Rise of The Demons
Without the direct presence of the lawful gods, some humans began to drift closer to chaos. Every despicable act committed by a mortal left a stain on reality itself, creating a chaotic demon as if to punish the evildoer that first spawned it. The chaotic realms of demons became known as the Abyssal Expanse, nightmarish wastelands located far beneath the other planes. It wasn’t long before these worlds were discovered by the other inhabitants of the planes. Once the motive of the demons was revealed, efforts were taken across the planes to halt the advance of this despicable force.
The gods of good desired a way to stop the very creation of demons to begin with. By encouraging moral behaviour, the benevolent gods hoped that mortals would be swayed away from the temptation of evil. The malevolent gods had a different idea to halt the demonic advance, all mortals must adhere to the ideals of law, otherwise they will be punished for eternity. This disagreement on how to stop the demonic horde from replenishing was the final push that would ultimately divide the gods into the righteous Golden Pantheon and vile Traitor’s Doctrine. In the end, both sides would get their way in the grand scheme to halt the spread of chaos. Souls of mortals committed to law and good would be allowed to enter the Heavenly Domains upon death should they wish, whereas those of mortals tainted by chaos would be sent to the Infernal Dominions. Souls of those with no moral leaning would linger in their home realms as spirits, as all mortals had prior to this point.
Beginning of The Divine War
Swelling in numbers, the demons marched from their fetid worlds, heading directly towards the planes of gods, mortals, elementals and fae. What would ensue was the most bloody, horrific war that has ever been recorded. The mortals took the brunt of the demonic assault, suffering a catastrophic number of casualties. It is suggested in many texts that roughly half of all living mortals in the multiverse perished during the fighting with another quarter left seriously injured. Entire worlds were overrun and subsequently decimated by the demons, transforming into the Bleak Realms.
Welval was directly in the path of the marauding demons and was soon infested with demonic forces. Most demons entered the plane through a rift in Oblitus, tainting the very continent itself with vile chaos. The forces of the plane fought valiantly, though the demons were steadily gaining ground. Entire nations on the continent were destroyed, their great cities left to ruin. It was truly a hopeless time for all inhabitants of Welval.
The Fae Realms and Elemental Planes suffered a smaller-scale demonic attack, though the forces were quickly repelled by the inhabitants of said worlds. Mortal followers of the Fae Lords and Elemental Lords petitioned their deities for help repelling the demonic invaders. Though their prayers were partially answered, the fae and elementals were simply unable to spare sufficient support to significantly repel the invaders from the mortal realms which faced an attack of tremendous scale.
In a desperate attempt to stop the demonic rampage, the most moral souls in the Heavenly Domains were given the choice to transform into warrior angels and combat the demonic horde. The souls trapped in the Infernal Dominions were given no such choice, their free will forfeited as they were transformed into devils for a similar purpose. The armies of both angels and devils descended upon the marauding demons, turning the tide of battle in favour of law.
Druidic Raid
With the agents of law and chaos locked in bloody combat, the Nature Spirits sensed a great opportunity to reset Welval and the other Mortal Planes to a state free from the influence of both law and chaos. Beithíoch, impromptu leader of the spirits enlisted the help of humans sympathetic to his cause and taught them to use magical powers similar to that wielded by clerics. These human servants were called druids and lead armies of beasts into battle against the civilized world.
Armies of animals and men clashed against civilization, pillaging settlements and razing them to the ground. Despite their violent agenda, the armies spared any who laid down their arms. News of the druids spread, most saw them as despicable villains though a select few saw them as merely misguided or even as heroes.
It wasn’t long before the lawful gods took notice of the druids, sending a distraction to lure the armies into a snare. A massive spectral city appeared before the armies lead by Beithíoch himself, the gates left wide open. Most of the druids knew it to be a trap, though Beithíoch was so full of rage that he rushed the illusion without thinking. A massive net of divine magic appeared, trapping him along with many of his druids.
End of The Divine War
With the battle against chaos turned in the favour of law and Beithíoch caught in a magical snare, things were looking much more hopeful than they had been at the beginning of the war. As the last demons were purged from the mortal realms, the Fae Lords sent a message to every lawful and neutral deity. With the deities all in one place, the Fae Lords proposed an idea. The spectral tree Yggdrasil could be connected to every plane, growing its roots atop the abyssal expanse and creating a barrier to prevent a second divine war.
The Fae Lords offered to do this at no cost, though the gods had to promise not to fight among themselves or else the magic could shatter. This deal was swiftly accepted, with the massive tree swelling in size before covering the abyss with its tangled roots. The demons had been halted, their armies unable to launch an attack against the other planes.
A new divine law was created to uphold the stability of Yggdrasil: Deities can only assume their true form within their own realms, as to discourage fighting. Deities are allowed to visit other planes, though they must manifest a weakened avatar to do so. Any deity caught in their true form outside their own realm would face harsh repercussions.
There was some debate as to what should happen to Beithíoch, now that the war was over. The gods of the Traitors Doctrine suggested execution, though the Golden Pantheon disagreed. A new plane was created by the gods, named Bestia. Beithíoch and his captured druids were banished to Bestia for their actions and though Beithíoch had full reign over the plane, he was forbidden to leave. The rest of the Nature Spirits were furious, with a select few leaving their worlds and travelling to Bestia to regroup. A barrier of thorns grew around the plane, allowing access only to those with the favour of the spirits. If the gods would not let Beithíoch leave, he would not let them enter.
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