War of Creation

Night of Missing Eggs

In the final year of the war, the balance of power was all over the place. The mortals under Helle were a formidable force, while Phrixus's mortals were laughable. Nycek Daxur tried his best, but the plans of his second-in-command, Axitan Yelrath, were constantly failing, and they were lucky to escape with their lives and their village intact. Most people believed Lalraan Tilrak would die before he ever lifted his sword again, his injuries seemingly never improving. Meanwhile, Talriad Nimphonker kept getting more skilled with his magic, Voleth Saxan was leading his people with increased morale, and a new leading figure in the army arose: Krimmic Lormorn. If Talriad Nimphonker had been considered fanatical in his devotion to Helle, Krimmic was far worse. He was called the Nightmare of Bortan, and the children of Phrixus's followers had nightmares about what he would do to them for the sins of their parents.   This was at first considered an unfounded fear until an event known as the Night of Missing Eggs. Draconians in Bortan woke to find their eggs and hatchlings missing from their cradles. A message was sent out that morning by Krimmic Lormorn, demanding surrender from all of Phrixus's forces or else the eggs would be drowned in the Great Sea and the Hatchlings would be stranded in the Elven Forest to starve.   Axitan Yelrath told the leaders of Phrixus's army that they needed to give in. Lalraan Tilrak, still bedridden, demanded to be brought to face Krimmic.

"Even in this state, I could take the upstart. Let him face justice!"

— Lalraan Tilrak

Nycek Daxur forced Lalraan to stay in bed, and said he could handle it himself. Praying for (and receiving) a blessing from Phrixus, Nycek walked into the camp of Helle's army. He was a large man who was not capable of sneaking around, but there were few who could take him in a fight, and he made sure to avoid Talriad and Voleth (who he'd known well before the war, and therefore knew their behaviors and schedules well enough to avoid them even years later). Krimmic Lormorn instead faced Daxur, laughing at the idea that Nycek could possibly do something to him.   The issue with the perception of Nycek Daxur was that he was a spoiled child, the first heir of the first Draconian. He was generally seen as the thing most Draconians were worried about; they feared they'd become soft and content with meaningless lives, and before the war that was certainly true. This was most evident in the ceremonial robes of the ancient Draconians, which he wore on a regular basis.   But Nycek had found a new purpose in the battles, and as he faced Krimmic he held his spear aloft in one hand a glass of wine in another. Staring Lormorn down, Nycek chugged the wine and declared:

"You will release the captive children, hatched or not, back into the custody of their parents. You will refrain from picking up that blade of yours, for you know you can't wield it with half of the skill I do. Do this, or you will find this chalice full again with a draught made of your blood and the tears of all who will miss you. I fear you'll find the mixture far too unbalanced, for your body has quite a bit of blood, and not a tear will be shed over your corpse."

— Nycek Daxur

Lormorn did pick up his blade, but it was easily batted aside by Nycek, and fearing for his life, Lormorn released the children. He was severely punished by Talriad Nimphonker for this, and swore that he would make up for his failure in the battles to come. To his credit, he did. After all, Helle's army was at its best when it was held together by the capable Draconians in charge, and Lormorn was a young star who had done what he needed to do. After all, division had been sown in the camp of Phrixus, and Lalraan Tilrak still didn't step up. The time was coming to end the war, and all they needed to do was kill Lalraan Tilrak. They just needed one more opening.  

