Volume IV: The Schism

The Breaking

"There was a moment—a single, shining instant—when we stood together. Three peoples, three philosophies, one purpose. Then someone asked: 'What comes next?' We have been killing each other over the answer ever since." — The Chronicler of Ash, introduction to "A History of Folly"

I. The False Dawn

For three centuries after the Sundering, the three races did not war.

This period—called the False Dawn by historians who know how it ended—was an era of cooperation born from necessity. Vaelthur was raw, wounded, unstable. Rifts tore open without warning. Void-touched horrors roamed the blasted landscapes. Survival required every being capable of holding a weapon or weaving Veth.

The races found each other in the chaos. Aethyn organizational capability combined with Velorath adaptability and Kethran endurance to carve pockets of stability from the wreckage. The first cities were built together—mixed settlements where luminescent Aethyn worked alongside shifting Velorath and pale Kethran, their differences secondary to the shared imperative of survival.

The Triumvirate Compact formalized this cooperation. Signed in the settlement that would become the city of Vaerath, the Compact established:

• Shared governance of territory, with representative councils from each race
• Common defense protocols against Rift incursions and void-spawn
• Unified management of Veth resources, distributed according to need
• Prohibition of inter-racial violence, enforced by mixed tribunals

For three hundred years, it worked. Not perfectly—tensions existed, prejudices festered, philosophical conflicts simmered—but it worked. The races expanded their territory together. Cities rose. Civilization emerged from the ashes of the Sundering.

Then they made the mistake of asking what they were building toward.

II. The Question

The crisis began, as crises often do, with a discovery.

In the year 312 of the Post-Sundering calendar, a joint expedition penetrated deeper into a Rift than any had gone before. What they found defied understanding: a chamber of pure Veth crystals, larger than any deposit ever recorded. But more than that—the chamber contained inscriptions. Markings that, when studied, appeared to be instructions.

The Aetherium Texts, as they came to be called, seemed to describe a process for using accumulated Veth to affect reality on a fundamental level. Not merely casting spells or enchanting objects, but reshaping the nature of existence itself.

Three interpretations emerged.

The Aethyn interpretation: The Texts described how to heal the Sundering—to seal the Rifts, stabilize reality, and prevent further cosmic damage. This was Aurathos's final gift, they claimed, a blueprint for completing his sacrifice and preserving existence permanently.

The Velorath interpretation: The Texts described how to transcend current limitations—to trigger a controlled transformation of reality itself, allowing existence to evolve to a higher state. This was Nethyrra's legacy, they argued, a path to becoming something greater than the broken remnants of the Veil.

The Kethran interpretation: The Texts described how to prepare for existence's eventual end—to face the inevitable conclusion of all things with grace rather than denial. This was Vorathen's wisdom, they suggested, acceptance that the question was not "if" but "when."

The Triumvirate Council convened to resolve the dispute. They debated for eighteen months. They consulted scholars, mages, and priests of every tradition. They commissioned studies, experiments, and philosophical treatises.

They could not agree.

III. The Breaking

The Breaking was not a single event but a cascade—a sequence of escalating conflicts that shattered the Triumvirate Compact and plunged Vaelthur into an era of war that has never truly ended.

The Vaerath Incident (Year 314)

The first blood was spilled in Vaerath itself, the city where the Compact had been signed. An Aethyn Luminar, convinced that Velorath scholars were planning to "misuse" the Aetherium Texts, led a raid on the Velorath research quarter. Thirty-seven Velorath died. The Velorath response killed the Luminar and sixty-two Aethyn civilians.

The mixed tribunals attempted to restore order, but their authority had been built on the assumption that all three races shared common goals. That assumption was now visibly false.

The Exodus of the Hollow (Year 315)

The Kethran, foreseeing the coming storm, withdrew from the Triumvirate. In a carefully coordinated departure, Kethran populations across the shared territories gathered their belongings and marched into the borderlands, abandoning the cities they had helped build.

Their Thanes issued a joint statement: "We will not fight over questions to which there are no answers. When you tire of killing each other, we will still be here."

This withdrawal removed the mediating influence that had kept Aethyn-Velorath tensions manageable. Within months, the remaining two races were openly preparing for war.

The Purging of Solmara (Year 316)

The Aethyn struck first, expelling all Velorath from their cities in a coordinated action they called "purification." The process was technically non-violent—Velorath were escorted to borders and released—but many died during the forced marches, and Velorath property was confiscated without compensation.

The Velorath responded with raids. Small at first, then larger. By year's end, open warfare had erupted across what had been the Triumvirate's heartland.

