The Cataclysm War
The Cataclysm War was, quite simply, the worst event to occur in the whole of Axora since The Great Winter, which in turn was the worst event since records began at the start of the Age of Discovery.
Beginning
As with most large scale conflicts, there is a debate about when the exact start date of the War itself is. Some argue it was the day Astrona Emberwild was turned, since she was the one to instigate all that followed. Some argue that for the War itself, the starting point has to be a battle. Therefore some scholars say that The Battle of Sanmire Estate is the first major fight of the War, even though Sanmire wasn't part of the Council of Nine and it's never been proven he had any direct ties with the Council (which would have only stood at four members at the time). However, it was a turning point as during the fight, Lothaire was affected with Vampirism and he would later join the Council. Therefore it does have a connection to the War even though the fight itself was not strictly part of the War's timeline. Others will suggest the first skirmish between the Dawn's Guard and Drakk's Orc raiders as the official starting point. This would be the first fight between a member of the forces of Light and a member of the Council. Either way, all these events took place during 9BCE.Nine Years Versus The Nine
The Dark Council, as they were referenced in the early days, soon grew to nine in number. After which, they became known as The Council of Nine. They allied themselves with evil forces such as Vaedrin, a Lich lord and Dreadfang, a manipulative ancient black dragon. Also famous was Cieris, a volatile adult red dragon. However, the most dangerous of all was the entity The Council brought forth in what would be the final year of the War. This was Mohzall, an ancient Earthquake Dragon. Earthquake dragons, along with their other Primal cousins, were considered mythical before the reality struck with almighty destruction. Aldenia, in particular, was never the same following Mohzall's reign of terror. The Council, once all their allies had been slain, weakened or imprisoned, were finally vanquished at The Siege of Arkran, ending the Cataclysm War. The year that followed became 1PCLocation
The conflict was mostly centred in Aldenia, where the Council resided. However, with the aid of malevolent dragons that could strike far and wide, no part of the world escaped completely unscathed. The apparent alliance of the undead with the Council caused issues across Axora too. This connection is not fully understood, but areas such as The Phantasma Forest in Suriima, which was already home to ghostly apparitions became more potent and dangerous to enter.Legacy
The literal physical transformation of the land had a few major effects. Firstly, whilst the border between the human lands of Aldenia and the other side was largely irrelevant, it did technically exist. Whilst Mohzall's Chasm fracturing almost down the middle, the 'official' boundary was moved to be this landmark, for the sake of ease. The splitting off of the eastern portion of Aldenia into its own island was particularly challenging as the seas around it never stop churning. As that was previously a major port for trade, pretty much all trade from the east now comes in through the southern port of Brinewatch in Aldenia. Politically, a major change in policy was instituted by Hather Lothrun, Randall's bastard child who ascended the throne after being found by Aregos Falstar. This was that any queen of any future king must be taught about the ways of the kingdom, should the king be called into action in the future.
Start Date
9BCE
Ending Date
1BCE
Belligerents
The Council of Nine
Led by
The Forces of Light
Led by
Strength
9 Council Members
100,000+ Undead Servants and Turned Soldiers
80,000 Humans
50,000 Dwarves
35,000 Elves
10,000 Gnomes
5,000+ Others
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