The Treason at the Peak

However, as good as the mortals of Helle's army were doing, she was being helled back by the Dragon Lords, while Phrixus's army was carried by Kath and his siblings. It kept the war at a stalemate, as Kath refused to slaughter all of the Draconians, but the Draconians couldn't take down Kath. Helle pushed her Dragon Lords to contribute more, rather than undermining each other. Meghorranth's plans had previously been torn apart every time Zome rampaged, but under Helle's orders the two began working together, utilizing Zome's strength and Meghorranth's brains to try and take down Kath. They still couldn't do it, but they were beginning to wear him down, and as the battles went on, Kath began to worry that he would not be able to hold out much longer. He had Yddris the Redeemer, the Silver Dragon Lord, but Yddris could only help in a support role, healing the Draconians and Kath when he got too injured.   There was another Dragon Lord aiding Kath at this point: Brunnir the Brave, the Bronze Dragon Lord. Brunnir had taken Draconian form, saying it was best to fight alongside them as one of them. Few even knew he was there, as they believed he was just another soldier. Even after the war, Brunnir would remain in this role, taking a new form to defend Bortan in every generation. But in this war, he was especially active, as he had to fight other Dragon Lords almost every day. If one is to consider any Dragon Lord the MVP of the war, most say it is Brunnir the Brave.   But Kath wanted Cano the Greater's help. He needed it if they were to win, and Cano since the very start of the war. His odd behavior made Kath worry, but he hadn't had a chance to check up on his brother. He needed Cano the Greater. He needed a sign that they could still win.   The time came, two years into the war, when finally Kath saw Cano in the distance, atop the Peak of the World. This mountain was the first nest of Kath, where he had been born, and now served as a sign of hope for the Gold Dragon Lord. The battle that month had been particularly grueling, and everyone was starting to grow exhausted. Feelings among Phrixus's followers were lower than ever, as it was almost certain that Lalraan would die. Yddris couldn't figure out why, no matter how much he healed him, the injuries would not go away. Kath feared he'd be the final one standing, but when Cano appeared over the horizon, hope reemerged, and Kath called out for his brother to help.   It is said that a soldier named Pilthix Shurrash was standing next to Kath in that battle. And in the instant Cano flew over Bortan, his tail split Shurrash in two, as the Iron Dragon Lord grabbed Kath the Eternal by the neck and threw him back to the Peak of the World. Kath crashed into his nest, heartbroken but willing to hear his brother out. But Cano began to lecture Kath on how he'd felt so inferior to him before, but now he would come out on top. Now he would defeat the golden boy of Phrixus and rise above all those that their father loved more than him. He'd be loved more than Kath, more than Lalraan, more than all those mortals who'd die on the battlefield. He would be the greatest in the world.   What else was said in the battle between the Gold and Iron Dragon Lords is up to the interpretation of myths and histories told all over the world. But their battle, grand as it was, happened simultaneously to Talriad's ultimate plan. The final invasion of Bortan.  

Clash at the Chief's Hut

The final battle of the war simultaneously happened alongside Cano's treason. With no Gold Dragon Lord to guard the village, Talriad led his forces into Bortan with the intent to fully capture it while Kath was gone. The Helle forces surrounded the village under the command of four different generals. In the north, Voleth Saxan led the brunt of the army. He was intercepted at first by Wood Elves from the Elven Forest, but they decided to leave him be, as this was not a fight they had any stake in. From the east came Krimmic Lormorn, with another sizeable army. From the west, Romeas Wrakris and Zome Lord of Red led the few who dared stand alongside the destructive Red Dragon Lord. Finally, Meghorranth the Cunning did not set foot in the village, but lurked in the Great Sea to the south. Anyone who fled into the water for safety would find no comfort with the Dragon Lord waiting.   Nycek Daxur and Axitan Yelrath faced Krimmic Lormorn and Brunnir the Brave stood against Romeas and Zome, while Yddris the Redeemer was left against Voleth Saxan. The thought behind this was that he may refuse to fight, but he could keep the soldiers alive at least. But there was no sign of Talriad Nimphonker. Where had he gone? Was he sitting out the grand battle around Bortan?   Brunnir stood against the most mighty Dragon Lord alone. It is said to have been a legendary stand, where Phrixus gave him every blessing he possibly could. The mountains to the west were set ablaze, and the village itself would have been destroyed if Brunnir did not use the Holy Might of Phrixus to push Zome back. When Zome was defeated, with many of his soldiers getting killed by him rather than Brunnir, only Romeas Wrakris remained. He offered Brunnir anything he might want in exchange for his freedom, but Brunnir is said to have hit Romeas so hard he sent him into the Strait of Ildial halfway across the world. The Bronze Dragon Lord wanted only one thing: to protect Bortan as Phrixus asked of him. And he would not give an inch of ground in this battle.   The same could not be said for Yddris the Redeemer. Try as he might to stop Voleth Saxan, he could not do it in the way he wanted. Voleth had given up on the reason he once had to stop the war, knowing that Talriad would never give up and neither would Lalraan. One of them had to die, just as the soldiers did, and even Yddris couldn't stop that. He wanted to. Yddris wanted to prevent even his soldiers from killing their enemies, but the bodies kept falling, and Voleth finally accepted his place in this war. He was not in it to give up while they were ahead. He would not quit the war because he was afraid of dying. Surrounded by the corpses of his soldiers, Voleth swore that he would fight until there was no chance of winning left.

"If I must die, I will not do it with my back turned to the battlefield. A warrior must stand for something, mustn't they? I believe in Talriad's plight. I believe in Helle. I believe in the future I wield this magic for. Everything I stand for, if it is worth anything at all, must be something I will die for, or else what am I still alive for?"

