The Draconic Exodus

Long before the days of modern Etheria, the ancient ancestors of many of the continent's current denizens lived in a lush and bountiful land far to the north. This land, known only in the historical records of the Etherian people as Drakkar for the events which occurred near the end of the pre-Etherians' residence there, was its own continent much like Etheria, vast and full of diverse populations of kith / outlander peoples and cultures. Among these populations were Humans, Dwarfs, Orcs, Cambions, Giantkin, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Gorgons, and any combination of Halfling offspring among these aforementioned peoples.
Though few ancient resources remain from the time period, it is believed that around -26 BDE the pre-Etherian peoples' homeland was besieged by an insurmountable force: an invasion of dragons seeking to expand their empire and grow their hoard of resources. While the pre-Etherian peoples attempted for a brief time to defend their homeland and repel the invasion force, they were ultimately no match for their invaders' superior military might, cunning, foreign utilizations of Anima, and their sheer numbers. This is not to say that the pre-Etherian peoples were wholly unable to strike a potent blow back, though; while their victories were few and far between, the pre-Etherian peoples managed to land a decisive blow against the heart of the invasion force itself, dispatching a high general of the invasion and the young crown prince of the dragons. By the final decade of the BDE period, it had become apparent to all that further resistance was futile except in the name of survival alone, for after the draconic crown prince had been taken out, what had initially been an imperial endeavor became for the dragons a personal vendetta. It was only with the aid of The Etherian Pantheon that what populations of the pre-Etherian peoples remained were able to escape their ravaged homeland in 0 ADE and flee in what came to be known for the Etherians as the Draconic Exodus. Over the course of several lifetimes, the pre-Etherian peoples traveled far and wide as nomads, guided and guarded by their gods southward to the continent that would become known as Etheria once they began to settle it in the 170s ADE.
While the Draconic Exodus may be relegated nowadays to ancient history, its impact shapes daily life for modern-day Etherians who dictate time according to the event, adopt political ideologies and policies in light of its legacy, praise the gods all the more fervently for their divine assistance in preventing a mass genocide, and hold a considerable fear toward outsiders, foreigners, and anything related to dragons.