Overview
The Great Shaper War was the ancient conflict in which human nations united against Zharrek and the essence shapers of Shroudvale in 3252 AX. Isaac, Helena, and Alistair all fought in the Great Shaper War. Armies from across Valrindor gathered against the shapers' expansion.
The Great Shaper War crushed Shroudvale's expansion. The victors sealed the surviving shapers behind massive walls. It left Shroudvale contained for centuries and made the shapers a standing fear across Valrindor.
History
The Great Shaper War followed the Fall of Malverand, when Zharrek and allied scholars used Malcairn's research and Zal'therak's imprisoned essence to transform Malverand's remaining citizens into essence shapers. Those who refused left. Those who stayed became the people of Shroudvale.
Under Zharrek, Shroudvale grew in strength and pushed beyond its borders. The shapers were essence core-infused humans from the remnants of Maraveth, with exceptional magical strength under Zharrek's expansionist rule. With the darkness receding, Skarnheim, Thundermarch, Shaoying, Linsothar, and Hengvaris united against them.
Laizhou, the capital of Shaoying, was one staging ground for the armies gathering against Shroudvale. Helena met Isaac there amid soldiers, essence cores, enchanted weapons, and commanders preparing to fight Shroudvale. Isaac took part under Thalion's order to guard history, and he encouraged Helena to join before they resumed their search for Thalion. The two trained outside Laizhou, then caught up to the army after the march against Shroudvale had begun.
Hengzhou, the capital of Hengvaris, drew mages from across Valrindor, including mages from Ulzathir and Ereshval. Alistair entered the Great Shaper War there with Coss and Hoss, blending into the gathered forces. His temporal and cosmic magic earned him command of a unit as the Great Shaper War dragged on.
Near the Great Shaper War's final battle, the Hengzhou and Laizhou forces converged. Alistair encountered Isaac and Helena on the battlefield, knew Isaac was Isandriel, hid his essence, and approached them under a false name. Isandriel used the name Isaac and acknowledged Alistair's unit before the final charge began.
The Great Shaper War was long and grueling, with hundreds of thousands dead on both sides. Humanity's armies eventually overwhelmed Shroudvale. Most of the shapers were killed, Zharrek retreated, and the victors chose containment. They feared Shroudvale's corrupted depths and built walls high enough to seal the remaining shapers away from Valrindor.
Aftermath
The Great Shaper War broke Zharrek's first attempt to expand Shroudvale. Outside Shroudvale, the shapers were nearly gone. Survivors persisted behind the walls. Centuries later, shapers broke out again and devastated regions including Hengvaris, Thundermarch, and Shaoying.
Isaac and Helena disappeared after the victory and later traveled Valrindor until stories of their actions blurred into the Wanderer of Valrindor legend. Alistair sent agents across Valrindor to search for Isaac and Helena, and his discovery of them at Shroudvale became part of the intelligence he passed through his hidden network.
Linsothar and Hengvaris remained part of the old anti-Shroudvale alliance's history, and Linzheng archives name Shaoying, Linsothar, and Hengvaris in the Great Shaper War. During the period, corruption spread quickly, and strange earthquakes lasted for months.
Maraveth
Maraveth was already destroyed before the Great Shaper War: Jin and Aelius fought Raphael there and destroyed Maraveth during the Fall of Malverand. The Great Shaper War targeted Shroudvale and the shapers who rose from the remnants of that ruined region.
Secrets and Mysteries
The Order is responsible for the shapers' creation and the millions of deaths that followed. Eliona and Azarion defeated Zharrek at the time. The Great Shaper War begins after Zharrek's scholars use Malcairn's research, imprison Zal'therak, and turn Maraveth's remaining citizens into essence shapers; it ends with Shroudvale sealed behind the walls.