FirstEra The War of Five Kingdoms
Timespan: Years 1801-2200 of the Era of Chaos
The First Cracks in Unity
With their ancient allies departed and their traditional sources of wisdom silenced, the five human kingdoms found themselves facing problems that their newfound independence had not prepared them to solve. The economic disruptions caused by the Great Departure created resource shortages, territorial disputes, and competing claims that had previously been mediated by neutral elven or dwarven arbitrators.
The Council of Five Crowns, which had been the cornerstone of human unity for over a millennium, began to show signs of strain as early as the 1820th year of the Era. Without the moderating presence of Aelarion (Pre-fracture) as neutral ground, the meetings became increasingly contentious affairs where kingdom representatives pursued narrow interests rather than collective benefits.
King Harrison Swiftblade the Third of Verdant Reach arrived at the 1823rd Council meeting with demands that reflected the new reality of human isolation. His kingdom’s agricultural output had declined significantly without elven soil management expertise, and he insisted that The Kingdom of Lenthir share their agricultural innovations to compensate for the knowledge lost during the separation.
“We stand together as human brothers, or we fall separately as mortal fools,” he declared to the assembled rulers. “Lenthir’s agricultural mastery was built on foundations we all contributed to. In this time of trial, that knowledge must serve all human needs, not just the prosperity of a single kingdom.”
Queen Isabella Goldenheart the Third of Lenthir responded with indignation that revealed how much human diplomatic culture had changed in the absence of other races’ moderating influence. “Verdant Reach chose to prioritize political posturing over agricultural development during the years when wisdom was freely available. Now you demand the fruits of our labor and innovation as if failure deserves the same rewards as success.”
The exchange would have been unthinkable during the golden age of human cooperation, but without elven advisors to provide historical perspective or dwarven mediators to suggest practical compromises, the dispute escalated into a formal trade embargo that lasted three years and set the precedent for future conflicts.
The Whispers Grow Bolder
Zoroth, the Hollow Prince, observing the breakdown of human cooperation with growing satisfaction, began to make his whispers more direct and aggressive. Where once he had simply amplified existing doubts and resentments, he now actively planted new ideas and suggestions that pushed human leaders toward increasingly destructive choices.
The genius of his evolved approach lay in how he adapted his whispers to each kingdom’s specific circumstances and the personality of their leaders. His voice no longer came as abstract questions about fairness and justice, but as practical advice about how to address urgent problems facing mortal rulers with limited time to find solutions.
To Caernast’s leaders, struggling with declining maritime trade due to the loss of elven navigation expertise, he whispered of the untapped wealth flowing through Sylmaran Ruins’s secretive trade networks. “They hoard knowledge and wealth while your sailors risk their lives in dangerous waters without proper guidance. The isolation they imposed on themselves should not protect them from the consequences of their selfishness.”
Admiral Marcus Stormheart the Third found himself contemplating military solutions to economic problems - thoughts that would have horrified his predecessors but seemed increasingly reasonable as Caernast’s ports emptied and unemployment spread among his kingdom’s maritime workforce.
To The Kingdom of Noldruun’s magical researchers, frustrated by the limitations of purely human magical techniques, Zoroth suggested that other kingdoms were deliberately withholding magical knowledge that could solve humanity’s problems. “They demand the benefits of magical innovations while contributing nothing to their development. Perhaps it is time they learned to appreciate the true value of Noldruun’s contributions.”
Archmage Lyralei Starweaver the Fourth began to view her kingdom’s magical superiority not as a responsibility to help other humans, but as leverage to be used in extracting concessions and resources from kingdoms that had taken Noldruun’s contributions for granted.
The Cascade of Conflicts
The first actual warfare between human kingdoms erupted in the 1847th year over what historians would later call the Riversource Dispute. A massive drought, exacerbated by Lenthir’s intensive farming methods and lack of elven water management knowledge, threatened crop failures across multiple kingdoms.
The River Goldflow, which originated in Verdant Reach and provided crucial irrigation for Lenthir’s agricultural heartland, became the focus of competing claims when Verdant Reach attempted to redirect more water to their own struggling farms. Lenthir’s response was swift and aggressive - they deployed military forces to secure “traditional water rights” that had never needed formal definition during the era of cooperation.
Queen Isabella Goldenheart the Third justified the military action in terms that revealed how profoundly human thinking had changed: “Our people face starvation while Verdant Reach’s forests drink water that could save human lives. We will not allow our children to die of thirst while our neighbors hoard resources behind borders drawn by ancient friendship.”
The conflict escalated when Noldruun’s mages, promised territorial concessions by Lenthir in exchange for magical support, used weather magic to redirect rainfall patterns in Lenthir’s favor. Verdant Reach responded by hiring Sylmaran Ruins artificers to create devices that could disrupt magical weather control, paying for these weapons with logging rights in previously protected forests.
What began as a resource dispute had become a complex web of shifting alliances and betrayals that drew in all five kingdoms within two years. Caernast, initially neutral, was drawn into the conflict when Lenthir’s military expansion threatened trade routes that Caernast’s economy depended upon.
