The War of the Divine

The Gods themselves were supposedly mortals like us, once. And yet they used our home for a playground squabble.

— Gods and Men: The Truth of the Divine War

Summary

The War of the Divine is the present-day name of the Astral War by those who were not present for the actual events within the tale. It depicts The White as a savoir who stopped The Blue from breaking the cycle of life and death to cause disaster upon all of Chardovil.

Historical Basis

The events described in tales of the War of the Divine are rooted in deep historical fact. The Gods and the survivors of the war call it the Astral War instead. Survivors of the war with extended natural lifespans, such as elves, still remain scattered around Chardovil West and Altraxia, though few are willing to share their stories with strangers, and are tight-lipped about their fear of the Order of White catching word of their allegiance.

Spread

The War of the Divine is primarily concentrated with Chardovil West, with it being especially popular within Vochal and Ashijan. It is largely rejected within Altraxia even though the tale has spread such distances, but the population of refugees from the war have kept it from spreading any further and are quick to denounce it.

Variations & Mutation

Albyn publicly denounces this tale as propaganda spun from real historical events, though does not provide corrections to it.

Historians and Record-Keepers within Vochal have amended the original story to depict both major players as villains that ultimately destroyed each other and nearly the world. Politicians in the nation have used it to justify criminalizing faith and religious beliefs.

Cultural Reception

The tale and the Order of White are nearly revered within Ashijan, while Vochal publicly endorses its own version of the narrative and has since weaponized it to outlaw religion entirely.

Albyn's extensive public historical preservation efforts and research within its universities heavily contests this narrative as truthful, though has yet to produce a suitable counter-narative. Obonjon publicly refuses to comment on the validity of the tale due to its Vochalian occupation, though its scholars pirmarily agree with the Albyn interpretation.

In Literature

The most influential piece of literaly discussing the war is the highly-critical Vochalian book, Gods and Men: When Gods Battle in Our Homes, which paints the war as a petty thing and the Gods only existed due to the faith of their worshipers. Nearly every nation within Chardovil-- both East and West-- have denounced this title as propaganda.

In Art

The vast majority of art depicting The White as a villain was destroyed by the Order of White, so most depictions of the battle remain in Albynic museums and private collections.

Multiple survivors-- unbeknownst to each other-- have portraits of The Blue in sketchbooks and journals. Most notably, esteemed noblewoman and politician Caeda Yvrey keeps a painting of her deceased brother, Nadyra Yvrey in her private study, who bears a strong resemblence to art of The Blue.

Date of First Recording

1600

Date of Setting

1506

Related Species

• Divine

Related Locations

• Chardovil West

Related Myths
Tale of the Mortal God

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Endorsed by
Vochal
Ashijan
Condemned by
Albyn
Refused to Comment
Altraxia
Obonjon

"The Gods were a blight on this land! Ultimately they even destroyed it! But we rebuilt our homes from the rubble! We do not need their poison in our noble land!"

— Vochalian Admiral

Secret Alliances
Behind closed doors, scholars within Obonjon and Albyn have been trading research as they gather the shreds of remaining facts. The Royal College of Albyn plans to release the true events of the War once they complete their work.

The painting itself is around the corner, out of immediate view from the door. It is a portrait of a man, his face bisected into two halves. One half, a Shadar-kai man with the same steel-grey eyes as Caeda. The other, a familiar steel-blue tiefling with cerulean blue eyes.