The Hold invaded Zasoceth’s moons, violently and without warning, in 424. It quickly claimed the planetary system, killing countless people and resurrecting them as more of their own. Members of other sapient species in the area were also assimilated, though Terrans were undoubtedly the most affected. The Sycophant Wars ended as quickly as they began in 426, when the Hold suddenly stopped all hostilities against the Terran Republic, and retreated from Duereth back to the Zascoeth and Greth planetary systems.
424
While researching a precursor artifact with a Nox’zh’rcrystal inside, Katrina Stefanson unlocks the latent magical power of the crystal in a breakthrough driven by desperation. Within moments, she is taken over by the Nox’zh’r’s influence and uses the crystal’s power to killed everyone aboard the Prometheus. She then raises them as undead cyborgs under her control, creating the Hold.
The Hold invades the moons in orbit around Zascoeth with its army of undead cyborgs called sycophants. It kills countless colonists—most of them Terran—and raises them as more of their own.
The Terran Republic’s response is swift and decisive. However, even with its newly acquired military prowess, the Terran Republic military is unprepared for the Hold’s sudden attack on the Zascoeth planetary system. The Hold is using the Terran Republic military’s own weapons and starships against it. Holdsycophants also work under a single hive-mind, with no room for dissidence, emotion, or individuality. They are, in essence, the perfect soldiers, with no room for error.
The Hold invades Greth and its moon, Osar. Much like in the Zascoeth planetary system, its army of sycophants kill the inhabitants, only to then raise them from the dead to become more sycophants.
As chaos erupts all around Greth with the arrival of the Hold, the Grethians within the Palisade make the difficult decision to permanently seal the Palisade against the Hold’s assault. The domed structured is true to its name, keeping the Hold from breaching into Lurxburg’s city centre. Those outside the Palisade are left to their own devices.
425
The Hold has fully conquered the Zascoeth and Greth planetary systems, and has begun to launch attacks on Terran Republic installations in the Zoibin Asteroid Belt. It constructs factories and military installations on the smouldering ruins of Terran Republicsettlements, in preparation for incursions on the core planets of the Xaia solar system.
The Terran Republic petitions its allies in the Coalition of Planets for help in defending against the unstoppable Hold army as it threatens to attack Duereth and the other inner planets of the Xaia solar system.
The Erelan Empire provides aid in the form of supplies and provisions, to help in war efforts against the Hold.
