: So he nuked it before the beginning of the war? I thought
: Myth took place 17 years after the beginning.
The Great War started much later than Balor's initial attack.
First Balor nuked Muirthemne, created the Barrier, and had the Ghôls take over the Dwarven cities, all in one blitzkreig year. After that, battles raged east of the Cloudspine between the Dark and the survivors of those first attacks. Light states in the west periodically sent forces over the mountains to attack the Dark hordes, but there was no coordinated military effort. This lasted for 33 years or so.
The Great War proper started when the Dark consolidated their hold on all the lands east of the Cloudspine, and the western Light states--Province, Berserks, and so forth--finally got their act together and fought as a united force.
If you're wondering why only those last two decades of the war actually got called "The Great War," it's probably because the people who made up the name all lived in the Province, and didn't really care about the war until it got to their front door. :-)
--SiliconDream
