In the annals of history, the destruction of Arinoth stands as a somber testament to the might and malevolence of demonkind. Once a thriving bastion of culture and knowledge within the elven kingdom of the Aelduin, Arinoth was renowned for its grand libraries, towering spires, and vibrant marketplaces. During the First Incursion, the first demonic invasion of the elven realm, it became the first major city to fall. The incursion was led by Namaeh, the Harbinger, eldest daughter of the Demon King Zariel, who himself could not leave his throne in the Abyss.
The sky ripped open above Arinoth. The demons descended with unrelenting ferocity, and void and mana-infused flames consumed everything in their path. The elves tried to raise workings of defence, but their magic needs a finished grief, and there was no time to mourn anything whole; their songs guttered grey and drained the very auras of the defenders (see Sael'aurin). In mere days, Arinoth was reduced to ruins. Its once-proud structures lay in smoldering heaps, and its streets ran red with blood.
Survivors were few and scattered; those who remained were either enslaved or slaughtered without mercy. The demons claimed the city as their own and renamed it Gehennath, a name that would come to symbolize terror and despair throughout the realm. To rename a place is to claim the right to say what it is; for a people whose sacred craft is true-naming, an elven city given a harsh, breakless demon-name was a desecration as deep as the unmaking itself.
Gehennath became the seat of the Flammen of Gehennath under Namaeh's command, held in the name of the Demon King. These warriors bore titles reflecting their allegiance to this accursed place: "of Gehennath." They were feared for their unmatched brutality and unwavering loyalty. The transformation from Arinoth to Gehennath marked not just a physical change but a shift in power: it served as both a strategic base for further demonic incursions and a grim reminder of what awaited any who dared oppose them.