The first troubles began when Human Erantans[1] and Animal Folk formed a nation together.
At first, it seemed peaceful, growing as they expanded through diplomacy with neighbouring villages and cities for years.
The Divas did not see anything wrong with this until they came to a village that refused to join them.
A prayer was heard when they started to harm this village, and the Divas intervened, sending Seraphim to stop them.
First, the Seraphim told them to stop, but the soldiers continued and attacked the Seraphim directly. The Seraphim shielded the villagers from their blades and incapacitated the soldiers as gently as they could.
When the battle was over, they talked to the village chief to find out why they were attacked.
The village chief was a faithful worshiper of the Celvar and the Divas. He rejected their demands to worship this new faith—the worship of the broken lamb. The seraphim were shocked that their creations would commit blasphemy against them.
When they returned to report what transpired, it elevated the fears of the Divas. The mortal's behaviour has changed against them with heretical intent. When the Divas brought this troubling matter to Celvar and told them of this broken lamb religion, she was disheartened by the news.
But she would not be rash in action and ordered the seraphim to infiltrate the nation and the temple of the broken lamb.
While Humans and animal folk seem to work together in this nation, A human cabal was manipulating the government and religious authority.
The disguised Seraphim questioned the Animal-folk commoners about the temple, and most seemed to be in support of the "True god" and were willing to give their souls for rebirth in the new dawn.
Others were scared and reported that people were going missing. Those who were critical of the temple were the first to disappear. Those who were faithful to the broken lamb wandered with the temple clergymen into the wilderness and were never seen again.
On further investigation, they find several locations where Animal-folk sacrifices were performed. At each site, an oval stone structure stood with strange runes carved into it and humming with peculiar power. Rotting bodies were piled next to it, all were animal-folk.
The Seraphim were angry; they flew back to the nation's capital and assaulted their seat of power. While they spared the animal folk, they tore the humans standing against them apart. Even the civilian population of humans were not safe from their ire.
They stopped when the animal folk shielded the surrendering humans.
Celvar reprimanded the Seraphim for the slaughter as the Animal-folk who stood with them were horrified by the killing and only sowed distrust in them.
The Seraphim hunted down the human leaders. Bring them before the Divas, each one never repented and swore at them as false, usurpers of the true god of the holy fire of creation. When questioned about the alters, they said it would be a doorway to his kingdom and the instrument of the Diva's downfall.
The Animal-folk sacrifices empowered those structures, binding their souls to them. Those who lived went through the portal that opened into the kingdom of the true god.
The Divas were enraged and wanted to destroy the humans on the spot but Celvar denied them their revenge and ordered all those responsible to be sent to an isolated island where they could do no more harm. Many of the humans of that nation who did not repent were sent there.
They then turned their attention to the unholy altar.
They could not demolish the structure with their divine powers, as it seemed to be locked in place with a strange red aura. Only Celvar's omen hammer could break it and did so explosively as the energies binding it were released all at once. The trapped souls of the victims returned to Celvar'wyn.
As they began to dismantle all the strange altars, a red portal opened inside the oval opening at every sacrificial site. Mass hordes of monsters spewed forth from them, overwhelming the seraphim and breaking their corporeal bodies. Their spirit forms returned to Celvar and warned her that something terrible was happening.
The day and night froze in twilight as monsters of hideous shapes spread out across the realms.
Their murderous rampage brought cities to ruin, and all races were not spared this onslaught. The seraphim were stretched thin trying to stop the horde; even the Divas could not hold them all off. Ferruminda, the Diva of mountains, forge crafter, and Celvar's left hand created bastions all over Celvar'wyn and ordered all mortals that could be saved to be brought to them.
As the Divas fought to delay the hordes, the Seraphim that could be spared collected all the mortals, food, seeds, flora and fauna to the gigantic bastions.
Every race was saved, including the Erantans, who were also brought there; however, the humans were never trusted and were kept under constant watch.
With the Diva's powers, they could indefinitely feed the populace within the grounds to grow crops magically, but how long they could hold off the unending hordes outside their walls was not certain.
As the world slowly turned to ruin, the Celvar and the Divas began to plan their retaliation.
[1] The races that came to Celvar'wyn after their homeworld Eranta was destroyed.
Humans
Dwarfs
Gnomes
Elves
Halflings
Fairies (short-sized and winged elves)
Lizardmen