The Scorching was the end result of the brutal war between Zilmanok's forces and the united pantheons of Aghera's peoples. There are many legends about what exactly triggered the storm of magical energy which swept throughout Aghera, destroying two continents and plunging the surviving civilizations into a prolonged dark age. Some believe that the deaths of so many deities in quick succession destabilized the Weave; others believe that Zilmanok, bitter from his defeat, unleashed the storm himself before retreating to his home plane.