Shrine Wars

This article is about the wars. For other uses, please see Shrine (disambiguation).

The Shrine Wars is the name given to two separate events that occurred during the second century AF.

Early in 217 AF, the first documented Shrine War involved Ashtan making an ultimatum against the Holy Church of Achaea, demanding the removal of all shrines from the continent save for an area surrounding Shallam. Large golden monuments, shrines during this era were tied to abilities in Devotion and deemed weapons of mass destruction. Requiring blood to defile or sanctify, the butchers of both cities were kept busy as hostilities ran for two years. Despite gaining official support from Shallam and the Serpentlords, the Church entered into negotiations with Ashtan to cease the conflict. Eventually coming to an agreement, the Church accepted certain limitations on the placement of its shrines in favour of peace.

Later shrines would be divorced from Devotion and become aligned with the Divine and their Orders. It was after this development that the next Shrine War would occur. An informal war between the Sartai and several other Orders broke out approximately in the year 290 AF. Finding their shrines defiled, Caspian, Phaestus, Lupus, Aegis, and Ourania joined together to form the Divine Alliance and combat the threat.

In the year 300 AF, Aegis renewed the call to make war on the followers of Sartan, who rejected any conditions imposed to enact a cessation of hostilities. The eventual dissolution of the Infernals brought the Lord of Evil's attention back to the Prime Material Plane. Striking out at Ashtan for the slight, Sartan sent legions of demons and undead against the city. Eventually losing interest in His attempts to destroy the city, He approached Valnurana to broker peace on His behalf with the Alliance. Quickly betraying Her trust, Sartan attempted to rip control of Her realm from Her, brutalizing Her in the process and leaving Her battered at the Pillars of Heaven.

Outraged at the affront to Their sibling, the Divine Alliance struck back, ending the undeclared war by trapping Sartan under the newly formed island of Mhaldor.