The Great Mage War
The Conflict
Prelude
The Great Mage War began several years after Semias Drach, a drow necromancer turned lich, was exiled from the Underdark by a successful coup d'etat. This uprising was triggered by Drach's subjugation and killing of a majority of the Underdark's population. Drach chose to build a new army in an area far to the north, centered around his fortress of Turris Mors. This region would later be separated from the rest of the continent by a colossal wall, built to house the dead and prevent Drach's scattered army from returning to Karkanna.
Deployment
Several deployments were made by both sides during the course of the war. Notable among them were the initial skirmishes between the Necrotic Hand and the Cult of the Sorcerous Fathers in Hoarfrost, the massive battles in the southern lands during the Tarkhun campaign, and the Miner's Rebellion in Delve.
Battlefield
Battlefields varied widely during the war. For a long period of time, the Covenant of the Sacred Dragon fought against the Necrotic Hand in the vast deserts of Tarkhun following a costal invasion, while the Azure Magistratum fought primarily in the temperate areas surrounding Porter and Northrop.
The end of the war saw the seven mage armies descend upon the various strongholds of the Necrotic Hand in the lands north of Hoarfrost, a then-temperate region known as Darnor. The final battle occured at Turris Mors, a fortress standing upon the cliffs near the northern ocean.
Conditions
Fighting conditions varied from place to place and army to army. This typically did not apply to the Necrotic Hand, the bulk of whose forces were made up of undead.
Forces from larger armies, such as the Azure Magistratum, Covenant of the Sacred Dragon (CSD), and the Cult of the Sorcerous Fathers (CSF), typically were able to live in decent conditions while on the march. This was especially true of the Azure Magistratum, whose home country of Northrop was well known for its walking cities and ships, although the majority of these were destroyed or rendered inoperable during the war. For handlers of the Great Scarabs (Magna Scarabaeus) within the CSD, permission was granted to live on the backs of the large beasts, arrangements that were almost always far more comfortable than what was alotted to Menials. The worst conditions observed by the larger factions were by the CSF, who were under siege for the majority of the war.
Conditions were far more uncertain within the smaller armies. Some factions, such as the Shamans of the Primordials and the Druidic Circles of Shao-Lian, were more than capable of living off of the land while on the move, as well as using pillaging raids to supplement what they couldn't find. On the other hand, the Delve Liberation Front often lacked basic supplies and had a very high attrition rate due to cold and starvation.
The Engagement
Notable Engagements
The Tarkhun Campaign: The Tarkhun Campaign was the attempt by the Necrotic Hand to conquer the southern theocracy of Tarkhun via naval invasion. Although Drach's forces were able to conquer a good chunk of the region, they were ultimately driven out by the Covenant of the Sacred Dragon.
The Siege of Hailifax: The Siege of Hailifax was the longest battle of the war, lasting from early 1257 until late 1246. The Cult of the Sorcerous Fathers remained cut off from the rest of the Mage Armies for the duration of the siege, ending with the driving off of the Necrotic Hand by the Azure Magistratum.
The Miner's Rebellion: Beginning in late 1249, the Miner's Rebellion began as a workers' strike in the mine of Delve, which at the time was a vassal state of Porter. The strike quickly grew into a fully fledged rebellion, with its stated cause being the removal of Necrotic Hand collaborators from their soil. As Porter had sided with Drach early in the war, this gave lots of room for interpretation. The rebellion ended in 1244, when Porter capitulated to the combined forces of the rebels, the Order of the Black Sun, and the CSD.
Outcome
The end of the Great Mage War brought about a temporary economic boom, as surviving peoples had greater access to resources and trade following the fall of the Necrotic Hand.
Aftermath
Due to a last-ditch tactic used by the seven mage armies, magic in Karkanna was irreversably suppressed, leading to a sharp decline in the number of mages and magical items in the following millenium. Several famines would occur in the century afterward, especially in nations like Delve, whose populations had been devastated by the war.
The end of the war saw the construction of the Northern Wall, built as a mass grave for the fallen and a permanent barrier to prevent to return of Drach's scattered armies. Although its purpose would be lost to history, it would remain guarded by future generations throughout both times of war and of peace.
Included Conflicts
Conflict Type
War
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
1258 BGC
Ending Date
1242 BGC
Conflict Result
Seven Armies victory.
