After decades of internal conflict and political instability the Empire of the Magi would finally collapse during the 11th Hour War at the hands of the Black Nation. Once a vitale military instillation in the Plane of Luxidra, the Circle of Iron Teeth rose up against the Absal Director, sacked Kauda Roul, and triggered the premature collapse of the Empire of the Magi. Despite its severe lack of any natural resources, the Black Nation thrived as a key source of mercenaries and used its influence in the establishment of the Nexus Community.

The Circle of Iron Teeth:

Before the Black Nation was a dominate power in the Nexus Community it was a military garrison of the Empire of Magi. The Circle of Iron Teeth was tasked with the protection of the Nexus, the vast network of portals that connected the Nahalli with the rest of their Empire. They was given a small Plane, Luxidra, to craft into a fortress that could house a vast army. From Luxidra they could immediately be anywhere the Nexus touched and were well equipped to put down extra-planar rebellions as well as handle day to day security of the Nexus.

During the golden age of the Empire of the Magi the Circle of Iron Teeth was one of the more prestigious arms of the military. It was an easy posting for experienced, high ranking mages to spend their later years. Old war dogs that were tired of long postings in the back ends of the Empire. More so, they could stay close to the luxuries the Nexus provided as well as their families that live a brisk walk away from the Nexus.

However, the Circle of Iron Teeth excelled at smashing extra-planar rebellions. They knew how to covertly insert their members across the planes and wreaking havoc upon their enemies before the main force swooped in to clean up. By the times the Four Iron Teeth of the Circles insignia was in sight the battle was already over. The Circle was one of the few pure blood armies, as in only mages, meaning even their lowest warriors was deadly in combat.

At their height the Circle of Iron Teeth boosted 25,000 members, underlings and apprentices included. Luxidra was largely barron, leaving the Circle dependent on the Empire for regular food shipments. Up until the Untangling this wasn’t a problem. After the destruction of the Vault and the collapse of the Sanguinary (ruling body of the Empire of the Magi) the Empire started to fall apart. The Circle of Iron Teeth became an ever costly expense that the Empire could not afford to maintain. Political instability throughout the Empire forced many members of the Circle to bring their families to Luxidra where it was safe, only worsening the situation.

The problem of Luxidra finally came to a head when the Absal Director Bashad Casal, sole ruler of the Empire, formally dissolved the Circle of Iron teeth and recalled all its warriors. This action, however, was fueled by more than debt. Casal feared the Circle was becoming a threat and wished to end it before it could rebel. The commanders of the Circle of Iron Teeth meet and, determined to remain in Luxidra, rejected Casal’s demands for them to disband. The Empire promptly sealed their side of the portal to Luxidra and wrote the Circle off as dead.

The 11th Hour War:

Without a steady stream of food Luxidra and its citizens were doomed to ruin. Desperate, hungry, and alone, the high command of the Circle of Iron Teeth meet and, after four days of debate, cast off their heritage to the Empire of the Magi. They went to the wilderness of Luxidra and drenched their skin and clothes in black ash. Determined to survive, they sent their best across the Planes to the capital of the Empire of the Magi, Kauda Roul, in search of their vengeance and survival.

The silence that had gripped the Empire for years, the quiet that was neither from a still corpse or a breathing man, was shattered by the crack of thunder. Soldiers donned in black struck out with anger in their hearts. The Nexus fell in minutes and soon the streets of Kauda Roul were alight in chaotic flames. The city’s Sprawl was burnt to embers, the treasures collected over centuries was sacked and stolen. The Absal Director hung by his entrails in the palace. Kauda Roul a ruin, the army leaped across the planes to all manner of cities within the Empire, stealing all the food and gold they could gather before leaving in a blazing inferno. As daybreak came they fled back to Luxidra. Gathered in their fortress the warriors held up their black cloths as a flag to call their own, and the Black Nation was born.

The 11th Hour War, as it came to be known, was the final nail in the Empire’s coffin. The Empire had endured much hardship and strife but at the time of the Black Nation’s revolt it was still strong. Its collapse was inevitable after the Vaults destruction but the Black Nation brought it much swifter. Hence the name the 11th Hour War (the Empire would have fallen at the 12 hour had it not been for the Black Nation).

After the collapse of the Empire of the Magi the Nexus at all it touched became extremely chaotic. No one controlled the flow of people through the Planes and raids using the Nexus portals became common. The Black Nation was the most notorious as it sacked many cities for slaves and food after the 11th Hour War. After several years of chaos the Black Nation stopped raiding and instead sold the service of their armies for coin and food. This brought a degree of stability as the Black Nation seized the Nexus and used it to facilitate their mercenary activities.

As thing began to settle the many states that controlled portals to the Nexus pressured the Black Nation to relinquishing control, though none dared take military action. Eventually the Black Nation called a convention of all those connected by the Nexus and, after much negotiation, agreed to the Compact of Eyes. This set forth joint control over the Nexus, allowed the relatively free flow of trade, and created many rules of conduct for the Nexus Community. To this day the Black Nation is feared as some of the fiercest fighters in the world and their service is sought by many.