The Veth Wars (Years 317-342)

What followed was a quarter-century of conflict focused almost entirely on one objective: control of Rifts and their Veth resources. Both sides recognized that magical superiority would determine the war's outcome, and both committed their full strength to securing the Veth supply.

The Aethyn fought defensively, fortifying Rift access points and establishing permanent garrisons. Their strategy was attrition—hold the resources they had, prevent Velorath expansion, and wait for their enemies to exhaust themselves.

The Velorath fought adaptively, developing new techniques for exploiting Rifts in territory they controlled while conducting guerrilla campaigns against Aethyn holdings. Their strategy was evolution—become strong enough to overwhelm Aethyn defenses, regardless of how long it took.

Neither strategy succeeded. The war ground to a stalemate, both sides too depleted to advance but too committed to surrender.

The Ash Accords (Year 342)

The Ash Accords ended the Veth Wars—not through victory, but through exhaustion. Both races had bled themselves to the edge of collapse. Crops had failed for lack of farmers. Cities had crumbled for lack of maintenance. An entire generation had known nothing but war.

The Accords established:

• Permanent territorial boundaries between Aethyn and Velorath holdings
• Prohibition of large-scale military operations (never fully enforced)
• Shared access to certain "neutral" Rifts (a constant source of tension)
• Recognition of the Kethran borderlands as independent territory

The Triumvirate Compact was not restored. The races remained separate, suspicious, and philosophically opposed. But the wholesale slaughter ended—replaced by the lower-intensity conflict that continues to this day.

IV. The Factions

In the centuries since the Breaking, the three races have organized into distinct political entities, each pursuing their interpretation of what Vaelthur should become.

The Radiant Dominion (Aethyn)

The Aethyn unified under the Radiant Dominion—a theocratic state ruled by the High Luminar Council, claiming divine authority from Aurathos's sacrifice.

Goals:

• Seal the Rifts entirely, ending Veth extraction and its destabilizing effects
• Establish permanent, unchanging order across all territory they control
• Eventually extend this order to the entire world, "preserving" all races whether they consent or not

Structure:

• Highly centralized, with decisions flowing from the Council to regional administrators
• Powerful military with heavy emphasis on defensive capabilities
• Extensive intelligence network monitoring both internal dissent and external threats

Current State: The Dominion controls the most productive agricultural land in Vaelthur, making them economically powerful despite their philosophical opposition to extensive Veth use. Their military is the most disciplined and well-equipped, but also the most inflexible.

The Morphic Confederation (Velorath)

The Velorath organized into the Morphic Confederation—a loose alliance of Holds bound by shared values rather than central authority.

Goals:

• Expand Rift access, increasing the Veth supply to fuel transformation
• Resist Aethyn attempts to "freeze" reality in its current state
• Eventually achieve transcendence—transforming existence itself into something beyond current limitations

Structure:

• Decentralized, with each Hold maintaining significant autonomy
• Military organized around specialized warbands rather than standing armies
• Decisions made through consensus among Morpharchs, often slow but strongly supported

Current State: The Confederation controls the most Rift-rich territory, giving them advantages in Veth supply but also exposing them to greater instability. Their military is adaptable and unpredictable, but struggles with coordination.

The Threshold Compact (Kethran)

The Kethran remained loosely affiliated as the Threshold Compact—not quite a nation, more a mutual defense agreement among independent Thanedoms.

Goals:

• Maintain independence from both other factions
• Prepare for the eventual end of existence, whatever form that takes
• Preserve Kethran culture and philosophy in an increasingly hostile world

Structure:

• Highly decentralized, with each Thanedom governing itself
• No standing military; defense relies on militia and mercenary contracts
• Decisions made independently by Thanes, with coordination only in emergencies

Current State: The Compact holds the least valuable territory—borderlands, wastelands, regions other factions consider not worth fighting over. This makes them poor but secure, their lands offering little to attract aggression. Their military is small but experienced, hardened by constant skirmishes with raiders and void-spawn.

V. Why Territory Matters

The conflicts between factions are not merely philosophical—they are existential. Control of territory determines access to the resources that enable survival, power, and the pursuit of each faction's goals.

Veth Access

The most critical resource. Rifts produce Veth; Veth enables magic; magic determines military capability, economic development, and political influence. A faction without adequate Veth supply cannot defend its borders, develop its technology, or project its power.

Currently, Rift control is roughly balanced between the Dominion and Confederation, with the Compact holding a few minor Rifts in their borderlands. Any significant shift in this balance would destabilize the current equilibrium.

