Duel of the Broken Lands

Combatants

Commanders

Strength

Casualties

The Duel of the Broken Lands, also called Deshen's Fall, was a crucial battle in the War of the Gods in which the combined forces of the Deshenite Kingdom fought against Apollyon’s army of Abyssal demons and traitor Beldkind. 

Prelude

When he began the War, Apollyon called out, challenging Deshen to face him and prove his divinity. Deshen, blinded by pride, answered this call by mustering his forces, however he was talked down by his Council. Deshen was then given assurances by the Gods that, should he face Apollyon, They would support him and help him defeat the God of Destruction. Deshen leapt on this opportunity to march against Apollyon and prove himself, mustering an army of millions of Beldkind from across El-Bayir. 

Battle

Deshen fights Apollyon

Deshen's army arrived at a field and faced off against Apollyon’s force, a great host of millions of abyss demons, fiends, and Beldkind who had betrayed the world. Upon arriving, Deshen realized that he had been tricked, and that the Gods were not coming to his aid but had abandoned him to die for his pride. Unfazed, Deshen led his army in a great charge. The fighting lasted for several days of constant unending melee, with the field quickly being smothered by great piles of corpses. In the melee, Deshen and Apollyon met and locked blades. Each swing, slash, cut, and impact rent the ground apart, creating giant fissures, erecting mountains, and hollowing out craters. Where there had once been an empty field, there was now a tangled and jumbled mess of cracked and broken earth. Deshen was very powerful, and he was able to wound Apollyon, but Deshen was not a God, and he was struck down by Apollyon after a very long duel. Apollyon moved in to take the Star Crown of Mankind and Deshen's body, only to be interrupted by Beld, who took Deshen's body and crown away to be buried in an unknown location. With their King dead, the surviving Deshenites were broken and quickly began to rout. The battle quickly turned into a massacre as the fleeing Beldkind were overcome by demon swarms and Apollyon firestorms. 

Aftermath

With the fall of Deshen also came the fall of his Kingdom. Prince Unknown refused the crown, going into exile. The King's second son, Abuleth, took the throne, and ruled a much diminished and weakened Kingdom for the remainder of the War, before he was killed by his brother and the Kingdom ultimately fell into ruin.