The War of False Prophets unfolded as a relentless storm of bloodshed and chaos, leaving an indelible mark upon the realm. What began as a realm fractured by internal conflicts and discontent was seized by the rising influence of the New Prophets and the enigmatic figure of Caladhris, the Twice-Born. The alliances that emerged initially crumbled under the weight of division and self-interest, plunging the realm into a brutal free-for-all. Kingdoms collapsed, governments dissolved, and the land descended into a state of utter anarchy. Hate and vitriol were spewed by the Prophets, fueling the fires of conflict, while advisors in ruling houses advocated only for war. The war, marked by its unparalleled brutality, saw the smaller realms fighting against each other and the larger kingdoms too consumed by their own battles to effectively conquer the ravaged lands. The echoes of broken alliances reverberated amidst the cries of battle, as the War of False Prophets plunged the realm into a dark abyss from which it would struggle to emerge.
Pre-War Era
In the age before the War of False Prophets dawned, the realm was mired in the throes of discord and discontent. The ten major sovereignties, like behemoth beasts writhing in a pit of power, engaged in ceaseless internal skirmishes, their harmonies rent asunder. A plethora of petty fiefdoms took root and withered along the fractious borders, ebbing and flowing in the wake of sporadic border disputes that unfolded with the rhythm of the seasons.
Innumerable rogues roamed the primary thoroughfares, brandishing their lawlessness like a cruelly honed blade, severing the lifeblood of commerce, and sowing the seeds of enmity among the mighty kingdoms. Accusations flew like wild crows, each realm casting suspicion upon its neighbors, alleging their hand in stoking the fires of banditry. A storm of ire brewed among the mighty, but the disdain they harbored for the insignificant realms bristled even more fiercely.
Scattered like so many leaves in an autumn gale, scores of minor kingdoms strained under the yoke of survival, ever vigilant against the looming specter of encroachment from their greater neighbors. Open warfare was not the currency of this age, rather the powerful strangled the weak by manipulating the cords of commerce, choking the breath of life from those too frail to resist. Such was the desperation that pervaded, the common folk would proffer their fealty for a mere whisper of sustenance.
Hunger was the unwanted guest at every table, gnawing at the edges of the world, a grim specter stalking the shadows of every hearth. The multitude of commoners, the backbone of each realm, were enchained by their ceaseless battle for mere existence. Every man, woman, and child bound to the merciless grindstone of survival, their dreams dashed on the jagged rocks of reality.
The nobility, ensconced in their ivory towers, found no reprieve from turmoil. Each duchy was a battlefield, each count a general in a ceaseless internal war. Disease and famine, those twin harbingers of despair, held court across the land. Their malignant whispers hung in the air, an omnipresent echo of the suffering that blanketed the world in the era before the War of False Prophets.
Rise of the Prophets and Caladhris
In the decade that heralded the commencement of the War of False Prophets, sanctified figures emerged from the shroud of obscurity, laying claim to divine tongues and the favor of the true deities. The faith in the venerable Old Gods, once as solid as the earth beneath, had begun to crumble like ancient statues, worn away by the relentless winds of time.
The Old Gods bore the brunt of mortals' scorn, their names tarnished and their divinity questioned, particularly in regions where the cruel specters of famine and disease danced their macabre waltz. In these years of disquiet and dwindling faith, these self-proclaimed messengers, these New Prophets of the Dawn, began to establish their presence in the courts of the mighty kingdoms and even the humble halls of the minor realms.
Their prophecy was a clarion call, echoing with a chilling audacity through the realm. They preached of the wrath of the Old Gods that was to be unleashed upon each new dawn, a divine retribution to scourge those who yet clung to their old faith. The warning was wrapped in the promise of a new era, an era of rebirth and renewal.
The fiery rhetoric of these New Prophets found fertile soil in regions where desperation had taken deep root. Where the stomachs growled with hunger and bodies wilted under disease, their words blossomed, spreading like an insidious vine, wrapping around the hearts and minds of the people. Thus, the stage was set, the actors in their places, ready to play out the grand tragedy that would come to be known as the War of False Prophets.
From the depths of myth emerged Caladhris, the Twice-Born. Punished by the gods for their acts and the manipulation of destinies, they straddled the boundary between fae and deity. Cast into an existence of dual nature, their divine essence forever shackled within a fae form, Caladhris emerged with a unique insight into the workings of the cosmos. Out of the murky depths of their punishment, they carried a message that would resonate throughout the realm, reverberating off the towering mountains and echoing through the deepest valleys. Caladhris began to preach a gospel of defiance, casting doubt upon the veneration of the Old Gods, and sparking the first seeds of the War of False Prophets.
The Onset of War
Inspired by the teachings of the New Prophets, the smaller regions banded together to form the Alliance of a New Dawn. United in their military might and fueled by a fervent call for citizens to join the fight, the Alliance, led by the Kingdom of Braebar, marched forth into the lands of their rivals. Fields were razed, and those who dared to stand in their way met a grisly end.
The once-tenuous alliances between the major powers swiftly crumbled as the New Prophets and Caladhris began to sow the seeds of division. The message of peace and unification shifted, morphing into a declaration that the strong should prevail. Each sect within each kingdom advocated for their realm's supremacy, urging them to stand alone. Within a few short years, the alliances fell, plunging the realm into an unrelenting chaos of brutality.
The Unraveling of Alliances
With the collapse of the alliances, a deep-seated hatred took root, fostering an eye-for-an-eye mentality. The Prophets of the New Dawn, along with their leader, the Twice-Born, spewed hate and vitriol, fueling the fires of conflict. Advisors, now seated in every ruling house, offered counsel steeped in warmongering and death.
As the once-united front shattered, the war escalated into a free-for-all of utter brutality. The Kingdoms of Froque, Espary, Atresh, and Shoyque, who had formed the Alliance of a New Dawn, crumbled and withdrew their forces to their original territories. Monarchies fell, and active governments became a rarity. Chaos reigned supreme as the larger kingdoms were too preoccupied with their own wars to successfully claim the devastated regions.
The realm stood at the precipice of a conflict unparalleled in its bloody ferocity, with the war spiraling into a maelstrom of violence and fragmented allegiances. The echoes of broken alliances resounded, drowned out by the deafening sounds of hatred and the relentless march of battle. The War of False Prophets had entered a phase of darkness and desolation, leaving a scar upon the land that would forever mar its history.