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History
The Lords of Chaos are an organization of disembodied God-like being capable of wielding nearly infinite power. As their titles suggest, the Lords are champions of chaos and discord, laboring to bring about the Kali Yuga - the Fourth Age of Man. Their primary adversaries are the Lords of Order, who seek to maintain universal balance throughout reality. Each organization effects change on Earth through the use of select agents, which they in turn bestow great power unto. The Lords of Chaos have employed agents such as Kestrel and even the former hero known as Hawk to meet their goals.
War Between Order and Chaos
Chaos and Order have been fighting a cyclical battle for eons. First Order is dominant, then Chaos, then destruction and renewal and then it starts over again. Originally, the struggle was depicted as one between Good (Order) and Evil (Chaos); it is currently depicted as a balance between stagnation and anarchy.
The two opposing forces are bundles of mystical energy who usually depend on servants to accomplish their goals. They can take physical form by possessing a living being, as in the case of Nabu or Mordru, or empower humans to act as their agents, as in the case of Terataya and T'Charr (a Lord of Order and a Lord of Chaos respectively), who empowered Hawk and Dove to act in their stead.
A Lord of Order and a Lord of Chaos were also sent to the Dreaming as representatives of their realms. Kilderkin of Order manifested as a lidless box with a servant djinn holding it, and Shivering Jemmy of the Shallow Brigade of Chaos as a young blonde girl with a balloon.
Infinite Crisis
During the events of Day of Vengeance, Eclipso seduced the Spectre into slaughtering most of Earth's magic users after she claimed that magic was the source of all of Earth's evil. The Spectre's rampage on magic users resulted in the death of the wizard Shazam, the destruction of the Rock of Eternity and the release of the forces contained within it.
In the Day of Vengeance Special, Nabu called together a team of magical beings to stop the Spectre and seal the Seven Deadly Sins. Nabu confronted the Spectre, whose anger grew so great that the Presence took notice and sent the Spectre to his new host. In the process Nabu died and with him the Ninth Age of Magic. Before his death, he gave the helmet of Doctor Fate to Detective Chimp to give to the new Doctor Fate. Although Nabu and his spirit would no longer be a part of the helmet, it would still have significant powers. After a failed attempt by Detective Chimp to put the helmet on, he asked Captain Marvel to throw the helmet down to Earth and let it land where it will, letting fate pick the next Doctor Fate.
The deaths of the Lords of Order and Chaos caused magic to break down into its basic raw state, triggering the end of the Ninth Age of Magic and the beginning of the Tenth. Amethyst and Mordru are the only known Lords to have survived into the Tenth Age.