Belligerents
Azure Magistratum
Led by
Strength
Executors - The footsoldiers and enforcers of the Azure Magistratum, the Executors were the most numerous of all seven mage armies, numbering approximately 350,000 at their pinnacle.
House of Magi - The House of Magi consisted of all mages within the Magistratum. At its peak, the House of Magi numbered 20,000 mages, although their numbers dwindled significantly following the creation of the magic-suppression ward around the continent.
Casualties
The Azure Magistratum, being one of the largest armies in the war, took significant losses. It is estimated that they lost one in every four soldiers and one in every five mages over the duration of the war. Several groups were completely replaced several times over the course of the conflict.
A notable casualty of the war was Ekaterina Desny, the High Guardmaster of the Magistratum and leader of all Executors. She was killed during the Battle of Turris Mors, and it is suggested by some that she was the one who dealt the killing blow to Semias Drach.
Objectives
The Azure Magistratum strived for peace within their home country of Northrop, serving initially as a peacekeeping force for the local government, keeping bandits, raiders, and rogue mages in check. This changed at the beginning of the war, at which point their mission statement became to complete destruction of Semias Drach and his undead armies, the Necrotic Hand.
The Druidic Circles of Shao-Lian
Led by
Strength
There were five druidic circles which comprised the Druidic Circles, each having varying numbers and abilities. These groups were the Wei-Tang Circle, the Zhu Circle, the Xiang Circle, the Lin-Feng Circle, and the Jian-Wu Circle. Each circle was also associated with its own tribe, from which it gathered warriors to fight on the front lines.
The Yuan-Ti of Shao-Lian were the smallest of the seven armies, numbering a mere 5,000 at their height. That being said, they made up for this lack of numbers in cleverness and guile, using ambush tactics to destroy smaller bands of the Necrotic Hand before vanishing into the wilds.
Casualties
Casualties among the Druidic Circles varied widely during the war. When able to practice their hit-and-run strategies in the wilds, the Circles and their tribal warriors were highly effective and suffered few losses. When in a more traditional battle setting however, such as during the Battle of Turris Mors, they suffered mass casualties, sometimes causing the destruction of entire circles.
Objectives
Striving for harmony and balance, the Druids of Shao-Lian saw the destruction purpotrated by the Necrotic Hand as an abomination and quickly gathered forces to fight them. Upon the defeat of Semias Drach, the Druids returned to Shao-Lian, with all but the Jian-Wu Circle refusing to take part in the formation of the Mystic Order.
Shamans of the Primordials
Led by
Strength
The Shamans of the Primordials consisted primarily of Warlocks and sea-faring raiders from the islands that would come to be modern-day Ironhold. At their peak they numbered 2,000 warlocks and close to 50,000 warriors, although severe casualties suffered during the Battle of Eyjagard left them weakened and lacking in manpower.
Casualties
The Shamans of the Primordials suffered heavy casualties, primarily during the Battle of Eyjagard, where the Necrotic Hand sent wave after wave of undead onto the islands, nearly beating out the warlocks and berserkers by a slim margin.
Objectives
Coming from a raiding culture, the intentions of the Shamans was in their own self interest; with no more neighboring countries, there would be nothing to raid. In the end, however, a large group of the Shamans would join the rest of the seven armies to form the Mystic Order, with a small splinter sect remaining on the islands of Eyjagard.
Covenant of the Sacred Dragon
Led by
Strength
The army of the theocratic state of Tarkhun was the only true national army to take part in the conflict as one of the seven mage armies. The Covenant of the Sacred Dragon (CSD) employed many thousands of footsoldiers - referred to as Menials - in their battles, with overall strength numbering somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000.
The Sorcerers of the CSD were some of the best in the world, able to utilize a wide range of magic to serve a great many purposes. Numbering between 25,000 and 30,000 at their apex, these sorcerers were almost always noblity or of the priest-caste of Tarkhun's dragonborn-centric theocracy.
One of the most notable contributions to the war made by the CSD was the Great Scarabs (Magna Scarabaeus), giant desert beetles used as mobile war platforms by the dragonborn of the region for several thousand years. Large wooden platforms were often attached to the shells of the beetles, allowing them to serve as walking artillery platforms for the most powerful of sorcerers, or as moving archer points for skilled bowmen. Unfortunately, the Great Mage War would see the complete extinction of the Great Scarabs, with the last one dying after breaching the walls of Turris Mors.