The Breakdown of Human Diplomacy
The diplomatic skills that had once made humans the premier mediators and bridge-builders of Eldara, the Shimmering Veil proved inadequate to resolve conflicts between human kingdoms pursuing purely human interests. Without the moderating influence of longer-lived races, human negotiations became dominated by urgency, personal pride, and the pressure of leaders who knew they had limited time to achieve their goals.
King Harrison Swiftblade the Third’s attempts to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the Riversource Dispute were undermined by advisors who argued that compromise was a luxury that mortal kingdoms could not afford. “Elves can wait centuries for problems to resolve themselves,” his chief counselor Lord Marcus Bloodthorn argued. “We must seize solutions while we live to implement them.”
The failure of traditional human diplomatic methods created space for new approaches that emphasized speed and decisive action over patience and compromise. Military solutions, which had once been considered only as last resorts, began to seem like practical responses to urgent problems that diplomatic processes were too slow to address.
Zoroth’s whispers reinforced these tendencies at every opportunity, suggesting that the other kingdoms’ diplomatic overtures were merely attempts to buy time while they prepared for inevitable conflicts. “They speak of peace while sharpening their swords,” he would murmur to increasingly paranoid human leaders. “Strike first, or be destroyed by those who mistake your honor for weakness.”
The War of Succession
The conflicts escalated dramatically in the 1863rd year when King Harrison Swiftblade the Third died unexpectedly during a border skirmish with Lenthir forces, leaving Verdant Reach without a clear heir. The succession crisis that followed revealed how completely the bonds of human brotherhood had deteriorated.
Prince Marcus Swiftblade, Harrison’s eldest son, claimed the throne based on traditional primogeniture. However, his younger brother Prince William Swiftblade challenged this claim, arguing that Marcus’s aggressive military policies had betrayed Verdant Reach’s fundamental principles of harmony and balance.
Under normal circumstances, such disputes had been resolved through the Council of Five Crowns, with other kingdoms serving as neutral arbitrators. However, the other kingdoms saw the succession crisis as an opportunity to advance their own interests rather than preserve human unity.
Lenthir supported Prince William’s claim in exchange for promises of water rights and territorial concessions. Noldruun backed Prince Marcus, hoping his military experience would prove useful in their ongoing conflicts with Caernast over magical research rights. Sylmaran Ruins initially remained neutral but eventually supported William after secret negotiations that promised them exclusive trading rights through Verdant Reach’s ports.
Caernast found itself isolated and surrounded by hostile alliances, leading Admiral Marcus Stormheart the Third to make a decision that would shock even his own advisors - he invited Prince William to use Caernast’s naval forces to launch amphibious assaults on Verdant Reach’s coastal settlements in exchange for military alliance against the Lenthir-Noldruun coalition.
The Age of Human Warfare
What followed was a period of warfare unlike anything human civilization had ever experienced. The technical innovations and magical knowledge that had been accumulated through centuries of peaceful cooperation were now turned toward military applications with devastating effectiveness.
Noldruun’s battle-mages unleashed magical devastation that had never been tested against human opponents. Spells designed to clear forests for farming were weaponized to destroy enemy fortifications. Weather magic intended to improve crop yields became tools for creating devastating storms over enemy territory. The kingdom’s Crystal Gardens, once centers of learning and beauty, were converted into workshops for creating magical weapons of unprecedented power.
Sylmaran Ruins’s master craftsmen applied their legendary precision to the creation of siege engines and weapons that combined artistry with lethality. Their artificers developed new technologies specifically for warfare - portable catapults that could be assembled by small teams, explosive devices that could breach the strongest fortifications, and armor that provided protection while allowing for the mobility that human military tactics required.
Caernast’s naval innovations revolutionized warfare by bringing maritime military technology to land-based conflicts. Their engineers developed mobile siege platforms that operated like ships on land, while their naval infantry tactics proved devastatingly effective against opponents who had expected traditional land-based military approaches.
Lenthir’s agricultural knowledge was perverted into tools of war through the development of biological weapons - crop blights designed to starve enemy populations, and the tactical use of famine as a weapon of conquest. Their understanding of logistics and supply chains made them formidable opponents capable of maintaining military campaigns far longer than their enemies expected.
Verdant Reach, split between two claimants and their respective foreign backers, became the primary battlefield where these innovations were tested against each other with horrific results.
The Corruption of Human Nature
As the wars intensified, the very characteristics that had once made humanity great began to be corrupted into tools of destruction. Their adaptability became ruthless pragmatism. Their innovation became focused entirely on more effective methods of killing. Their ability to synthesize different approaches was perverted into finding new ways to combine military technologies for maximum devastation.
Zoroth’s influence, no longer subtle, began to manifest in the actual behavior and decision-making of human leaders. The whispers that had once asked reasonable questions now provided detailed tactical advice and strategic suggestions that pushed the conflicts toward greater intensity and broader scope.
“Your enemies show no mercy, so mercy becomes weakness,” he would suggest to generals planning their campaigns. “They fight for their kingdoms’ survival, so you must fight for their kingdoms’ destruction. Half-measures ensure only that the war will continue until you lack the strength to finish it.”
