The First Great Draconian War
The Conflict
Prelude
The Scourge of Contagion (The Breakdown of Order)
The calamity began with Contagion, a swift and highly virulent disease with a terrifying mortality rate that exceeded ten times that of similar plagues in antiquity. It specialized in overwhelming the body’s innate healing mechanisms, manifesting initially as high fever and violent neurological symptoms before leading to rapid systemic collapse. The disease struck indiscriminately across every social stratum and geographical boundary.The Failure of the Old Ways
The established order was utterly unprepared. Practitioners of the healing arts—who, before Imhotep’s ascendancy, relied on tradition and ritual—were helpless. More alarmingly, the very structure of Draconia’s sacred magic failed. Contagion possessed an anomalous resistance property that specifically nullified the standard Divine and Arcane Remove Disease incantations.This medical failure created immediate spiritual panic. Beldor, the Prophet of Ptah, was barraged by desperate pleas for divine guidance. The silence of Ptah was interpreted by the populace as divine abandonment, accelerating the societal breakdown as faith faltered. It is noteworthy that Imhotep, the future God of Medicine, was born into this period of utter despair, his life beginning amid the profound failings of the old medical paradigm.
The Thothian Intervention
Hope emerged not from traditional temples, but from the intellectual rigor of the Church of Thoth. Working from temporary structures near the site of their new University, Thothian researchers theorized that the plague was a geometric deviation in the Luminous Bio-Matrix (the life code described in the Chronicle of Creation). They engineered a complex, specialized modification to the Divine Remove Disease incantation, creating a spell capable of correcting the biological anomaly rather than simply purging the symptoms. This breakthrough allowed the spread of Contagion to finally be contained, though not before billions had perished.Deployment
The War of Scarcity (The Descent into Conflict)
The containment of Contagion did not restore peace; it merely provided survivors a new battlefield. The plague had so severely crippled infrastructure and food supplies that a global War of Scarcity became inevitable. Most countries immediately implemented aggressive resource hoarding and perpetual martial law.The Stable Powers (The Hoarders and the Helpers)
A handful of nations, either through unique governance or extreme geographic isolation, remained stable:Empire of Sirine: Their system of communism proved effective at centrally managing distribution and production, protecting them from the internal panics that crippled others. Their government began a meticulous review of their national surplus, though the process was deliberately slow.
Supreme Republic of Talle: Operating from its continental fortress, Talle’s government enforced strict neutrality, deploying its powerful navy to patrol its territorial waters. Its political strategy was pure defense.
Elysium: This leading elven kingdom successfully managed its internal resources, maintaining enough stability to look outward with caution.
The Forming Coalition of Necessity
Desperation drove the military buildup among the less fortunate. Gionegrast, Grimsharda, the Stonehelm Dominion, and two smaller, unnamed Elven Kingdoms formed a reluctant, functional alliance. Their shared philosophy was Primum Vivere ("First, to Live"): they would use force to acquire the resources necessary to save their populations, challenging the hoarding nations on pragmatic grounds.The Engagement
The final, irrevocable step toward open war occurred when the desperation of the resource-coalition reached a fever pitch.
The nation of Gionegrast, unable to wait for Sirine's slow "Economic Inquisitor" to approve aid distribution, launched a surprise invasion into Sirine's resource-rich borderlands. This singular act of aggression over scarce resources immediately ignited the Draconian War, triggering a chain reaction of alliances and invasions that spread across the globe in a matter of weeks. The war was less a clash of ideologies and more a brutal, localized struggle over grain, iron, and access to clean water.
The nation of Gionegrast, unable to wait for Sirine's slow "Economic Inquisitor" to approve aid distribution, launched a surprise invasion into Sirine's resource-rich borderlands. This singular act of aggression over scarce resources immediately ignited the Draconian War, triggering a chain reaction of alliances and invasions that spread across the globe in a matter of weeks. The war was less a clash of ideologies and more a brutal, localized struggle over grain, iron, and access to clean water.
Outcome
The Tri-Nation Alliance
The stable nations eventually stepped forward to broker peace, leveraging economic power rather than military might. Talle, Elysium, and Sirine convened to form the Tri-Nation Treaty Alliance System. Their policy was transformative: they offered material aid to all struggling nations at minimal administrative cost, demanding in return only a modest, long-term bond repayment. This approach successfully undercut the military rationale for the war, as nations could now gain resources without paying the catastrophic cost of battle. The fighting slowly sputtered to an end.Aftermath
The First Convention and the Divine Command
As the global conflict subsided, leaders agreed to meet at the First Convention of the United Nations of Draconia in Edhenin, Talle's capital, to negotiate a lasting peace. The Dragons had initially declined the invitation to attend, upholding their ancient neutrality.However, two weeks prior, Beldor, the Prophet of Ptah, received the divine message and immediately dispatched a letter, as commanded by Ptah, to the Chairman of the Order of Dragons. This prophecy, sanctioned by Ra, the Lawgiver, mandated the Dragons' intervention.
At the opening of the Convention, Prophet Beldor arrived, accompanied by the Chairman and several high-ranking Dragons. Beldor announced the prophecy to the assembled world leaders, establishing the irrefutable theological necessity for a unified global structure.
The Dragons joined the proceedings, using their immense Lawful authority to enforce the divine mandate. Recognizing the gravity of the command and exhausted by self-destruction, the delegates yielded their sovereignty. They immediately drafted and ratified the International Charter of the Draconic Confederacy, forging a unified government where the Dragons would serve as the ultimate arbiters of Law and global stability.
Start Date
2450 ADR
Ending Date
2443 ADR
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