Casualties
Casualties suffered by the Covenant of the Sacred Dragon were typically very high, owing to their fanatical nature. It is thought that they suffered even higher casualty rates than even the Delve Liberation Front, with one in every two Menials dying in battle and one in every four sorcerers being killed.
The end of the war resulted in the complete extinction of the Great Scarabs (Magna Scarabaeus). These giant beetles once roamed the deserts of modern-day Suncrest and Wyvernhold, but no longer.
Objectives
Originally choosing to remain neutral, the Covenant of the Sacred Dragon entered the war following the naval invasion of Tarkhun by the Necrotic Hand. Similarly to the Azure Magistratum, it quickly became their goal to see to the complete eradication of Drach and his armies.
The Delve Liberation Front
Led by
Strength
Strength varied greatly throughout the war. At their point of greatest strength, the Liberation Front had upwards of 12,000 Militiamen and 1,350 Hedge Mages, although these numbers often fluctuated due to desertions and attrition.
Casualties
The greatest losses of the Liberation Front came from attrition. With no organized government and (for the most part) a distinct lack of outside help, many died due to cold and starvation. When paired with stronger allies such as the Covenant of the Sacred Dragon or the Azure Magistratum, however, the Liberation Front had the lowest rates of attrition of all the mage armies, suffering more losses from battle than from starvation.
Objectives
Beginning as a miner's strike in the small vassal state, the Liberation Front soon emerged to completely liberate Delve from Porter, who had sided with Drach early in the war. Although they never intended to leave their own borders when the revolt began, many volunteered to go take the fight to the Necrotic Hand later in the war, seeing it as a way to prove their fledgling nation's strength.
Order of the Black Sun
Led by
Strength
The Kobolds of the Order of the Black Sun were few in number, having a mere 400 Acolytes and 20 Grand Serpents at the start of the war. Despite their low numbers, many of the Order survived for the majority of the war, with the highest losses being inflicted at Turris Mors.
Casualties
Turris Mors turned out to be the most difficult battle of the war for the Order of the Black Sun. It was an anomaly in the normally low casualty count of the Kobolds.
Objectives
The Order of the Black Sun originated in Soleus, now known as Suncrest. The order itself was comprised entirely of kobolds who wanted Soleus to join the dragonborn theocracy in Tarkhun. It joined the war the moment Tarkhun was invaded, fighting on behalf of the Covenant of the Sacred Dragon throughout the conflict, from the deserts of Tarkhun to the cliffs surrounding Turris Mors.
Cult of the Sorcerous Fathers
Led by
Strength
The Cult of the Sorcerous Fathers had a large presence, drawing forces from the regular army of Hoarfrost, of which many members were high-ranking officers. The army at its peak contained 100,000 footsoldiers and 2,000 sorcerers.
Casualties
Bogged down for most of the war by the Siege of Hailifax, the Cult of the Sorcerous Fathers suffered low casualties until the end of the siege. It suffered greater losses in the campaign to take Drach's strongholds in Darmor, especially in the Battle of Turris Mors.
Objectives
Originally created as a club for high-ranking members of society with a common sorcerous lineage, the Cult of the Sorcerous Fathers fought to preserve their homeland of Hoarfrost for the majority of the war, and later sought to gain extra territory during the push back into Darmor.
Strength
The Necrotic Hand grew exponentially wherever it fought, raising the dead of their enemies to add on to their own forces. It is thus difficult to pin down an exact number of their forces, but estimates place the army that invaded Tarkhun at between 200,000 and 300,000 at the beginning of the campaign.
Casualties
Casualties are similarly hard to calculate for the Necrotic Hand, as there is much debate about whether you can count something that is already dead as a casualty. Regardless, it is estimated the the Azure Magistratum alone burned over 500,000 corpses during their campaigns in Northrop and Hoarfrost, with the Covenant of the Sacred Dragon claiming to have destroyed over 700,000 over the course of the entire war.
Objectives
Formed by Semias Drach in 1258 BGC, the Necrotic Hand served only one purpose: to execute the will of its creator. Often this meant conquering kingdoms, slaughtering the populace, and raising them again to join the army, although this was not always the case. Reports indicate that the Hand fought alongside living troops from Porter during the Miner's Rebellion in Delve, while others claim that the undead warriors of the Hand attempted a second cleansing of the Underdark with aid from their allies in Porter.
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