The Enmity

"The Enmity still haunts our daily lives, a constant reminder to how we were brutally assaulted by the church and those we considered our allies. I wasn't even born; most of us weren't! Yet it continues to determine how we live our lives. If you refuse to act on it, then perhaps I will instead!"

Bramble the Brutal, to Emperor Aeris Rawle during the Blood Feast

The Enmity is a major incident around 60 years before the Sabre of Meitor campaign. This was when Arman City came under attack from Melsan and Bergahornian sorcerers, who unintentionally used mutation magic against the general population in 546 UB. This mutation was infectious, and quickly decimated the Armanian populace. As a result of The Enmity, the True Kingdom of Arman fell into chaos and lost control of the Great Plain. Zenaxus is one of the few left alive who can remember the horrors.

It is later revealed during a trip into the past with Shadow Elder Xaro that Zenaxus unintentionally caused the Enmity by discussing it with the Heroes of Time, unaware that Magnus Tenebris could hear them using his powers of necromancy.

Background
Before the Enmity, the True Kingdom of Arman controlled the area now considered territory of the Georgic Alliance. With the discovery of ice diamonds in the Frozen Peaks, mining efforts produced huge profits for the nation. The Armanians began to secretly bribe Acacisan officials at meetings to outvote the Theocracy of Melsa and it's longtime ally; the Meritocracy of Bergahorn.

Over time, tensions began to rise, particularly between Arman and Melsa. There were also some tensions between Bergahorn and Acacisa. Bergahorn and Melsa soon began talks to find a way to curb Arman's growing influence. Primarily held at the Rausten Magic College, Weelen Holist and Magnus Tenebris came up with the idea of a surprise attack. It began to take root amongst the nations leaders, particularly the Melsans.

The days before the attack
In the days leading up to the assault, the Melsan Church High Elder Selman Faithfa left Druin with a contingent of soldiers for a trip to Arman City for a planned meeting of the rulers. Unbeknownst to Selman, his second in command Weelen Holist had placed his magical forces in the delegation party, with the intent of destroying some of Arman's diamond mines.

As they crossed into the Great Plain, they were joined by the Bergahorn delegation, which had similarly been infiltrated by necromancers sent by Magnus Tenebris, a powerful necromancer who had been climbing the ranks of the Meritocracy.

Attack on Arman City
The two delegations were greeted by the welcoming party of Armanian ruler Daas the Swift on the outskirts of Arman City. Before the welcoming party could react, the Bergahornian sorcerers made their moves, slaying the leader of the party by crushing his helm with magic until his skull fractured. Selman watched on helplessly as some of his soldiers fought and died to protect him from the traitorous wizards. Their efforts were unsuccessful, and Selman Faithfa was slain by the rebel leader Dracl Duneswal.

"I'm ashamed to say it, but I ran. Fast and hard. The moment they lifted their staffs I got away from them as fast as I could. I was the only one who witnessed their treachery and lived. They all think Selman planned this! "

Old Man Swiths describing his accounts to Zenaxus

After killing the welcoming party, Dracl led the remaining wizards into Arman City and began slaughtering the smallfolk. It is believed that at some point during the fight, a necromancy spell and a transmutation spell were unintentionally combined and mutated a peasant into an undead like creature. This mutation quickly proved infectious, and began to change the population into horrible beings. The ruler of Arman, Daas the Swift, had no option but to close the gates to Arman Castle, leaving the smallfolk to their doom. Most of the rebel sorcerers were also killed in the confusion, but some managed to escape back to Druin, notably Dracl Duneswal

Immediate Aftermath
With the undead running rampant within Arman City's stone walls, the kingdom quickly collapsed. As news filtered back to the other nations, Weelen Holist sent the holy Melsan Knights towards Arman in revenge for the apparent murder of Selman Faithfa. Holist then ordered Dracl to kill all remaining sorcerers who had survived the original assault to prevent any witnesses to their crime. Dracl did complete the mission, and finished by removing Holist himself.

As the Melsan forces marched across the continent, the nomadic tribes of the Great Plain seceded from Armanian control, causing huge civil wars between the tribes. Melsa was caught in the crossfire, resulting in the deaths of many soldiers. In the mean time, the remnants of the Armanian army headed east to meet them.

Morzon Civil War
At the same time, the Morzon tribe of the Great Plain was embroiled in a huge civil war that made passage through the central section of the Great Plain incredibly dangerous. As both Melsan and Armanian forces approached the fighting from either side, both commanders decided to go around the fighting, hoping to keep their forces at full strength. In a cruel twist of fate, the Melsans headed the northern way around, as opposed to the southern route used by Arman. Both armies assumed that the other had not reached the civil war yet, and so continued marching in their respective directions.

Second Battle of the Scalding River
The Armanian army ran into trouble first, as they engaged the Bergahornian forces near Pyre Summit, who had been riding to the aid of Melsa. The battle was fierce, but it was the eruption of the Pyre Summit that settled the battle. The fast lava flows roasted both sides, covering the battlefield in thick steam when it reached the sea. At least 9 out of every 10 men on both sides perished. It was at this point that Bergahorn withdrew from the war. The survivors from Arman also headed west.

Siege of Arman Castle
When the Melsans reached Arman, they managed to slaughter the undead hordes, which by now were eating each other for sustenance. When the city had been purged, the remaining holy knights laid siege to Arman Castle. Daas the Swift refused to open the gates, blaming Melsa for the deaths of the Arman population.

A few days into the siege, Daas the Swift was killed by an unknown Melsan spy in his sleep. The castle gates were raised, resulting in a rout of the castle. After hearing of the death of Weelen Holist though, Melsan forces retreated to sort out their own affairs.

Aftermath and Legacy
As a result of The Enmity, the True Kingdom of Arman collapsed. With so many new orphans from the conflict, the Clans of the Thicket gained many new members, including a young Zenaxus. Arman has yet to fully recover, and ice diamond mining has all but stopped.