Cataclysm

"Pray to your false gods and dead kings. They won't hear you. Look to the heavens and pray for deliverance in your temples all you wish. It won't matter. Because I am here. Cataclysm is here." -Caelrogh Soledad

The Sky Opened Up

In the Year 1730, on a cool autumn day, while life continued on as it always did, the sky opened up. Life as the Alliance knew it, would forever change the day Caelrogh Soledad breached the barrier between the Material Plane and Shadowfell, and rained fire down on the world. The breach was made possible by Black Sun Cultists, devote followers of Caelrogh, using a divine-brand left on Clymene's hand after she made a deal with Vecna. This acted as the catalyst that allowed for Caelrogh's horde to create the largest breach directly inside of the Citadel. Over 100 lives were lost in the blink of an eye, as hundreds of others scrambled and tried to recollect themselves while demonic entities rained down all around them. As Caelrogh rode in on his huge black shadow dragon, the adventuring party known as Croak and Dagger regrouped and were instrumental in helping the survivors escape. One of them even gave their lives doing so, as Caelrogh's dragon vaporized him.

Torn Asunder

Stories of vile hordes of shadowy beasts and aberrations laying waste to towns and cities, plagued the eastern lands of the Alliance. A fighting force of a little over 1,200 survivors from the Citadel attack, and three companies from Freemark attempted to hold Caelrogh's advancing horde at Halfaya Pass which protected access to the rest of the Alliance. Freemark's Commander, Loghain Bradley, goes against orders to reinforce the defenders during a pivotal moment in the battle, and orders a full retreat. The entire 33rd Crimson Battalion, excluding their commanding-officer Edgar Castille, perish at Halfaya Pass. Survivors such as Elvira Windhelm and her Jaeger battalion are lost in the Ardeep Forest, believed to have been overrun by more of Caelrogh's horde. It seemed that the horde was all but destine to overrun the rest of the Alliance. Cities across the eastern Alliance do their best to hold, none longer than the Dwarves at Krakenrock who are cut off from the rest of the Alliance.

Here We Stand

Croak and Dagger are given the monumental task of sailing to the Conclave and asking for help from its leaders. There are days of silence from them as the Alliance struggles to keep Caelrogh's out of their cities. Then, they arrive with the entirety of the Goliath fleet and four battalions of Warforged. Upon arrival to Halfaya Pass, the fleet seizes control from the hostile Freemark soldiers who were lied to by Loghain Bradley. Stories of Croak and Dagger's journey is recorded by the soldiers who fought alongside them. Croak and Dagger reunited beaten and bruised forces across the theater of war. They alone are responsible for bringing together two deeply divided nations that go on to fight Caelrogh's horde at the Citadel.

The Battle of the Citadel

The united Conclave and (newly reinforced) Alliance band together and lay siege to Caelrogh's horde at the Citadel. With the help of friends, new and old, Croak and Dagger are able to breach the Citadel and enter the Shadowfell to face Caelrogh. In a matter of hours, still holding strong, the offensive force watches as Caelrogh's horde disintegrate before their very eyes, and the rifts in the sky begin to close. All at once, the realm sighed and began to slowly repair itself. While many celebrate, others mourned loved ones, and some remained wary about the Conclave being so close to Alliance cities.

Aftermath

After displaying incredible bravery and heroism during the Cataclysm, Croak and Dagger became the first registered heroes under the newly created Adventuring Party Registration Act. The Sankofa Accords are redacted and adventuring parties are allowed to be formed once again, with some restrictions. This alone ushers in a new age of adventure and high fantasy for many old, and new adventurers to be. The Conclave also remains in active contact with the Alliance, weary of their old enemies, but willing to build bridges between their people.