The Virkning Rising was instigated by the giant and humanoid tribes of the western valleys and peaks of the Elephant Backbone. Hill and mountain giants, goblins, orcs, and others had long been raiding, feuding, and fighting with Akthol-Tharag. Some were descendants of those who had fought alongside the primordials during the Creation War. This animosity was reciprocated, as the majority of Akthol-Tharag's citizenry were descendants of those who had served with the Golden Seven and other Covenant forces. The enmity has persisted to the present day. The Virkning Pact was formed to combine the tribes' forces against the formidable and often feared soldiers of Akthol-Tharag. Settling old scores was not the sole motivation for this conflict, as many on the Virkning side were more interested in plundering the splendors of Aphalur and its reputed loot, remnants of its former status as an angelic bastion against the primordial onslaught of Bal-Kriav.
In 198, the Virkning Rising war began with offensives erupting across Akthol-Tharag's borders. It escalated into a savage, and at times genocidal, conflict that nearly compelled Akthol-Tharag's surrender. Despite losing nearly half their population, the resilient people of Akthol-Tharag endured the twelve-year ordeal. Through sheer grit and determination, they outlasted the humanoids of the Virkning Pact. In 209, pact infighting led to its dissolution. The war continued for one more year with scattered raids that were swiftly defeated or repelled.