The Fall of the Adonian Empire

The Fall of the Adonian Empire is one of the most significant events to occur in the history of mankind's prescence on earth. This was the first major conflict involving human and gods.
Initial Events
Aiga warns Rai
Before the fall, Aiga approached Rai regarding Acantha. Aiga warned that Acantha is becoming increasingly reckless and is running out of control. Rai believes Acantha to be essential to the natural order and tolerates him. Aiga warns that Acantha will one day destroy the natural order and when he does, Aiga will pick apart Rai’s bones without mercy.
Acantha had repeatedly been in dispute with Rai and some of the other gods regarding man, arguing that they be allowed to know the truth of their origin. Acantha told Rai that the real test of mankind would be to show them the truth and see how they function knowing it. He accused Rai of coddling mankind, of being a tyrant who did not truly trust or love Acantha, while Acantha believed man should be allowed to reach its full potential (Though in truth, Acantha was also threatened by mankind and secretly hoped they would devour themselves and destroy what they had built thus far). Rai repeatedly rebuked Acantha, saying that mankind is too young and must be allowed to grow steadily before being made as they were.
I view the conflict between Rai and Acantha as similar as that between the devil and god in the book of Job. Rai, Tetsud, and Icith are optimistic of mankind, while Acantha is pessimistic. String is largely neutral. 
Acantha saw the initial morality was based purely on consequence. Certain behaviors produce certain consequences. Acantha saw that man could see light and dark and begin to develop intrinsic values of them both.
The first disciple of Acantha
Carefully hidden from Rai, Acantha began planning the fall of the empire and the rise of his disciples. He had been watching a young boy named Errak Adumid who he sought to assist in rising to full power and potential. Over time and with subtle assistance from Acantha, Errak was able to rise to the second highest position in the empire, as the head sorcerer. Errak was known to have an affinity for the serpent and with Acantha’s guidance began developing a system of serpent magic and sorcery. Adumid would become known as the First Serpent of the C’thon. Eventually, Acantha took Adumid into his hall, known as Abaddon and showed him the truth of the earth, by allowing him to touch one of the Elder Roots of the first trees of which Eddumuzid has.
This gave Errak incredible power, but in many ways broke him. He had become as a god and became increasingly erratic. He became known as Errak the Vile, Errak the Serpent King, Errak the Mad, and the Poisoned King. Arrak’s powerful eventually grew so immense that the empire itself became split in two, as the Emperor and his forces had fled to the city of Citar.
~Note errak’s obsession with serpents, serpent symbology, purposefully giving himself snake bites, experimenting with poisons under the guidance of Acantha ~Perhaps Acantha’s first attempt at creating his own “people” is through this, Errak demanding his followers take the snake bite which corrupts them and twists them. Those who refused fled to Citar for refuge. ~They perhaps experimented with adder stones and chaos magic(?)
The beginning of the breaking of man
Somehow, Errak was able to reveal the knowledge of light and dark to mankind through its collective unconscious, which for a time “broke” them. As it spread, mankind was unable to speak to the gods as they were previously. They became self-aware and conscious of their small place in the world along with their mortality. They had lost that connection to the Elder Way. Magic began to falter and the Empire became increasingly reliant on the powers of the Errak. The current emperor was the face of the empire, but behind the scenes Errak began to rule.
Outer vassal kingdoms of the empire grew weary. Tanach considered declaring independence along with those under their power. The Tanachian king still supported the emperor even when he fled to Citar with his remaining forces, but eventually the Tanachian bitterness of being used as a cudgeol of the empire and providing forces only to die grew too strong and they declared their independence from the empire. Aiga watched all of these events, stunned that Rai was unwilling to act. He knew the time for conquering was coming and influenced his most ambitious warlord to prepare to invade.
Tetsud demands Rai do something, but Rai believes this is part of the natural order, that they must simply watch. Tetsud protests, finding his loyalty to Rai wavering. Tetsud confides with his closest friend, Icith, who mourns the destruction to come and does not know what to do. Icith is not a god of martial prowess like Aiga, Tetsud, or Rai and hopes to possibly create shelters for mankind. Once he realizes the poison is from within, he is eventually convinced by Balean that mankind is without hope and they must abandon them. Balean watches from the sea, growing to believe that mankind is a lost cause and that they must flee. Eventually, she convinces Eubra and later, Icith. Tetsud pleas with them to stay, that together they would be able to save mankind. In his power, Icith did what he could to heal the damage. Before leaving, his last act was to remove Acantha’s poison from the water and give Tetsud his blessing. This blessing gave Tetsud enough strength to stand alone against the gods and possibly find Acantha.
