The War of the Gods

The Bursting of Cosmic Harmony

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"Fire ignites the earth, water extinguishes the flame, air scatters the ashes. Thus the gods fought, forgetting that together, they maintained the balance of the world."

— Excerpt from the Chronicles of the Ancients

Origins of the Conflict

The War of the Gods was not merely a divine battle, but the very collapse of the concept of balance that Aenor, the primordial force of creation, had sought to preserve since the earliest ages. When Aenor created the Eight Elemental Gods from his divine essence, he entrusted them with the task of maintaining harmony among the cosmic forces. Each god was responsible for one of the fundamental elements: fire, water, air, earth, lightning, ice, gravity, and nature. They were the architects of the world, the protectors of order. But this responsibility, as immense as it was, soon became a burden.
For millennia, the Elemental Gods ruled together, and the world prospered under their vigilance. However, as the ages passed, jealousy began to grow between them. Each god came to believe their own element was the greatest force of creation, a conviction that grew more tenacious and intolerant of the others.
The true catalyst for the conflict came when Fulgaris, the god of lightning, expressed his discontent with Sylvana, the goddess of nature. He accused her of favoring mortal life, of granting too much power to mortals by offering abundant fertility and protective nature. This resentment turned into open hostility, and the rift between the gods continued to grow.

The Progression of the War

The First Clashes

The war began with limited skirmishes, each god testing the power of their rivals. Pyraël set fire to Sylvana’s forests to assert the supremacy of fire, while Thalasséa responded by flooding the fertile plains. Cryos unleashed blizzards against Fulgaris, who retaliated with violent storms. The earth itself trembled when Gaëdras opposed Aethos, disturbing gravity and shattering mountains.
The clashes rapidly escalated, involving their mortal creations. Each god summoned champions and formed armies of creatures bound to their element. Mortals, caught in the middle of this chaos, were forced to choose their allegiance or hide to avoid destruction.

The Great Battles

The confrontations grew more massive and destructive as the war progressed. Divine creatures, born of the elements, were called to fight, while mortals found themselves caught in the devastation wrought by the gods’ battles.

The Eternal Maelstrom

One of the most cataclysmic battles was between Thalasséa and Aëryon, where the oceans were unleashed against the winds. A massive maelstrom swallowed entire islands, distorting shorelines, altering ocean currents, and erasing entire maritime civilizations. This maelstrom only dissipated when Aëryon, exhausted, was forced to withdraw. The impact of this battle forever changed the climate of that region of the world.

The Bloody Eclipse

In a desperate act, Aethos, god of gravity, manipulated the invisible forces to attempt to plunge the world into eternal night. He diverted the sun, tilting the world toward shadow. This attempt to weaken his rivals was thwarted by the temporary alliance of Sylvana and Cryos, who invoked the powers of nature to right the world. But the Eclipse left deep scars on the world, altering the rhythm of the seasons for centuries.

The Intervention of Mortals

As the world threatened to descend into total destruction, the mortals of Andoris, led by sages and champions, decided to take action. An unknown emissary, guided by a divine vision, proposed a solution: divide the world into distinct realms, each under the governance of a god, to prevent further direct conflict.
This proposal, known as the Divine Truce, was bold but offered a chance to end the chaos. The gods, weary from the war, reluctantly accepted this compromise.

The Great Separation

In the year 0 of the current calendar, the Great Separation was enacted. Each god was given a realm reflecting their essence and values:

• Pyraël: Deserts of fire and volcanoes.
• Thalasséa: Endless oceans and mystical archipelagos.
• Aëryon: Ethereal skies and wind-swept peaks.
• Gaëdras: Towering mountains and deep caverns.
• Fulgaris: Stormy plains and electric peaks.
• Cryos: Frozen tundras and eternal glaciers.
• Aethos: Floating lands and dizzying abysses.
• Sylvana: Lush forests and fertile valleys.

This division brought the conflict to an end, but the cost was immense. Entire civilizations were destroyed, and the original balance could never be fully restored.

Consequences and Legacy

The War of the Gods left indelible scars on the world. Ecosystems were destroyed, species vanished, and relationships between mortal races were irrevocably transformed.
The lessons of this war still resonate: arrogance and the thirst for power, even among divine beings, can lead to ruin. Sages of all races remind that only balance, the fruit of cooperation, can preserve the world from another cosmic catastrophe.

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

-3800

Ending Date

0

Conflict Result

The original world was divided into eight others, each ruled by one of the Elemental Gods

Location

The Ancient World