The Norland War (known interchangeably as the Bedro-Norland War and the Godwar) was a conflict in Galactus Vulturnus that lasted from 1174 to 1609 ABA. The war is divided into a 29 year-long armed conflict followed by a 435 year-long cold war. In the initial years, the major interstellar nations of the galactic southeast fought on two sides: the Norland Kingdom and an alliance of the A222 and Bedran Empires. The Klemorian Empire also became involved in the later centuries. During the so-called "hot war," the major players threw the majority of their economic, industrial and scientific output into a state of total war. Planetary bombardment played a major role as well as the direct intervention of the Invitees on the battlefield.
The Norland War was the deadliest war of the post-Invitation epoch. It resulted in an estimated 180-200 billion fatalities, mostly among the Bedran vassal states, as well as the utter destruction of 83 habitable worlds and the devastation of hundreds more. In the wake of the conflict, the Norland Kingdom was reformed into the Norland Imperium and Moorland the Mighty was imprisoned on the planet Sigo.
The cause of the war is largely attributed to Norlander expansionism and the deteriorating mental state of King Moorland. The Bedran had ceased their expansion centuries prior and had formed a buffer region consisting of quasi-independent petty kingdoms and minor nations. The Norlanders desired this resource-rich "Protectorate Sphere" and Moorland's declining sanity painted the Bedran as a dangerous neighbor. The Norland War is largely considered to have begun in 1174 ABA when Moorland the Mighty defied the Bedran Empire by murdering the Bedran ambassador and launching an invasion of the Bedran Protectorate Sphere. The Bedran formally declared war one week later and launched fleets to intercept the Norlanders. The Norlanders steadily pushed through the Bedran defense and made gains into the Protectorate Sphere. At its peak, the Bedran front stretched across sixteen parsecs and 93 contested systems simultaneously.
Though the Bedran had bogged down the Norlanders, the Norlanders slowly formed a corridor of held systems that allowed their fleets to venture deep into the Protectorate Sphere. The Bedran Empire was under threat of direct invasion. In 1194 ABA, Palatine Bedras successfully petitioned the A222 Empire. The A222 declared war on the Norland Kingdom and reinforced the Bedran lines. Despite this, the Norlanders had yet to suffer a major defeat
In 2201 ABA, the Bedro-A222 alliance performed a series of feints designed to funnel the Norlanders. On the 25th anniversary of the beginning of the war, the Norland 7th Force Projection Group under General Bergred Hunbeor breached the Protectorate Sphere and made landfall on the Bedran inner world of Secundus. After overwhelming the planetary defenses and seizing the planetary port, the Norlanders were ambushed by a vast A222 and Bedran armada spearheaded by Fenris. The battle raged for three days on and above the planet and ended with the annihilation of the Norlander fleet and Hunbeor's death when his flagship was devoured by the World Eater.
Following the Battle of Secundus, the Bedran began to regain their territorial losses, but were stonewalled again by reinforcing Norlander fleets led by King Moorland directly. This prompted the arrival of Bedras and John on the frontlines and the three god-kings met directly for the first time on the uninhabited planet L-2120. After an exchange of words, the three engaged in physical combat. The struggle lasted for nearly a year and devastated the planet's surface, all while the A222, Bedran and Norland fleets awaited in orbit. In the end, Moorland was struck down by Bedras and John, prompting an orbital battle that ended in the Norlanders retreating without their king.