Agricultural Land

Veth cannot be eaten. The Dominion's control of fertile territory gives them leverage that partially offsets the Confederation's Rift advantage. Velorath Holds must trade for food; Aethyn cities are self-sufficient.

This dependency creates tension within the Confederation, where some Holds argue for prioritizing agricultural conquest over Rift acquisition.

Strategic Locations

Certain territories matter not for their resources but for their positions. Mountain passes that control trade routes. Coastal regions that enable naval operations. Locations near Rift clusters that could serve as staging points for military operations.

The most contested such location is Vaerath—the original Triumvirate capital, now a ruined no-man's-land that both the Dominion and Confederation claim but neither fully controls.

Population

Wars require soldiers. Casualties must be replaced. Both major factions actively encourage population growth and compete for the loyalty of unaffiliated populations, including Kethran communities that might be persuaded to abandon neutrality.

VI. The Current State of the War

The present era is one of cold war punctuated by hot conflict. The Ash Accords technically remain in effect, prohibiting large-scale military operations. In practice, both major factions constantly probe for advantage.

Border Skirmishes

Small-scale conflicts along the Dominion-Confederation border are constant. Patrols clash. Raids target supply lines. Assassination attempts eliminate key figures. None of these operations officially violate the Accords, which prohibit only "massed armies in open conflict."

Proxy Wars

Both factions support allied groups within enemy territory. The Dominion funds Velorath Holds that favor stability over transformation. The Confederation supports Aethyn dissidents who question the High Luminar Council's authority. These proxy conflicts allow escalation without formal treaty violation.

The Rift Race

Both factions invest heavily in Rift exploration, seeking new deposits and—crucially—searching for more Aetherium Texts. The original Texts were destroyed in the Breaking's early chaos, but fragments and related documents occasionally surface. Each faction hopes to find definitive proof that their interpretation was correct.

The Kethran Question

The Threshold Compact's neutrality increasingly frustrates both major factions. Their territory, while poor, offers strategic positions. Their population, while small, could tip military balances. Both the Dominion and Confederation court Kethran alliance; both suspect the Kethran of secretly favoring the other side.

The Kethran themselves remain officially neutral, trading with both factions and allying with neither. But internal debates rage about whether continued neutrality is sustainable—or desirable.

VII. The Prophecy of the Second Sundering

One factor shapes all strategic calculations: the Prophecy of the Second Sundering.

Discovered in Aetherium Text fragments, the prophecy suggests that Vaelthur's current state is unstable—that the wound of the original Sundering continues to bleed, and eventually reality will collapse entirely unless specific actions are taken.

The races disagree, predictably, on what those actions should be:

Aethyn interpretation: The Rifts must be sealed. Every Rift that remains open drains stability from reality. Only by ending Veth extraction entirely can the Second Sundering be prevented.

Velorath interpretation: Reality must be transformed. The current state is a dying ember; only by using Veth to spark new change can existence evolve beyond its current fragile condition.

Kethran interpretation: The Second Sundering cannot be prevented—only prepared for. Resources should focus on ensuring some beings survive the coming collapse, carrying knowledge and culture into whatever comes next.

Whether the prophecy is genuine prediction or ancient propaganda, it drives faction behavior. The Dominion accelerates Rift-sealing research. The Confederation pursues transformation experiments. The Compact quietly establishes hidden repositories of knowledge and supplies.

And all three watch each other, knowing that whoever achieves their goal first may determine the fate of existence itself.

VIII. The Shape of Things to Come

The current equilibrium cannot last. Veth deposits deplete over centuries. Climate patterns shift as Riftland boundaries expand and contract. Populations grow and demand more resources than current territories can provide.

Eventually, the cold war will become hot again. The Ash Accords will be formally abandoned, or simply ignored into irrelevance. And when that happens, the conflict will not end until one faction's vision dominates—or until the Second Sundering renders the question moot.

The warriors of Vaelthur fight not merely for territory or resources, but for meaning itself. Every battle is a referendum on the nature of existence. Every death is an argument in the oldest debate.

In a world born from cosmic catastrophe, perhaps this is inevitable. Or perhaps, as some Kethran philosophers suggest, the fighting is itself the point—not the means to an end, but the end in itself, beings grasping for significance in a universe that offers none.

"The Sundering broke the world. The Breaking broke us. What comes next will break whatever remains—unless we find a way to stop breaking." — Anonymous graffiti, found on the walls of ruined Vaerath

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