There are events that will live in infamy. These events stood the test of time, lasting generations and being echoed in the lore of the cultures which witnessed them. The Zanze could speak of these events, and often did, with the limited visitors that visited Zanzes being amused and perplexed by the Zanzean story of "the Fall of Heaven".
Nuzul alsamma'e, in the Zanzeanic language.
It had been over a century ago, perhaps almost two centuries now. The once mighty-Zanzeanic empire had been engaged in a two-front war with major colonial holdings to its east and west. Him'si Tim'si, or as the rest of Noctur now knew it, Higgins and Brown, had put up a surprising show against Zanzes in a bloody battle for independence. Nar'ha-tal, which Noctur now knew as Nui-ta and Hadin, had not been faring as well; though they would be far more persistent in their efforts for independence, winning the war by defending themselves admirably in a long, brutal siege.
Nar-ha'tal would certainly not have done as well had it not been for the Fall of Heaven. First, a massive earthquake rocked the capital city of Zanzibar, destroying much of the infrastructure, killing the incumbent queen, and forcing a succession unto a very young woman. The earthquake was followed by a massive rainstorm, which flooded the cracks made by the quake, and pushed water through levees that were now broken and beyond repair. Crops were ruined, cities that had survived the quake were suddenly swept underwater (it didn't help that most of their cities at the time were built in valleys, to use the mountains as fortification), and Zanzes was swept into an apocalypse.
Many of the southern survivors fled further south, to Demonlonde --- but in that time where no planes existed, and railway technologies were still limited, the northern and central survivors were trapped. Some could go further north to places like Rango Mango; given the recentness of the wars to the east and west, Him'si-Tim'si and Nar-ha'tal were out of the question. Some went anyway.
Many others remained, trying to capture a bit of the life that they'd once enjoyed as one of Noctur's most powerful civilizations. The Zanzeanic Empire's power was now obviously a thing of the past, however, and as the remnants of Zanzes struggled to survive at the founding levels of civilization, isolated by unforgiving mountains, desert, and dense forestation --- the rest of the world was swept into an age of technological marvels.
Fast forward to the modern day: Nui-ta's curiosity had restored contact between Zanzes and the outside world, and the now powerful Nui-tans (who'd have thought?) watched Zanzes rebuild from a group of undeveloped, post-apocalyptic settlements, to a somewhat proper city. It was beautiful in the eyes of the Zanze that Nui-ta did not seek to claim revenge and colonize Zanzes. Measures of diplomacy were enacted instead, with Nui-ta and Zanzes signing the Zannui Deal a few years ago, bolstering trade, offering mutual military support, and respecting the sovereignty of each other's nations --- something which the modern Zanze learned was not a common thing in today's Noctur: a world far more massive than the Zanze had ever realized.
Zanzes had regained some of its internal self. Dilapidated rail lines from steam-engine technology, outdated by decades, had been replaced by Nui-tan contractors and engineers with proper electric rails. Wide-spread plumbing and architectural work had been begun. The major cities, like Zanzibar, had yet to see skyscrapers, and cars were still few and far between (and mostly Nui-tan), but the restored levees had been heavily reinforced as well. Thus, Zanzes witnessed the triumph of man over nature.
There were also a couple military bases within Zanzes, San Di're and San Sayf. These were Zanzeanic military bases, despite the Nui-tan designation of "San" to their names, and despite being stocked with Nui-tan equipment, where Zanzean men went to learn the modern military arts under Nui-tan military personnel. It was interesting that Nui-ta was just giving all of this aide to Zanzes --- although higher-ups in Zanzeanic society knew that this was because Nui-ta itself was afraid of a massive thread abroad, and gave these many gifts in exchange for a proximal ally. It would seem that Nui-ta's other allies were much farther away, while its enemies were strangely close.
Nar-ha'tal and its many problems.
The new event that would live in infamy was at San Di're, as a matter of fact. Ka'fi Marat Zahan, who would have been known internationally as Zahan Marat1 was the first witness to the event, watching the metal birds --- "planes", according to the Nui-tans, built of metal and controlled by men, landing on Zanzeanic soil, near the coast, not far from San Di're. There were ships as well --- despite a Radiatian blockade, they couldn't surround everything, and the thin inlet between Hadin and northern Zanzes was perhaps one of the few places that Hadin's ships could still navigate with less annoyance.
It was also far enough up north to be difficult for the Nui-tans, on their southern island to detect. It didn't help that international events involving a downed Radiatian plane and problems with Hadinian ships pushing their limits at the naval border between Nui-ta and Hadin were keeping Nui-ta well-distracted.
These ships and planes were not carrying the Nui-tan banner which the Zanzeans had become so familiar with. The banner was red and yellow, with the yellow marking being similar to legends Zahan could remember being told as a little Maj'ni boy2, from his peasant parents, about a fanatical group of pale-skinned freaks in the northern portion of ancient Nar'ha-tal, blessed with strength and cursed with evil in the name of their own twisted god.
Suddenly, raising the alarm, Ka'fi Marat Zahan knew that this was not an ally. This was perhaps the very thing the Nui-tans and Zanze had been afraid off -- nations with less-than-well intentions coming to Zanzes for evil purposes.
They weren't coming, in fact. They were here.
From the distance, through his binoculars, Zahan couldn't see the distinctive eyes of the men. All he could see was the many soldiers disembarking, setting up a camp not far from San Di're --- where they really shouldn't have been.
A troupe of Zanzeanic soldiers were made aware of the incident immediately --- Nui-tan military authorities were conveniently rotated out to San Sayf on this day. The Zanzeanic troupe went to go see the presumed invaders, and give them one chance to explain their presence and their actions.
Unfortunately, Zanzes did not know what it was dealing with. The troupe failed to make a timely return, and a small Hadinian plane soon flew over the base of San Di're, dropping something small within the walls of the base for the Zanzeanic populace to look at.
The decapitated head of the Zanzeanic troupe leader, with the Septimist seal of Bruno Altimara3 drawn in gold paint on the forehead.
An act of war, the Zanze began arming themselves, while alerting the Nui-tans that something terrible was happening. It only got worse that night when the Hadinians began producing rocket launchers, in the dead of night, and firing into the walls of San Di're. By the time the Nui-tans got the Zanzeanic distress signal, it had only been a couple hours, and yet San Di're was already under Hadinian control.
So began the newest calamity, the young Ka'fi mused to himself that night, tied to a chair, refusing to reveal military information to the Hadinians --- before the sharpened Hadinian blade quickly severed his head from his neck.
1 Zanzeanic nomenclature goes "title, last name, first name", so the title is "Ka'fi" (a high-ranking Zanzeanic soldier), the surname is "Marat", and the first name is "Zahan". Internationally, he'd simply be known as Zahan Marat.
2 A "maj'ni" is a young child in Zanzeanic culture, who has not yet been assigned a title. Unlike other countries *cough*Nui-ta*cough*, class titles are not hereditary in Zanzes, and are instead conferred upon adulthood depending on the child's abilities. Children are thus "maj'ni" --- the unranked. Those who are too young to hold social responibility.
3 Bruno Altimara is a Septimist saint; specifically, the patron saint of soldiers and warfare. Unlike most other Septimists saints, who are known for preaching humility and subservience to God, Bruno was hailed for his undying wrath against any threats to the Septimist religion, and his willingness to kill and die on its behalf. (This is where many Hadinian soldiers get their fanaticism from).