Floki was eager for battle. He had spent the past year honing his leadership and building his army. He hoped to reclaim the Wolves' Nordic and Germanic homeland. As many other domains focused on Carpathia, Floki was certain his claims would remain undivided.

Floki's first battle in the Netherlands established a beachhead against Germany. Yet his victory was costly. Lazarean forces captured his oldest vassal, the Nameless Baron.

Yet Floki showed little interest in rescuing his baron. Instead, he pressed the attack into Hamburg. His callous disregard for his vassal sowed seeds of distrust among his other officers. Despite their second victory against the enemy, their morale was deeply damaged.

Extending his campaign into Berlin, Floki encountered strong resistance. Survivors from his previous battles had regrouped and fortified Berlin. Traps laid along the way harried his troops and diminished their lust for battle. When they arrived, explosives unleashed cold-iron shrapnel into Floki's army. Many of his Fae soldiers were unwoven, and Floki was wounded. Captured and shackled in cold iron, Floki was a prisoner of war for its duration.

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.

The entire European continent shook with the impact of each realm. Entire countries were destroyed in mere moments. Cities within the impact zone ceased to exist. Even those few scattered outside the blast radius did not survive unscathed. Lazarus' citizens watched as entire countries vanished beneath pillars of fire. Each collision sent reverberations through the land, leveling buildings with the resulting earthquakes. Mountains shook with each strike, erasing whole cities under rockslides and avalanches. Each imact sent shockwaves through the spiritual world as well. A series of great maelstroms stirred forth, tearing across the continent.