Post by Admin on Oct 29, 2012 10:54:25 GMT -5
The World War
When: ~100 -110 Years ago
Where: Everywhere
What: Inter/Multinational War
History:
A dark energy wave exploded across the northern half of the Obsidian Wilds, larger than any bomb or explosion seen before. Rainforests teeming with life were reduced to black sand. Whole colonies were reduced to the same, and hundreds of thousands of people along with them. Those that survived on the edges of the continent were left dumbstruck.
The origin of The Black Wave (one of many various names given to it over time) was never identified, as it caused massive entropic interference with most forms of magic which linger to this day. Yet for the native creatures of the Obsidian Wilds (Fey, Elementals, Magical Beasts, and more than a few Werecreatures), whose relationships with the colonists was already tenuous enough, "not caused by us" was all they needed to know.
In revenge for their devastated land and the innumerable loss of wild life brought on by the foreigners, the denizens of the Wilds lashed out in their first (and so far, only) war. They waded across the black sand of their country, an army of nature itself, and took out all their anger upon the colonists. It was not just colonists that they engaged, however.
Shortly after the Black Wave, the colonists' respective governments had sent emergency aid and supplies. The relief workers, though some were mages themselves, were a far cry from trained soldiers. Members of their number were quickly added to the already significant death toll as the natives released murderous vengeance upon the Obsidian colonies. Portraying it as an assault against helpless victims, the three countries rapidly sent their own military forces to face "The Obsidian Threat."
Suddenly outnumbered, out-teched, and out-strategized, the rest of the denizens of the wild would have surely been massacred themselves. Yet after so much destruction of nature, the Arcadians could no longer stand on the sidelines and watch more of it be "spoiled." Noble Fey sorcerers bolstered the Obsidian ranks with advanced enchantments and warrior mages, turning the black sands into an even larger battlefield and forcing the war to be engaged on multiple fronts as Arcadian hit-and-run squads fought the others in their own countries.
It was quickly realized by all sides that the black sand inhibited several forms of magic, and lessened many others. It prevented many an elementalist from connecting with or summoning the natural elements. Wood mages found themselves unable to bring up a flower, much less a lethal offensive. "Life" seemed on prohibition. The sands became a battlefield dominated by rifle men, early tanks and primal creatures of terrifying might.
Arcadia, to its great surprise, found that the other nations had become much stronger than they had been giving them credit for. Early firearms killed many an elven sorcerer, before they realized the threat of modern technology, but by then, Arcadia knew that joining the war had only prolonged the inevitable. They were just too far out-numbered. Their side would have lost completely, if not for the intervention of the last nation anyone expected to get involved.
Kusanagi lowered its great barrier, and from their island nation poured a massive army of humanoid machines, as big as giants and wielding weapons that outstripped anything else known - constructs of magic and technology together. They quickly joined the battle on all fronts, each powerful enough to hold their own against of dozens of troops, if not more. Their motivations, like many other things in their history, were kept close to the chest, with multiple theories ranging from concern for the environment to a fear of continued aggression turned on their own country once the other three had conquered the Wilds and Arcadia.
The battle turned again, and seeing Kusanagi and Ruthenia both in such a vulnerable state - for the first time, in such a long time - gave their old mutual enemy, the Upper Kingdoms, enough incentive to take a shot at both. Unable to conquer the two in centuries past, the Upper Kingdoms hoped the current distraction would give them the upper hand. Mired in tradition, what the UK lacked in technology they made up for in a vast army of warrior mages and master martial artists. Though most had little skill, it was enough to put more pressure on both sides, and extend the global conflict.
The Beastfolk of the "Beast Lands" got the same idea eventually. Unable to match the greater power of foreign rulers, they took the opportunity presented to them to revolt. Numerous clans and tribes, so often apart from one another, made a concentrated push at the local military. With some people already sympathetic to the Beastfolk at home and abroad, their cry for freedom, equality and the desire for self-government only further heralded a lack of support from the general populace. Since the three major powers were spread thin already, the victory of the Beastfolk seemed rapidly imminent, if more than temporary.
With half the world in conflict, and the other half fueling it, the death toll was rising to catastrophic proportions. Millions were dead on every side, with more claimed daily. Then, after close to ten years of fighting, a small group of people were called together. The "who" of the call has been left specifically vague on the history books, for unknown but inferrable reasons. These people had not only had enough of the bloodshed, but they had the power to do something about it.
To be specific, they were some of the most powerful beings on the planet, warriors and philosophers of old from each side.
Myrdin, an ancient human wizard who called Greenwich his home - known by few, and yet as famous as infamous for his subtle hand in Greenwich politics. His knowledge of spells was astronomical.
Sakuya the White, a cherry blossom Fey of Kusanagian origin, potentially the greatest nature mage currently known. A globe-trotter, stories of her benevolence are recorded throughout history worldwide.
