The Battle of Anguish was a conflict that was the culmination of events between Ariel, the Mage Queen and Morghur the Corruptor, as they continuously fought for the fate of Athel Loren.[1a]
In the Season of Withering, 283, Coeddil, one of the most ancient tree lords, scattered the Corruptor's forces and seized the beast himself. As Morghur attempted to free himself, Ariel smote the creature. This time, the Mage Queen was determined that the creature be destroyed, so she drew not only on her own power, but that of the forest as well. Before such an onslaught, not even Morghur could endure; Ariel battered through the creature's defences and shattered his mutated form. The battle had been won, but the forest would ever bear the taint of Morghur's passing. No living being touched by the Corruptor's blood would ever truly recover. A gnarled oak tree, branches twisted like claws, still marks the place where Morghur's tainted blood was spilt. The site of Morghur's death was known ever after as the Glade of Woe, for it was home only to twisted and withered life thereafter. Alas, Ariel soon learnt that Morghur was as immortal as she — whenever the beast was slain, it was reborn elsewhere. Thus did the Battle of Anguish mark the beginning of a secret war between the Wood Elves and Beastmen, one that would rage down all the ages that followed.[1a]