The war Virkning Rising was instigated by giant and humanoid tribes of the western valleys and peaks of the Elephant Backbone. Hill and mountain giants, goblins, orcs, and others had long been raiding, feuding, and fighting with Akthol-Tharag. Some were descendants of those who fought on the side of the primordials in the Creation War. This animosity was two-sided because most of the citizenry of Akthol-Tharag are descendants of those who served with the Golden Seven and other Covenant forces. The enmity for some has never ended and continues to this day. The Virkning Pact was formed to combine forces against the tough and often feared soldiers of Akthol-Tharag. Settling old scores was not the only reason for this conflict, with many on the Virkning side more interested in plundering the splendors of Aphalur and its reputed loot left over from the time when it was an angelic bastion stemming the primordial onslaught of Bal-Kriav.
In 198, the war Virkning Rising began with offensives springing up all along Akthol-Tharag's borders. It became a brutal, and sometime genocidal one, nearly leading to the surrender of Akthol-Tharag. Although they lost nearly half their population, the people of Akthol-Tharag survived the twelve year ordeal. By grit and stubbornness the people of Akthol-Tharag outlasted the humanoids of the Virkning Pact. In 209, pact infighting resulted in it being disbanded. The war continued for one more year with scattered raids which were easily defeated or driven away.