Death of the Emperor Errak grew suspicious of those who still remained loyal to the emperor and his line. Acantha warned Errak of a plot to kill him. Errak killed the current emperor and declared himself as the man in power. The emperor’s son fled with his remaining forces to Citar.
Lucerian invasion Toward the end of the collapse of the Empire, a large host Lucerians made a full scale invasion led by Akuma. The Lucerians joined forces with the remant rebels of Adon stationed at the city of Citar. After the war, Akuma demanded the surrender of the leader of the rebellion and highest ranking official of Adon. He surrenders to the conquerors. In surrendering, the Lucerians exact a heavy toll of taxes in the future, but agree to assist them in destroying the remaining force in Adon. The forces eventually all converge at the city of Adon, with the rebelling forces in Citar joined by the Lucerian conquerors and a force led by Tetsud, who defends the Western riverlands from destruction and harm. Peregra leads a force of warriors that plan to liberate the city of Adon, while Aiga plans on allowing his people to completely destroy it. Acantha is forced to take the form of Adumid, fighting Tetsud directly. Rai still watches through clenched teeth. Tetsud is wounded but refuses to allow the destruction to spread further. Adumid posions the rivers and brings about an enormous torrent of destruction, killing thousands of citizens of Adon. Aiga intervenes directly to kill Acantha. Rai finally emerges in full force by himself. He swiftly strikes down Aiga. Aiga commands that Peregra lead his forces to slaughter the remaining Adonians of Citar, but he refuses. Perega abandons his forces. Rai grabs Acantha and strips him of his power. Rai removes what is Acantha’s “godhood”, storing it deep inside Abaddon. He banishes him to the southern swamp. Peregra vows to protect the Western lands from Acantha. Aiga’s forces allow Adon to rule under their power. Rai refuses to intervene any further in human affairs, exiling himself. Tetsud uses Icith’s blessing to heal the rivers and lakes, but the power is unable to restore Adon. Strig tells Tetsud that the pain and destruction of the city of Adon will remain until long after their age has gone. The conquerors then make their way to the city of Adon, destroying the remaining forces. The Lucerians are immune to the poisons and destructive powers of Acantha’s sorcerors. The lands become polluted and uninhabitable after a torrent of destruction is unleashed in Adumid’s last gasp. The Lucerians then head east to establish a kingdom in the lakelands, where they eventually expel and inslave large swathes of Guhrians, after Eubra abandons them.
Lasting Consequences of the Fall
The city of Citar, led by the hero Ermrick, surrenders to the Lucerian conquerors. The hero Ermrik takes power and becomes first king of Citar. Before the final wars, Tanach declares complete independence from the emperor. As the Lucerians pillage the Empire and exact Citar’s surrender, they are able to resist the Lucerians to some extent with their powerful weapons. The two form an alliance and become allies. In Aetheria, The first storm king emerges The Guhrian diaspora begins, with infighting and conflict beginning to show. They are eventually abandoned by their patron god of the Lakelands Eubra, who joins Balean and Icith in fleeing to an unoccupied continent to begin anew. Shortly after this, the previous Lucerian Horde begins to build their stronghold in this area, enslaving many Guhrians, killing them outright, and sending the survivors into exile. The Lucerians as a whole become divided as their gods begin to quarrel. Peregra becomes disillusioned and disgusted with war and fighting, abandoning Aiga and fleeing to the west into exile. Strig too rebukes Aiga and vows to protect the remaining Lucerians. Aiga promises Strig to not encroach on his domain. The Lucerian perspective of the Fall, including Aiga’s, was that excessive use of magic A force of pyromancers begin their pilgrimage to the cauldron, where they search for their fire god. They settle with a group of nomadic sand people and eventually form the Uzars. The city of Adon is completely abandoned, becoming known as the Grave, the Ruin, and the Cursed City. A large number of Lokoruk abandon the Bear God, no longer feeling the will to fight. They wander the mountains and join Beoth. They join the Drogic mountain men, becoming a new tribe. Not sure what happens to the Odonic. I think I would like them to be somewhat established as a series of city states run by secular merchants who perhaps sought a land without gods. After the fall of the empire, man lost its ethereal connection to the gods. They could no longer communicate with them the way they used to. Those who could were considered heretical. After the old empire ate itself from within and fell apart, the only the way animals could communicate for the most part was directly. The connection with the elder gods was also severed significantly, the ability to use magic became much more difficult and many once powerful magic users became crippled (Thus, a more savage time began where the sword ruled all).