— Voleth Saxan

And as his resolve strengthened, his magic had a new effect. The bodies of his fallen comrades rose, inspired by his words, and began fighting by his side again. This is the very first instance of necromancy practiced by Draconians, though likely not the first in the world (as it is believed the Elf Licvan beat him by a decade or so). This army of corpses pushed by Yddris, restraining him and allowing Voleth (the sole survivor of that front) to pass into Bortan.   Nycek Daxur and Axitan Yelrath had better luck against Krimmic Lormorn. Nycek already felt confident about facing Lormorn, but the zealot had grown more powerful since the Night of Missing Eggs. Axitan however was able to point out Lormorn's great weakness. His lightning magic was still unfocused, and if that was the case, they just needed metal. Yelrath had a plan to win with that in mind, and so Nycek held off Lormorn while he set the plan in motion. Luckily for them, Lormorn was distracted with the seething hatred he had for Nycek, and so Axitan was able to take all of the armor and weapons from the soldiers on that front of the war, as Lormorn told his army to stand back while he fought. Axitan bundled the armor and weapons together and gave the signal to Nycek, who knocked Lormorn into the bundle. Covered in lightning, this amplified the electricity, shocking him and knocking Lormorn out. His army retreated, knowing there was no way for them to defeat Nycek, Axitan, and the army of Phrixus. Nycek told Axitan to check on the other fronts, as he said that he had to get into the village. Lalraan needed him.   Talriad had been snuck in by Meghorranth, when she was certain no one was watching. He snuck into the center of the village, to the Chief Hut where Lalraan was laid up. With no Kath to protect them, the guards around the hut were taken out easily by Talriad's magic, and he entered the hut to kill Lalraan Tilrak and end the war for good. But as he entered, he found the bed empty, and the hut itself had no one in it. As he exited, furious, he found a bleeding Lalraan Tilrak standing in the middle of the street, holding his sword and staring down Talriad with murder in his eyes.

"You came for a fight, Talriad. What kind of Chief would I be if I didn't give it to you?"

— Lalraan Tilrak

  Talriad mocked the injured Chief, but he was glad to see there'd still be a fight. He wanted to test out his new powers, and Lalraan hadn't been able to see them since he'd been injured.   Nimphonker underestimated Lalraan's skill in battle, even with his injures he was able to hold up surprisingly well, evenly matched against the mage. Some use this to say Talriad was not a powerful mage, while others insist Lalraan Tilrak was that impressive a warrior. Whatever the case, the battle could not progress until someone else arrived.   Lalraan was lucky that the first to show as Nycek Daxur, who decisively swung the tide of battle in Phrixus's favor. The two defeated Talriad moments before Voleth Saxan arrived to assist him, and while they fought Voleth for a moment, he then found Axitan Yelrath, Brunnir the Brave, and the remaining soldiers of Phrixus surrounding him. As his soldiers had died, Zome's had been captured or killed, and Lormorn's had fled, he was the only soldier left standing over the incapacitated Talriad Nimphonker.   Lalraan dropped his blade, almost falling to the ground before Nycek supported him, and asked Voleth one question:

"Shall we end this, Voleth, or must more blood be shed?"

— Lalraan Tilrak

Voleth Saxan had just gained the resolve to truly fight until the end, but he knew that if that was the case, it would be more than his life on the line. Talriad was on the ground below him, countless prisoners were in Bortanni jails, and he knew Axitan could find where the fleeing soldiers had run off to. He had to decide if his principles were worth the lives of the entire army, and his final decision was that he could not risk the well-being of everyone anymore. He needed to give up for the sake of his people.  

Result

Following the defeat of Helle's worshippers, Lalraan drove back the army, with Voleth Saxan agreeing to terms of peace and convincing his soldiers (particularly Talriad Nimphonker, who was heavily injured but insisted on fighting, saying Lalraan would not be the only one to push through his injuries to victory) to flee, accepting the exile Lalraan had offered at the start of the war.   Lalraan himself never fully recovered from his injuries. He walked with a cane for about a year before his injuries worsened, and after that, he was put in the first prototype for what would later become the wheelchair (though this design was more primitive and simplistic). He could fight if he needed to, but his mobility was severely lacking and some told him he had to step down as Chief. But Lalraan promised that being Chief was not exclusively about fighting, and maintained his position, promoting justice and helping his people as much as he could. Even though he couldn't walk, he enjoyed going for what he called "strolls" (called "rolls" by others) on the edge of the village, to see the mountains, forest, and ocean that bordered Bortan.   But the War of Creation got its name from the things that came about in its aftermath. More than just the lasting effects, settlements and traditions created as a result of this war have impacted the world more than perhaps any other war in history.  

