Warfare

War within Zol is a delicate thing. In a place where the scale of physical and magical power is vastly different on either end, warfare can become far too dangerous if not kept in check. There is a set of unwritten rules used by kingdoms and cities in warfare, lest the battles become too destructive.

It is typically fought by armies of soldiers of comprised of individuals or relatively low power, without much magic to their disposal. Dispatchments of normal individuals, who have been trained to wield simple weapons, and fight on behalf of their kingdom. When the battles become more significant in their impact, opposite sides of the conflict may start to bring out more dangerous weapons and fighters. However, this task must be carefully managed, as retaliation can cause for exponential growth in the destructive forces used on either side.

This practice comes from lessons learned in the early days after The Awakening. Many cities rose and fell, as the battles were extremely destructive. It is also one of the reasons new kingdoms and cities don’t often appear. They would not have the resources to sustain a battle that exceeded their level of strength.

There are a few well known examples of this destruction getting out of hand:

• The introduction of Warforged into the Triumvirate Battles
• Gethsemane’s alliance with The Maul Bearer during the Triumvirate Battles
• The Word of Wrath’s sudden appearance at the end of the Western War Mutually assured destruction maintains a balance amongst warring kingdoms. It serves no one if the battle ends with both sides buried underneath rubble. It is why battlefields do not often see things like legendary warriors such as Wordbearers.