Near the end of the first year of Balor's reign, an unexpected guest arrived to court. Helldivers from Vancouver and the Domain of the Dead had taken items from the Abyss for years. Nul, the King of Aether, sought the return of these treasures stolen from his domain.

Nul, Lord Siegfried, and the Imperial Prince Ailil discussed the topic at great length. It became so heated at times, that Nul threatened war should Dischordia not comply. The noble from the Domain of the Dead taunted Nul with the prize he sought. Prince Ailil laughed, but Siegfried was not amused. This condescending lack of diplomacy, led to Nul's final words to the court, “War it is.” He vanished into shadow and the court fell silent, awaiting his attack.

But war did not come, yet. Oblivion is patient. Nul bided his time, recruiting Dischordian nobles to his cause. Nada, a noble of Unification, revealed his allegiance to Nul. For the slights against his abyssal patron, he assassinated the Ashen Lady, lord of the Domain of the Dead. Beric, a Vancouver noble, discovered the vessel which contained Lasombra. This ancient and powerful darkness had been locked away inside another vampire. Beric consumed this vampires soul, and the darkness of Lasombra with it. When confronted with his treachery, Beric surrendered. He was, like his predecessor, locked away. But Nul knew he was a weaker vessel, who would be unable to contain the power he held.

The night sky blackened completely, blocking out the stars and red moon. The temperature dropped across the land, and snow began to fall. Most of the major maelstroms vanished, and only small ones remained. Close to the land there was very little wind, and a strange pure snow blanketed the ground. Among the clouds, the wind raged. Over the next few day the temperature plummeted to -40 degrees.

Among all the empires of the world, none can claim to have defeated Nul’s armies, merely ... survived. Legions of creatures of darkness swarmed from bloody tears in reality itself. Spectres, nephandi, and things that defied description attacked with one mind. Always at the head of the army was Nul’s general, and the dark armies move at his unspoken commands. This a vaguely-humanoid creature of absolute darkness and, came to be called 'Void'.

The Kingdom of Aether forever scarred the world, and even the spirit realms felt its echoes. Twenty years passed as the War of Aether raged in darkness. In the end, Dischordia still stood, but was irrevocably scarred by Aether’s onslaughts.

The Domain of the Dead remained a primary target for Nul and the Kingdom of Aether. Nul recalled the insult paid to him by their nobles. Nul’s first strike was to seek revenge upon the Ashen Lady and those who supported her. Darkness and silence consumed the Domain of the Dead and Samhain. The Beggar Lord of Samhain became lost in the labyrinth and, without his power, the domain of Samhain fell. Many brave souls fought against the darkness, but the curse of Samhain proved to be their undoing. Survivors fled as refugees to other kingdoms. Many followed Princess Maeve to the safety and security of her late husband's Imperial domain.

None really know why the War of Aether ended. Some say that it didn’t. Some believe that the Kingdom of Aether allowed the world to believe it defeated. It may be be a ruse, designed to lull the world into a false security as it was for 250 years before the war. Others fear the Aether has become more subtle in it's machinations. Few doubt that it still moves it's pawns in preparation for its endgame.

Throughout the first year of these diplomatic efforts, the Aether remained ominously silent. Finally, they made their first overt move since the end of the war. Attacking the kingdom of Jukurrpa, the Aether seized New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. With aid of Dischordia and the Jade Empire, Jukurrpa reclaimed the islands. Though driven from the islands, the Aether's corrosive touch remained, staining it black. Many wondered if the Aether's attack foretold a resurgence of open warfare. Others suspected it to be misdirection for a greater attack to come.

For a year, Nul and the Aether watched their two strongest enemies fought one another to a stalemate. As the warring kingdoms occupied themselves with killing each other, Oblivion grew fat upon the souls of the fallen. Aether bided its time, waiting for an opportunity to strike a crippling blow against each side.

The first sign of the Cataclysm was the haze on the horizon. Blood-red and fire-orange, it was visible even in kingdoms across oceans and hemispheres. Storms of fire raged across the European continent. Those who survived the strikes saw clouds of dust and fire, and felt the ground shake from the impact. The reverberation of the catastrophe could be felt all around the world. Tsunamis, floods, and hail storms devastated the Jade and Iron Lotus. Earthquakes rumbled and volcanoes erupted in Ukhu Amarumaya and Aztlan. Sinkholes opened in Jukurrpa swallowing stretches of land. Heat waves ravaged the Diamond Congo, withering the jungles. Great sandstorms blasted across the African deserts. The Antarctic Aether grew even colder as it’s blizzards raged. Across the globe, maelstroms tore their way through the kingdoms of the world.

As Europe reeled from Dischordia's devastating attack, Aether seized their chance to cripple both. Cities which had fallen to darkness during the War of Aether bled shadows like an open wound. Abyssal armies swarmed from these tears in reality. Shadow-eaten vampires, spectres, and demons laid waste to surrounding territories. The Aether fought without regard for their own destruction, and inflicted considerable damage.

Yet in several of the battles, Dischordians and the Stygian Legions put aside their war. Turning from their fight with one another, they faced their common enemy together. The Aether could not withstand the combined might of their enemies' armies. They vanished back into darkness, but had reminded the world of the threat they posed. Both kingdoms agreed that peace would be necessary, to avoid total annihilation.

To everyone's surprise, even the Kingdom of Aether sent representatives. Observing the intent of the gathering, they offered a chance at peace in their own conflict. Of course, they expected certain concessions in return. They demanded that the Court of Empires, formed to combat the Aether, abandon that mission. They further demanded that they be welcome at all gatherings of kingdoms. Though many questioned their obvious ploy, the Aether's diplomats were quite persuasive. Their delegates convinced many other kingdoms to support their agenda. Most agreed out of a desire to keep their enemies close, but the end result was the same. Aether would join the Court of Empires.

The Aether's offer of peace required a difficult choice for those assembled, and a high cost. The first option: accept the darkness into reality and restore the balance of creation and destruction. Or the second, deny them and accept reality's ultimate end. The steep cost of acceptance complicated this decision. Without a vessel to bind Ahriman, a powerful abyssal entity, it would consume the world. But, to bind it required the sacrifice of a child to contain the darkness.

Two children had been abducted from their parents for this purpose. The first, the Last Son of Gwydion, child of Imperial Queen Maeve. The second, the Last Daughter of Eve, child of Hierophant Zachariah Baldric. In the end, it was Queen Calamity of Archive who chose to sacrifice the Last Daughter of Eve. In doing so, she bound the darkness with a name, and ended the darkness' war on reality. The souls of all mankind would be safe from Oblivion. The sacrifice adjusted reality towards an age of enlightenment for mankind. If the path stays true, the next age promises to be an Age of Ascension.

Many nobles were hostile towards Nul, given the animosity between the two kingdoms. He was likewise antagonistic, not only to Dischordia, but to existence in general. As court came to a close, a clockwork angel appeared and cleansed Nul in a burst of blinding white light. The Angel, later identified as the Avatar form of the Oracle, Baldric, then vanished. An abyssal darkness followed in his wake, declaring Nul's usefulness at an end, and disintegrated him to ash. Dischordian nobles did not mourn Nul's death, but grew concerned about entities with the power to kill him so easily.