The moral restraints that had once limited the scope of human conflicts were systematically eroded by arguments that emphasized the existential nature of the struggles. Leaders who had once considered civilian casualties unacceptable began to justify targeting non-combatants as military necessities in wars where national survival was at stake.
Prince Marcus Swiftblade, defending his claim to Verdant Reach’s throne, authorized the use of magical weapons against civilian populations supporting his brother, reasoning that “traitors forfeit the protection traditionally afforded to non-combatants.” Prince William responded by encouraging civilian uprisings in territories controlled by his brother, arguing that “the people themselves must choose between legitimate and illegitimate authority.”
The Spreading Devastation
By the 1900th year of the Era, the wars had spread beyond their original participants to encompass virtually every human settlement on Eldara, the Shimmering Veil. Villages and towns found themselves forced to choose sides in conflicts they barely understood, facing destruction regardless of their choice as armies swept back and forth across territories that had known peace for over a millennium.
The elemental enclaves, which had maintained neutrality during the early phases of human conflict, began to report disturbing developments as magical warfare intensified. The earth elementals complained that siege magic was scarring the very foundations of the continent. Fire elementals expressed concern about magical flames that burned with unnatural properties that corrupted rather than merely consumed. Air elementals reported that weather magic was creating atmospheric disturbances that threatened natural wind patterns. Water elementals found their domains polluted by magical run-off from battlefields where arcane weapons had been used extensively.
These concerns reached Aelarion (Pre-fracture), where the elven community watched the destruction of human civilization with growing alarm. Lady Silviana Moonwhisper, now ancient even by elven standards, convened emergency councils to discuss whether intervention was possible or advisable.
Ysalyn, who had devoted her long life to understanding human nature and building bridges between races, found herself in the unique position of being one of the few beings who could potentially reach human leaders and remind them of what they had once been. However, her initial diplomatic overtures were rejected by all five kingdoms, whose leaders had been taught by Zoroth’s whispers to view any external intervention as an attempt to exploit human weakness.
The Point of No Return
The 1950th year of the Era marked what historians would later recognize as the point when human civilization passed beyond the possibility of peaceful resolution. The Battle of Broken Crowns, fought near the ruins of what had once been a prosperous border town between Verdant Reach and Lenthir, saw the deployment of magical weapons so devastating that they fundamentally changed the nature of warfare.
Archmage Lyralei Starweaver the Fourth, supporting Prince Marcus’s forces, unleashed a spell that had been designed theoretically but never tested - a magical effect that drained the life force from an entire battlefield, killing thousands of soldiers instantly while transferring their vital energy to power even more destructive magical attacks.
The horror of watching comrades simply collapse and die with no visible wounds, their bodies withered as if aged decades in seconds, broke the morale of opposing forces and demonstrated that human magical research had entered territories that their elven teachers had specifically warned against exploring.
Queen Isabella Goldenheart the Third, responding to this escalation, authorized the use of biological weapons that had been developed from corrupted agricultural knowledge. Lenthir forces deployed plague-enhanced weapons that not only killed enemy soldiers but created lingering contamination that made entire regions uninhabitable for years.
The Battle of Broken Crowns ended with both sides claiming victory, but the true result was the demonstration that human warfare had evolved beyond any possibility of limitations or restraint. The weapons and tactics that had been unleashed could not be contained or controlled - they had become tools that served no purpose beyond total destruction of enemies.
The Hollow Victory
As the 2200th year of the Era approached, Zoroth, the Hollow Prince surveyed the devastation that his whispers had unleashed and found it exceeded even his most optimistic expectations. Human civilization, which had once stood as proof that the balance between light and shadow could create beauty and harmony, had been transformed into a machine for self-destruction.
The five kingdoms remained technically independent, but they were now focused entirely on military competition and mutual destruction. Their populations were depleted by constant warfare, their economies warped by military necessity, their cultures perverted by the glorification of violence and the demonization of mercy.
Most importantly, they had lost the very characteristics that had made them dangerous to Zoroth’s larger plans. Their ability to cooperate with other races, their talent for finding common ground, their skill at building bridges between different perspectives - all of these had been replaced by paranoia, aggression, and an obsession with purely human concerns.
The Council of Five Crowns met for the last time in the 2195th year, not to coordinate policy or resolve disputes, but to formalize the division of human civilization into permanently hostile camps. The meeting lasted less than a day and ended with formal declarations of eternal war between various kingdoms.
Ysalyn, watching from Aelarion (Pre-fracture) as smoke rose from burning human cities across the horizon, wept for the first time in centuries. The beings she had grown up admiring for their courage, wisdom, and capacity for unity had become their own worst enemies, trapped in conflicts that served no purpose beyond the perpetuation of suffering.
The whispers had done their work. Human civilization was destroying itself with an efficiency that no external enemy could have matched. The stage was now set for the next phase of Zoroth’s plan - direct intervention in a world where humanity would be too weakened and divided to offer effective resistance.
Brothers’ blood had been spilled. The bonds of human unity had been severed. The greatest threat to Zoroth’s ambitions had eliminated itself, leaving the way clear for his direct assault on the world above.