Sundering

From ExodusWar

The Sundering was an interstellar war more destructive than any other in history. The exact details of the Sundering are lost to the ages. Most of it is mere myth and legend, and many accounts disagree with others. The most widely-published, and possibly most-accurate was an account allegedly written by Meronir Tronit. However, it is now known that he was purposefully breaking away from Pax Anthronoris to form the Meroniri Terinasi, and may have been trying to discredit his predecessors.

The Sundering supposedly began circa 18000BC, and ended circa 17936BC, when the last documented Ngrligru warband was destroyed near Sepulare.

[edit] Cause

The Sundering is believed to be the direct result of a prior war, the Sacrum Bellus, during which Pax Anthronoris tried to wipe out all non-human life in the Milky Way.

The Ngrligru government, the Kabila iku Gol'nde, was the only force which could withstand the power of the Anthronoris. The brave Ngrligru fought fang and claw to keep the Anthronoris from their goal, defending everyone: Mtomigru, Gorhamut, Sirunaki, and a hundred other races enjoyed the protection of the valiant Ngrligru.

In frustration, the Anthronoris developed a biological weapon, the "Njaa". Although it was meant to turn the Ngrligru on each other, it unlocked a ravenous hunger in its victims, transforming the Ngrligru from noble warriors into ravenous beasts. This "final solution" became the final doom of Pax Anthronoris.

The Ngrligru descended on Pax Anthronoris like a plague. Hundreds of colonies were annihilated in the initial strikes. The Sacrum Bellus had been wildly successful, giving the Anthronoris dominion over the Sagittarius Arm. Their holdings were quickly conquered and devoured by the insane Ngrligru. The Anthronoris were driven into the core, and back towards the Orion Arm. The Anthronoris lost thousands of warships in the struggle, but enough survived to defend several worlds long enough for the invading Ngrligru to break themselves on their own rage. Legend tells that the Teeth of Orion were actually formed by the Anthronoris in a massive battle with the Ngrligru.

[edit] Human Survivors

While Anthronoris civilization was destroyed, the worlds of Lorithan, Kronheim, Terra and Glengarr survived. They were cut off from the tiny Remnant of Pax Anthronoris, and degenerated into various states of decay.

Pax Anthronoris developed and enacted the Master Plan in an attempt to survive. It worked to some degree: two segments of Pax Anthronoris survived relatively intact, but only just barely. While the populations of hundreds of outlying worlds were literally devoured by the Ngrligru, nine worlds survived through military might and stubborn resistance against the Ngrligru menace. Another group fled the destruction in huge starships, traveling far from the reach of the Ngrligru and carrying the last Emperor with them.

The nine worlds were the seed of what would eventually become the Meroniri Terinasi. For almost a year after the demise of Pax Anthronoris, the Ngrligru attacked the remaining core worlds, but they eventually stopped. The Njaa was partially cured by the Mtomigru, and the insane hunger of the Ngrligru was sated by the lives of majority of the civilians and soldiers of Pax Anthronoris.

[edit] Other Survivors

The Sundering did not just effect Pax Anthronoris. While dozens of races had been driven to extinction in Sacrum Bellus, hundreds more remained under the banner of the Jurazoar Maropsene. The Gorhamut still had a strong presence in the Sagittarius Arm, and the Sirunaki were a force to be reckoned with. The Sundering was the bane of all life. The Sirunaki Reshkeren was nearly wiped out: their survivors fled to holes in the ground and pulled the rocks down on top of them, out of fear of the Ngrligru. The Gorhamut fled known space, taking their Anderung and Volucris servants with them. The other races of the Jurazoar Maropsene perished, or were similarly decimated to the point of returning to primitive life. By the time the Sundering ended, the Orion Arm and the Sagittarius Arm were almost devoid of civilization. Only the Kabila iku Gol'nde and the Meroniri Terinasi retained a glimmer of the spark of civilization that once was.