened to her... but she was mortal and so can be assumed to have died of old age eventually, if nothing else.

Legendary Hero

The first of these outworlders, Samar Kalil, arrived in Gaean in 672. She would prove instrumental in many of the major changes in Empirica Sin as a whole as a result of the war.

Changes Within Gaean

Aside from the sometimes near-catastrophic effect on the landscape itself, the Caelestise-Sura war changed Gaean's people profoundly. Faced with their vulnerability, trapped between such extraordinary powers, some mortals determined that they needed to find a way to access the same powers being used by the Celestials and Demons. Though at first this may have seemed impossible, the constant presence of both Celestials and Demons within Gaean, living side by side with Gaeans, soon resulted in the births of the first Brightblood and Cambion children - mortals who nonetheless carried a spark of their immortal heritage.

Eventually, a Brightblood child proved instrumental in understanding the feeling and use of Void Energy, allowing Samar Kalil to begin developing a system that trained mortal minds and bodies to receive and manipulate that energy. Kalil's adopted son Peydin, an early Cambion who lost his parents in the war, would eventually become the first mortal archmage, and the face of an alliance that changed the world.

Deses

An Aurali Serat who became the first Sword of Paradise. Though he performed many great feats of heroism during the war, he is most remembered for having single-handedly defeated a large contingent of Demons, allowing the retreat and survival of many humans and Celestials, including many low-ranked fey.

 

Legendary Hero

Changes Within Astrum

Centuries of war resulted in an increased focus on order, law and discipline, which included the militarization of Aurali culture. Furthermore, the chaos of their previous leadership circle gave rise to the Seven, an alliance of the seven most powerful (and generally the oldest) of the Dei.

Prolonged contact with Magic - as well as the acceptance of defectors from Incaendium or Gaean - resulted in the increasing prominence of magic within Astrumi society. Soon, the understanding of how to access Void would become fairly common among Celestials.

Changes Within Incaendium

While the Demons had always enjoyed battle and the exercise of power, until the advent of the war, this had been largely a kind of sport - a way to flex their limbs and develop their abilities while enjoying themselves. The war put an end to this light-hearted approach to power and cemented the fixation on physical-power-as-social-power that persists to this day: a governance by might makes right.

Furthermore, much like their Celestial counterparts, the Demons began to develop methods to access Odic abilities. Though it would be quite a while before the use of Od became commonplace in Incaendium, there were some who took to it earlier and more completely than others... most notably Laelea Kanete.

Peydin Kalil

A naturally gifted Brightblood taken in by Samar when his parents were killed. Peydin would eventually become the first mortal mage to achieve a level of ability high enough to demand respect even from the immortals. He authored the Catalyst Notes and engineered the creation of the Golden Cage. To this day he the only publicly known architect of the cage.

Legendary Hero

The Greatest Changes...

At the time of its raging, it was wholly unclear whether it would be possible for the war to ever end - given that both sides consisted of immortal beings of immense power.

This was taken out of the hands of the combatants eventually, however, as the Creators of the Cage emerged from the shadows to spin the most difficult and far-reaching spell of all time: the creation of the Golden Cage.

This group, formed in the wake of the Catalyst Note and publicly led by Peydin Kalil, permanently separated the Realms... stranding some in the "wrong" Realm.

For many of the displaced, the immediate priority became returning home rather than continuing the fight, and so the next several months would be marked by bands of Celestials and Demons roving the Gaean landscape in search of an exit back to their home Realm.

Once the combatants had found their way back to their destinations, the direct portion of the war ended... but the Silent War began, and has not ended thousands of years later.

Legacy in Art and Culture

"The Fate of Ralora" - a triptych by Zoraz Sabal that portays the fall of Ralora through abstract silhouettes. The first depicts Ralora in youth and innocence, framed by the door to represent her upcoming journey. The second image shows Ralora in torment, her body distorted as she is attacked by an unknown force. The final image represents her death as she stands surrounded by blood stains, some of which form the shape of a scythe.

As is the case with most profoundly influential events, there are many treatments - historics, fictionalizations, etc - that portray the people and events of the Caelestise-Sura war.

The most comprehensive history of the Caelestise-Sura war, The Cage of War: Recounting the Events and Influence of the Caelestise-Sura War, is as yet incomplete. It is a (currently) 8 volume academic work written and heavily researched by Eiryen Nesaleen and her apprentices in Parnassius. They have been writing this work for several decades, and are still in the process of gathering historical documents and conducting interviews with the remaining First Generation Celestials who remember the war and its effects on Empirica Sin.

The story of a now anonymous (and potentially mythical) romance has also been immortalized as the Legend of the Lovers. Many plays, novels, poems and songs have written about the plight of the Heart and the Crown.

An extraordinary opera, Kanete's Blade, is based on the life of Laelea Kanete. It changes some events to make for greater drama, but is more accurate than not. It begins with her enlistment into what would become Ralora's entourage, and ends with her mysterious and unexplained disappearance.

Several classical statues of the personalities of the war exist. Most famously, a 24 foot tall statue of Peydin Kalil stands beside one of the gates in the Golden Cage, on the Gaean side.