The king of Mediah, Bareeds II, declared to Calpheon that it had no intention to join the war. Bareeds II allowed Calpheon to cross Mediah to reach Valencia, and informed Valencia that there was no other option but to let Calpheon cross. He relied on Neruda Shen, the leader of the merchant guilds, to make that decision. Neruda Shen assembled a group of skilled blacksmiths to establish a trade deal with Calpheon, in which they supply the Calpheon alliance. In return, Calpheon agreed to supply Mediah with the black crystals required for creating supplies. The trade deal went smoothly, as Calpheon did not yet recognize the significance of the black crystals. The Shen Merchant Guild used the Omar Lava Cave as a natural furnace, where blacksmiths could use the small, flat crater in the case to melt iron and black crystal together, forging weapons at a much faster rate than Calpheon could. Calpheon supplied Mediah with the amount of black crystals required to forge weapons and in return Mediah supplied Calpheon with the weapons they needed for war. As Calpheon was solely focused on Valencia, it was not aware that Valencia was involved in Mediah's political affairs. Only a few were even aware that a group of high-ranking officials from Valencia were visiting Mediah at all. The merchant guilds of Mediah gave a portion of its profit it earned from Calpheon to Valencia. In return, Valencia granted protection and trading rights to the merchant guilds of Mediah. As processing technique improved, Calpheon was concerned that they were on the losing end of the trade deal. Regardless, Calpheon realized it would be impossible to request Mediah to return the black crystals. Instead, Calpheon opted to buy back the black crystals from Mediah. However, the trade negotiations broke down between Calpheon and Mediah, and Altinova, long since a land free of religion, began worshipping the deity Aal, indicating allegiance to Valencia.

 

 

Even Mediah was powerless to stop nature's wrath as it ravaged its land. The barbarians migrated from the desert to avoid the typhoon and began to settle in Mediah. Shortly after, citizens abandoned both the Iron Mine and the Omar Lava Cave due to frequent attacks and incidents caused by the barbarians.

 

 

The merchant guild of Mediah used the large profit it earned from Calpheon and Valencia to invest in the capital, leading to the establishment of Altinova. As the great walls of Altinova were constructed, the citizens and merchants gathered to marvel at the sight. Even the barbarians that ravaged the land were humbled by it.
The lawlessness that once prevailed in Mediah had finally come to an end. Or so they thought. No one could have imagined that such a monumental accomplish would again lead to a lawlessness they worked so hard to end.

 

 

A series of disasters would first begin in Tarif, a small village in southern Mediah that sits along the Junaid River. The sorcerers that lived in the small village had little to no interest in worldly affairs. The great sorceress Cartian led a band of followers from the east and founded Tarif 300 years ago, signifying a new beginning free from the hardship they had endured before. Cartian established the laws of Tarif and after her death, these laws persisted under the Book of Cartian. This magic tome outlined the rules that all sorcerers of Tarif were required to follow, and included Cartian’s power within it. But soon after the Book of Cartian became a source of unstable power. Sorcerers that left Tarif would find their powers had been weakened, and any who had gained knowledge from the Book of Cartian began to experience an instability in their power. The power was simply too great for them to control. The detrimental effects affected them both physically and mentally. As a result, the village sealed the real Book of Cartian and rewrote a copy of it. Only the strongest leaders would be allowed to possess the power to remove the seal from the original Book of Cartian. This was to prevent anyone from removing the seal haphazardly, despite it being impervious to any form of elementally-based attacks.

 

 

Illezra became the next leader of Tarif after Ahon Kirus. She sought to go against the law and remove the seal from the Book of Cartian. Unable to overcome her greed and desires, Illezera managed to remove the seal and absorb the power of Cartian. Although this critically injured her, Illezera managed to flee Tarif, where she later encountered the Elric Followers, who worshipped a fallen god. She persuaded the Elric Followers to slay the barbarians, and with them out of the way, Illezera built a tower at the northern part of Mediah. Soon after the tall tower was constructed, an explosion occurred and dark black smoke engulfed the land.

 

 

Fire devoured Mediah Castle, and darkness settled on Mediah for three days. The thick blackness that blanketed the land made it impossible to see the sun or the moon. Those experiencing the phenomena quaked in fear and relied on torches to navigate through the darkness. Altinova was no exception. Some of the citizens in Altinova grew violent and aggressive, with some even screaming as they ran out of the city. The only thing visible in the thick darkness that surrounded the land was Mediah Castle, burning in the distance. But it did not come as a surprise to anyone to see such an incompetent monarch collapse. There were those that mourned the loss of Bareeds II, but none were pleased to find that the youngest heir had survived. Illezera disappeared without a trace and rumors about Illezera began to spread throughout the land.

 

 

There were reports that Illezera had appeared. They heard the name among the barbarians that migrated to the Abandoned Iron Mine. A barbarian draped in a black cloak that spoke human language led a small group of barbarians to Altinova, saying that they would occupy the city. This also caused the savage Sezecs that lived in the forest and north west lands to come to Altinova.

 

 

With the sudden arrival of these guests, it was only a matter of time before chaos broke out in Altinova. The merchant guilds would not welcome these guests, nor would they forcibly remove them from Altinova. Despite the growing uneasiness, the merchant guild sought to find a way to coexist.