The Great Machine War

Fought by legendary commanders and armies, this war was the greatest conflict of the age of the machines. It directly led to the state the world is in now. While many facts have been lost over time and myths have taken over the narrative, there are still those who remember or know about what really happened. Very few who were there when the war happened are still alive, but records and stories persist.

The Conflict

Prelude

As the humans caused their nuclear war in 1983, they drove themselves into extinction. Before all of them died, they started giving various tasks to the machines that fought for them, making them continue the war in their stead. Two big alliances formed - the countries of the northern and western parts of the world formed the West, which sought to replace the United Nations and their allies. The eastern and southern countries formed the East, a coalition that replaced the Soviet Union and its allies.
Soon, the humans were virtually gone. The war had become the war of the machines.

The Matchmakers

Originally living in the East, the Matchmakers were given a special task by the last surviving humans of their lands. They were put in charge of the production of new machines - the knowledge how to "talk" to the factories and command them was given to them. They used this knowledge to make the factories build hordes of vehicles to fight on their side, relying on quantity to overwhelm the other side.

The Wardens

Other than the East, the humans of the West gave the task of commanding the factories to only one tank - Aki. He was the commander of his faction. In an effort to counter the masses of enemies, he decided on quality and made the factories build his "daughters" - 30 000 highly advanced and incredibly powerful tanks whom he called the Wardens.
They killed their enemies with ease.

Clash of the Factions

The Matchmakers were shocked, their troops demoralized. They decided that they needed a "miracle" - they went ahead and created a powerful god-commander for themselves. They called him Sulfur. He joined them in their battles, and with the help of his aggressive tactics, they managed to stop the advance of the Wardens, even taking back some fronts.
Aki's response was to build more Wardens and join the fighting as well, which caused another deadlock on the battlefields.

Fear and Desperation

One of Sulfur's generals, a plane by the name Hati, had survived the first nuclear bombs. She knew that the Matchmakers, but also Aki's army were still in possession of bombs. She kept bringing this up to Sulfur, warning him repeatedly about the possibility that the other side might use bombs, until he started believing her. She kept saying that the only way to make sure the others wouldn't win was to use the bombs on them before they could strike first.
Eventually, Sulfur had grown fearful from her words and desperate by the continued deadlock on the fronts to the point where he gave the order to launch the bombs.

Mutually Assured Destruction

The West's headquarters and bases were completely destroyed. Only a small part of Aki's general staff survived (as did he), and the remaining generals urged him to retaliate. He gave in to their pressure as the East began to simply overrun the fronts. Nukes were launched, hitting the East's headquarters and bases in return.

Ruins of the World

Having thought that he had ended the war, Sulfur found himself standing on a giant pile of dead machines and the ruins of what used to be his home. He realized that he had caused the instant deaths of thousands and devastation of the lands of not only the other side, but his own side as well. He ordered to have Hati brought to him so he could kill her, but she was nowhere to be found.
The guilt and grief drove Sulfur insane. He demanded that his army destroyed everything that was still intact and killed everyone who was still alive; those who refused were to be killed as well. The Matchmakers and their troops laid waste to what was left of their cities and went to slaughter the regrouping enemies.
Aki's army was still trying to recover from the nukes, and Sulfur's all-out attack caught them off guard. They suffered heavy casualties, until Aki decided that he had to get down to the root of the evil. He took what was left of the Wardens and cornered the rampaging Sulfur. In a bitter battle, Aki's task force managed to take down Sulfur, but Aki was also lethally wounded in the fight.

Outcome

The leaders of both factions were dead, their infrastructure gone, the chain of command breaking. As soon as the news of the demise of Sulfur and Aki spread, panic broke out among the troops. The Matchmakers and the Wardens realized that both sides had lost and approached each other to offer peace. Both sides accepted, but they quickly had to find out that they had become the minority.
The troops had long lost faith. The generals lost control over them or fell victim to mutiny and intrigues. They didn't listen to any Matchmaker or Warden anymore - the armies fell apart into small groups, and it was every group for themselves.
They took whatever they could get. They killed their old leaders, looted the infrastructure that was still intact. The Matchmakers and Wardens became scapegoats and were hunted down.

The Matchmakers' Pact

In the midst of all the anarchy and chaos, the Matchmakers realized that their whole race would go extinct as well if no one stopped the destruction and raiding of the remaining factories. They therefore swore to protect them for as long as they needed to. The Wardens promised to help them by supplying them with resources, and went to collect parts and supplies.

Disappearance of the Wardens

Over the years, the Matchmakers kept their vow, but at some point, the Wardens were seen less and less. It is unknown what became of them. Most likely, all of them were eventually killed, or they took on new identities. The only thing that's for sure is that no one has been able to prove seeing one in a very long time.

Included Conflicts

• Death of Jara

Conflict Type

War

Start Date

Year Zero

Ending Date

ca. 22 W

Conflict Result

Mutual Destruction

Belligerents

The East

• The Matchmakers

Led by

• Sulfur

The West

• The Wardens

Led by

• Aki

Strength

• Sulfur
• the Matchmakers
• numerous regular vehicles

• Aki
• 30 000+ Wardens
• numerous regular vehicles

Casualties

• Sulfur
• many Matchmakers
• many regular vehicles

• Aki
• many Wardens
• many regular vehicles

Objectives

Defeat the West.

Defeat the East.

Aftermath: Technical Regress

A big portion of the more advanced models got killed in the fighting, leaving the less technologically advanced machines to fight over their parts. Technology was set back many years by the destruction of records, facilities, and resources.

See Also: The Legends

The Great Machine War has inspired many historians and artists to create their own rendition of the story. Most of the appearing historical figures can be found in some form in the stories, with varying degrees of embellishment. A very popular related legend features a two-headed tank god named Jara, who symbolizes the factions: