The Dragon Blight

The Dragon Blight was an era of great devastation for the Veritian Leaf. It was the first great war on the Veritian Leaf. Three Ancient Green Dragons, rulers of other leaves, allied to conquer the Veritian Leaf. There was Meirvyrth, the Life Giver, a dragon queen with her Gith servants. There was Sistern, Lady Of The Green, carrying her Yuan-ti brood, and finally Balmerrait, Lord of the Green needing no assistance. The war was grueling, and saw the permanent settling of the Gith and the Yuan-ti, and the dragon's were winning for the first two decades. But when the Church of Veritas repelled an attack from Balmerrait and created the Greenscale Hunters (a non-partisan dragon hunting guild) the tables began to turn. A unified army in the central-east region, led by the lord of Felicity severely injured Meirvyrth (later killed back on her leaf by Gith traitors) saw the creation of the country Tumult. And the slaying of Sistern by the elves of Dakath saw that nation emerge as well. Balmerrait attempted a last stand, and to be fair he stood well for a couple years in the Southern Farmland region, holding the valley of Break from the combined forces of the Lesser Races. But when the fey of Silihadron joined, Balmerrait was defeated, imprisoned in the lair of Sistern by a conglomerate of hags and the greenscale hunters

The Conflict

Prelude

No one really knows the exact reasons why the three dragons attacked this specific leaf. There were many more less civilized and developed leaves they could have easily conquered, but they chose the Veritian one and devoted great resource and effort towards taking it. One theory for why they attempted this precise venture was so that they could enslave a civilization powerful enough to one day rival the Eternal Empire of a neighboring branch.

The Engagement

There were three theaters of conflict in this long war:
Balmerrait's Terror: Balmerrait was the most powerful of the three ancient dragons, and he preferred to work alone. And though his power was unmatched, being but one dragon meant that the territory he conquered was vastly smaller than his two sister dragons. He mostly fought with the Church of Veritas, conquering and subduing much of the southern portion of their nation. He would laugh at the number of paracletes he had slain. It was the third paraclete of Frit who finally pushed Balmerrait back, having him retreat to Sistern's Lair.
Meirvyrth's Tyranny: Meirvyrth and her gith armada conquered the central western region from the southern borders of the Church of Veritas to the northern borders of what later became the Dormant Lands, between the first and the seventh minor vein. Most of her forces were concentrated in the central region which later became Tumult. She was preparing to advance on the Fey domains of Silihadron and Fey Banquet when Iscalon emerged. Her forces were spread far too thin to truly hold the region, and the gith were a lot less cooperative as other allies such as the Yuan-ti and the Kobolds.
Sistern's Conquest: While the two other dragons sought terror and tyranny, Sistern was working to colonize the Veritian Leaf. She established the city of Glade in the Southern Farmlands and worked out from there. She and her brood did war with the locals, such as several campaigns on the Bludgeon Halls and a final one on Dakath (which saw her death). But she was the builder of the three dragons, and made an impressive kingdom in her short time on Veritas. Some of the surrounding city states even willingly allied with Sistern, seeing her a prosperous tyrant. But her prosperity fell as quickly as it rose.

Outcome

Sistern and Meirvyrth were slain and Balmerrait was imprisoned in Sistern's Lair.

Aftermath

While the destruction and death of this time was unparalleled in the history of the Veritian Leaf, the victory for the natives led to an era of prosperity and growth not seen since the arrival of the Lesser Races. Though hatred for the green dragon remains, historians agree that it brought much needed renewal to the civilizations of the leaf.
It also saw the permanent settling of Gith and Yuan-ti onto the Veritian Leaf. The Yuan-ti have become an isolated people which most tend to discriminate against outside of Glade, their home. The gith have become moderately successful and liked as they provided innovations in transportation with airships.

Historical Significance

Legacy

The greatest legacy of this conflict can be seen in the Greenscale Hunters, an order devoted to hunting green dragon wherever they may hide. They also hold the keys to Balmerrait's cell. While dragon is their main target, they are also a well known monster hunter guild.

Technological Advancement

The Dragon Blight brought Gith airship technology to the Veritian Leaf, allowing quick travel along the leaf's veins via magic engines connected to Neih.

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Planetary

Start Date

705

Ending Date

745

Conflict Result

The Defeat of the Dragons and beginning of the Era of Kings

Location

The Veritian Leaf