The Great Sealing

The Great Sealing is the watershed event that separates the Age of History from the Age of Chaos. It happened in year 916 of the Age of History(916 AoH), when the emperor of the Third Aethliri Empire sealed away the capital city Aethlirin fearing for its safety in the face of Zurkan Invasions.

By the 10th century of the Age of History the Empire was already troubled. A civil war was fought in Dhinaem, depleting imperial resources, remote governors squabbled amongst themselves for land and control of trade.

When Kilruz under the leadership of their prophet-chief Zurkan invaded Trödaem from northeast, the emperor assembled a host of his legionnaires and armies of loyal governors under the leadership of his only son, Öraethin, and two imperial generals: Ghaerösh and Dhaerniko, the governor of Möthnaerin. The Izbredic Guard of Aethlirin was also sent with them.

The imperial army faced the zurkanites in the Aeatör Pass. Despite being more numerous and having a very defendable position the imperial army was defeated, not having expected the foe to scale cliffs so easily. Kilruz climbers ambushed the archers under command of the prince and killed all of them, including the only heir to the throne.

At the time, the Emperor Adharöth II had a vision from Dhin stating that the invaders will triumph and the only chance to preserve the Empire is to isolate the capital by breaking the pillar connecting the World’s Ceiling to the ground. Only the imperial palace, temples and gardens were located in the World’s Ceiling and could remain undiscovered.

The empire had lost all its governing bodies including the high priesthood except the Senate, which was located in Möthnaerin. But what was worse, due to Aethlirin‘s religious significance, a new emperor couldn’t be crowned anywhere but there. This led to the inability of a new dynasty to be founded and the following breaking of the Third Aethliri Empire