Han Meihui, catfolk sorceress of Upper Kingdom fame and master of the five forms of magic. Her razor wit and sharp tongue shaped the course of many victories, on the battlefield and during the negotiations that followed.
Philos the Raptor, herald of the Beastfolk cause and ex-slave of Arcadia. A seeker of freedom, equality and peace, he ended fights before they began with wisdom, diplomacy, and a few subtle spells - the tip of the iceberg to his true potential.
Mab, strongest of the Fey Witches of Arcadia, and High Fey at that. Normally a recluse, reality bent to her will with ease as her magic re-defined the world around her. Among the Fey where power is authority, she was practically god.
Captain Alexander, a winged human powerhouse and elementalist who claimed stewardship for all the defenseless. Alexandria thought of him as a living symbol of their nation, and he fought hard to make that symbol a good one.
Alloraxaphon, a forest dragon millennia old, who with his dimensional and temporal abilities brooked no assailants to further damage the Obsidian Wilds. He brought with him a great host of dragons, magical and powerful in their own right.
Alone, each was a major tactical threat to be dealt with. Together, in concert, frequently riding in upon the backs of dragons, they were enough to give each side pause - and not only that, but they were hardly the only ones who desired peace. Other warriors, other mages, all flocked to their banner - the end of that long, dreadful war.
Outcome:
Alexandria was the first to cease aggressions as their hero stared them down, standing between them and "the enemy." The dominoes fell slowly, as one by one, the major nations began to cease attacking the other. Ambassadors and leaders of the world eventually met in one of the remaining colonies, moderated by the "Dragon Knights" as they had come to be called.
Concessions were made, as part of the treaty. Further colonization of the Obsidian Wilds was forbidden. Those colonies that still existed would be allowed to remain, as some colonists had already lived there for several generations, but modern technology would be taboo. They would only be allowed to stay if they took care of the land and worked to undo the damage of the Wave and the Black Sand which gradually continued to wear away at the few small parts still inhabitable on the shorelines.
A group of Dragon Knights - Beastfolk and Wild Fey, the better to appeal to the natives - volunteered to act as the local governing body alongside a committee of other elected colonists, the better to guide and aid the transition/restoration process. Obelisks lined with hieroglyphic spells were created to keep the sand at bay. The resulting rustic-but-happy nation of its own, still struggling with the sand, has come to be known as "Deshet."
Likewise, the Beastfolk were given full control of their own continent, which they renamed the Dominion, or the "Beastfolk Dominion" as it is called in most circles. Those colonists that remained either became citizens or aliens on visa. Due to the little fighting that took place there, and the way in which many a colonist had themselves aided in the revolution for Beastfolk equality, relations between the Beastfolk and the "foreigners" that remained in the Dominion was less strained than it could have been. Beastfolk equality would come to Alexandria and Greenwich on their own terms in the decades that followed, though prejudice still remains in the hearts of many.
While the Ruthenian representative signed the treaty like everyone else, the government refused to submit or to make reparations after it was all over. Thought to just be stubborn on the matter, they were given several warnings every few months. Then, an unwillingness to recognize the Dominion's or Deshet's sovereignty led to a brief but violent conflict between them and the other nations as they endeavored to retake their colonies after the war - in clear violation of the treaty.
The Dragon Knights routed the military offensive with as nonlethal measures as possible, and then pressed on to Ruthenia itself. It was then that the country, clearly having prepared for this eventuality before ever making the first assault, activated a massive necromantic nation-wide barrier of incredible strength, fueled by - in all likelihood - souls.
Knowing that it would keep the Ruthenian military in so much as keep others out, weary of over a decade of conflict, and concerned at the extent to which the Ruthenian government was willing to sacrifice more lives to the barrier, the Dragon Knights chose not to try and break through. Ruthenia would be left to its own devices while the Knights worked on alternative means of bypassing the barrier. In this way, the world war finally came to a close.
The Dragon Knights, in general, worked to restore much of the land that had been destroyed in the war. Nothing would restore the millions dead, or the sour relationships engendered by years of conflict, but the international unity of purpose was a start. However, rather than dissolve in the years following, the Dragon Knights thought it prudent to stay together, and better organize the number of defenders under their banner as an international emergency response force. Some retired in the years following, of course, and most of the signature dragons went back to living in the wild, but the organization as a whole remained strong as ever.
Perhaps because their Captain was a founding member, Alexandria donated land to the budding organization. The Dragon's Keep, a castle of deceptively advanced technology and magic in the mountains, now acts as one of two main bases. The other, largely kept secret from public knowledge, is the Eyrie - a cloaked space station that watches over all the world.
Due to the events of the war, Alexandria and Greenwich as a whole have endeavored to use more eco-friendly forms of energy. Alexandria has sought solar, wind, and water sources. Greenwich has instead found a largely renewable source of energy in the form of steam.