The Village of Evity

Voleth Saxan led the defeated army of Helle beyond the Valley of Creation, giving up when even Talriad wanted to keep fighting. There was still a deep hatred for the worship of Phrixus in the Saxan warrior, but he held it in for his people, leading them to the northern shores of Lashmur Lake, where he built a new village for them.   Evity, as this village would be known, crowned its first Chief in -1880: Voleth Saxan. He would remain in opposition to Lalraan for the rest of his life, even challenging the Chief of Bortan to a duel three separate times (each being denied by Lalraan, who couldn't fight like he used to, though Nycek Daxur did take him up on the offer once), but for the most part he stayed in Evity, prioritizing his people and the growth of his village.   The new village would prioritize magic because of Helle's gift, but the true cultural remnant of the War of Creation on Evitian society would be the way they honored their dead. Death became central to Evity, as the act of dying was what created Evity in the first place. While necromancy would later grow as the main technique practiced in the village, even before that, Voleth taught his people to honor and celebrate their dead as if they were still living beside them.  

Magic and the Draconians

Talriad Nimphonker dedicated his life to studying the gift of magic he had been given by Helle. The idea of magecraft would go on to define early Evitian culture, as Voleth Saxan used it to start the practice of necromancy, but it was Talriad who was the first student and master of all things magic, being the first Draconian to define what would later become the most famous trait of all Draconians: their affinity for and love of magic.   Most Grand Wizard who later led Draconian society would cite Talriad Nimphonker as an inspiration, particularly Kilprax Ildial, who admired the passion, knowledge, and hatred that pushed Talriad to be the best of his era.   The Bortanni, on the other hand, would not reach a breakthrough on magic for another 80 years, with none other than Nycek Daxur's son Impak, while he defended the village again, achieving what took a blessing for the Evitians with nothing more than his sheer willpower.  

The Temple of Helle

While there had been a faith in Helle long before the Draconians, and there was a temple built in Bortan by Wrakris the Orange, that fell apart after the War of Creation.   Nycek Daxur tore down the Bortanni Temple, saying her faith had no place in the new Bortan. Instead, Krimmic Lormorn led some Evitians south of Lashmur Lake, to a peninsula that would later house the village of Tamd.   At the isthmus of this peninsula, Krimmic and Talriad built the Temple of Helle, a massive structure to house the Goddess's treasure and be the central home of her faith. Due to the negativity that had grown around Helle, Krimmic noticed that what had swayed Lalraan against Helle was that Phrixus's teachings were, up close, much more "well-meaning" on the surface. With this new temple, he avoided this by outlawing Helle's followers from entering the temple, keeping their worship at a distance. This way, they could not see the ways that, up close, her teachings benefit her above others, and they could add their own interpretations that allow them to remain with Helle even while, perhaps, disagreeing with the way she does things.   Only the priests of Helle and the Dragon Lords were allowed to enter the temple, though non-followers had no reason to stay out other than the social stigma that would result from breaking the taboo.  

Aftermath

Lalraan Tilrak was grateful to those who had stuck by his side, particularly Nycek Daxur. In return for Nycek's actions, Lalraan named his newborn son Impak Daxur as his successor as Chief, raising Impak and training him daily to become the best Chief, capable of resisting Evitian forces and anyone else who would threaten Bortan.   Of course, this is likely why Impak Daxur is considered one of the greatest warriors in Bortanni history. Not only was his father a hero of the War of Creation, but he was trained by the very man who resisted Helle's forces. The War of Creation left a legacy of heroism in Bortan, and created (with Impak at its head, supported by the Bronze Dragon Lord Brunnir the Brave) a militaristic culture in its wake, so that the Valley of Creation was always safe from outside threats.   Evity and Bortan would remain natural enemies, with constant wars breaking out between the two villages. While there may be other reasons for these wars, such as fighting over other land, principles, or allies, the ultimate goal has always remained the same. Evity wishes to regain the Valley of Creation, and Bortan will protect it with their lives. Still, Evitians and Bortanni have worked together as well, after the unification of the Draconian villages by Kilprax Ildial, studying together at the Magic College of Zephys and fighting side-by-side in conflicts like the Draco-Elvish War. Tensions remain, but so too is there some hope for eventual peace.