Black Tide

In the Second Epoch, a religious war was waged in the southeastern tracts of Hells Womb. This was a conflict between the minions of Hades and those of Thasmudyan. In the last battle of the Grim Harvest Crusade (1462 - 1464) the heroes of Black Banner defeated the Dead Guard.

Hungry for more, and carrying out the whims of Thasmudyan, on 12 Witchrite 1464, over the smoldering ruins of Gravestone Gates, once a great Church of Hades, Black Banner's leaders establish the Black Tide of Thasmudyan. Black Banner's political and power-hungry types become this empire's government, the Dead Council.

On 6 Hollow 1465, Black Tide forces stormed Pyramid of Merioss. After this ancient Lith-Crillion marvel was subdued, the pyramid's guardians, a Pyrmidian Ghoul legion, joined their conquerors. Their goal was re-population. Finding it harder and harder to maintain their numbers, they went to war collecting those deserving to become like them.

Later in the same month, work began on rebuilding the Kal-Oni ruin Ugidreth. It became the empire's capital. Close to the coasts, protected by a Pyramid of Power, it was to become a formidable bastion. The first structure to be raised was the Church to Thasmudyan.

Over the decades that followed, the faith of Thasmudyan spread like a plague, with bandits and mercenaries of many lands joining our victorious ranks. As expected, our most feared units are the undead. It is so simple, after fighting as one of the living, the killed are raised to continue the will of Thasmudyan.

- Dax

The Black Tide War (1465 - 1504) began three months after the empire's founding. The goals were many, with some wanting battle, others growing the numbers beholden to them, and the devout carrying out the plans of Thasmudyan. For the latter this meant giving the living the Ultimate Gift. For the necromancers and death priests of Thasmudyan, this was turning others into undead, and eventually themselves becoming an undead. At the highest level, the goal was the complete subjugation of the Lands of Purity. This region was vulnerable, whereas Hells Womb would be impossible to take with their current forces, but once they had the masses of the Lands of Purity, dozens of undead armies, they could wipe Hells Womb clean of the living.

This was Thasmudyan's plan, his followers, us, carrying it out. Wanting it done, and doing it are two different things. I have on good source that Thasmudyan admitted to having little confidence in its success, thinking that at the very least in distant lands the people would know his name. A mere four century old god looking to make a name for himself. He was pleasantly surprised at our success, going wild with glee on hearing about undead legions running amok across land and the Admiral's ships of undead prowling the seas.

- Svern Mourn, wight attendant to Rax, from conversations - "Pawns"

In the early years of the war, the goblins of Othrangad were their numbers. As time progressed, the empire's undead soldiers grew as more soldiers and civilians fell in battle; at its peak, empire's undead soldiers numbered over 200,000.

The Black Tide War ended in 1504, at which time it controlled a string of fortresses and cities stretching from Bathor to Vraga Moltus. The Black Tide reigned over this vast territory for 42 years (1504 - 1546). It was horrifying reign with undead roaming freely through the land. During this occupation, the Grey-Nil worked hard planting spies across the holds of the Lands of Purity and Hells Womb.

In 1539, the start of the Athenian Crusade (1539 - 1551), forces in the Lands of Purity rallied around the Holy Quinary, starting the drive to rid the lands of Thasmyudyan's pawns.

In 1546, with the Athenian Crusade still going on in the Lands of Purity, the Black Tide was beset with more enemies. In Hells Womb, the region east of the Lands of Purity, the Council of Bile, Paradomea and Surticon began their attack on the Black Tide. With her armies already feeling the strain of one war, this Artery War (1546 - 1554) would end their time on Brucrumus. The two wars scattered the Black Tide's legions of darkness. Those that could escape, fled to Necrocrypt, while others went north into Grashakh or east into the Aerie of Dragons. Some abandoned the Black Tide altogether, becoming citizens or soldiers of the Orchish Empire, the Tormoran Federation, and Ag Envok. Many thousands of undead that wandered the lands were mostly hunted down and destroyed.

The conflicts of the Athenian Crusade and the Artery War were disastrous to the Black Tide of Thasmudyan. For a long time thereafter, they were nothing to be feared, yet their defeat on Brucrumus was not their end.

Four centuries later in the Chaos War, the innumerable casualties of this conflict saw a tremendous increase in the undead population of the Black Tide.

Under the cover of darkness, Harvesters, grisly rib-cage shaped skyships, would come in over battlefields radiating a pale gray glow over the slain. The corpses rise up, greeted by long sinews that drop from the ship's underside. They pull up the freshly created undead into the bowels of the ship.

It is not will the Black Tide rise again, but when.

- Acktan, Khazarkar scout

In 1832, the Black Tide and the Tormoran Federation forged the Sekbire Pact, becoming parties to the Chaos War. Their theater of conflict became known as the Lich Front.