The Gigadragonomy

Gigadragonomy Lore Origin/Background
The Gaioforce Extinction destroyed nearly all prehistoric life on Dalterra, Cyregnor, Thagoria, Esgaron & the ocean (the crash sites of the Gaiostones). However, Vulsemar was affected the least, leaving some prehistoric species (mostly reptilian) alive on the continent, including dragons. While they were still hit hard (over 70% of life wiped out), this natural “leniency” allowed the dragons to slowly rebuild their societies as godless beings, rediscovering the magic that they once learned from the Titan Gods and “rebranding” it as the Draconic Elements. They would grow their power on their home continent and fight amongst themselves until their eventual “alliance” as the Drake Oligarchy. It was this temporary exclusion from the rest of the world that allowed humanoid life to develop and form their primitive societies. Very few of the Primordial Dragons (primal ancestors to the Vulsemarian Dragons) survived on the other continents, as their bones can still be found littered across them. With the evolution of the Vulsemarian Dragon, the Primordial Dragons eventually went extinct, though it is unclear whether this happened before the Gigadragonomy (via conflict with early humanoids or difficulty adapting to a non-prehistoric food source) or during the Gigadragonomy (via competition with the Vulsemarian Dragons).
The Wyrmkings
While dragons are selfish, megalomaniacal creatures toughened by their prehistoric hardships &, the dragons of the Gigadragonomy recognized a loose leadership from the Wyrmkings. These were five legendary dragons whose power rivaled that of lesser deities/pagan gods, also referred to as archdragons. Each wyrmking held “domain” over one of the Draconic Elements, the source of magic that pre-dates the Gaioforce & arcane magic.
•Galadros the Ozone Emperor (storm & solar). Galadros has two heads; one for Solar Dragons & the other for Storm Dragons, representing two powerful forces of the sky •Maku the Inferno Tyrant (fire & terra) •Zevectrun the Corrosive King (acid & death) •Artazza the Cold Empress (cold) •Torashan the Venom Queen (poison & life)
These five ruled over dragon kind and ensured that humanoid societies could never truly stand up to the dragons. Many rose and fell under their reign, and there are believed to be no land-based humanoid societies remaining from the time prior to the Gigadragonomy because of this supremacy. Being near godlike in power & deification, the Wyrmkings tolerated each other enough to maintain the Drake Oligarchy, the largest “empire” in Gaion’s history. They dominated all the land masses except for Esgaron, as the Giants were never fully conquered before the Gigadragonomy. They made expansion into the sea as well, with those dragons evolving into various aquatic dragons (named with their DND name)
•Gold Dragon - Forest Dragons that dared brave the sea. Their highly magical nature allowed them to create different colored flames with different properties. They were nearly wiped out in the Dracocide; the few survivors hid in lakes, rivers & other freshwater sources around their old forest domains, imbuing those areas with their mystical presence •Bronze Dragon - Storm Dragons that resided over and entered the sea. They are limited to the coastlines after the Dracocide, as most of their numbers were wiped out in the seas. •Leviathans - Reaper Dragons that entered the sea and evolved into serpentine dragons. They were thoroughly hunted to near extinction in the seas due to their near-apocalyptic nature; the very few that still exist live in the deepest & darkest parts of the oceans, rare to come to the upper levels of the modern sea •Dragon Turtles, evolved from the Inferno Dragons that survived the Dracocide. They created their protective shells from the lava they exuded and gathered in the sea. Their fire breath became steam breath, as an adaptation for underwater use. •Silver Dragons - Frost Dragons that lived in arctic waters, but were driven out of the sea completely. Their modern day descendent lives entirely above sea level; they were so thoroughly wiped out that the modern version no longer bears any of its aquatic adaptations. Evidence of the aquatic predecessor only exists in fossils.

The Wyrmkings were slain by the Ascension Gods at the climax of the war in epic duels depicted in legend/art. Had the Wyrmkings defeated the Ascension Gods, they themselves would have likened ascended to their place of divinity & ensured draconic supremacy in the next eras.
•Hytheron slayed Galadros in the skies above Central Vulsemar. He split the wyrmking down the middle with such power that it caused an inexplicable rift between the Storm & Solar Dragons. They were cursed to never get along and always bear rivalry for domain of the skies, which continues to this day. •Thatos killed Maku at the natural landmark now known as Maku’s Landing. His blood, bones & entrails formed many of the volcanos & lava pools that make up the landscape. Similarly to Hytheron’s kill, the Thatos split Maku in two, creating the separate species of Infernal Dragons (Red Dragon statblock) & Terra Dragons (flightless Copper Dragon statblock). •Cyr slayed Artassa in the Nairvithone Mountains, the magnetic North Pole. Her destructive finisher spread a near-ceaseless blizzard landscape over the re, never allowing the mountains & forests to reach seasonal warmth’s again and blanketing most of it with snow & ice. •Dahli, Syna, Jaga & Maku killed Torashan, which created enough beef between Forest Dragons & Forest Giants for the former to wipe out the latter by the end of the Gigadragonomy. •Gar’gomaut’s pantheon killed Zevectrun in Central Vulsemar. His blood, bones & entrails, said to have been dragged across the entire landscape, formed the dense & deadly swamps of the region •Akana killed Gar’gomaut by ripping the Gaiostone from his chest and hurling it across the sea, creating the Seregan Islands
Legacy
With the Wyrmkings slain, the Drake Oligarchy quickly fell apart from infighting & overwhelming divine force. Dragons were mostly driven back into Vulsemar and essentially kept there forever under threat by the gods. Those that still remained in the rest of the world remained in hiding or were dealt with by the Gigadragonomy veteran societies, who had developed arcane & Gaioforce defenses against dragons & giants alike. Post-Divine Wars, dragons have slowly seeped into the world, but can be somewhat repelled or not be immediately successful against modern societies. Some, like Gothicca, even established secret villages and cults to protect or to receive worship from smaller non-Vulsemar societies. Others, like Thalonius, did the same on Vulsemar, which allowed at least Thalonius to achieve similar (but lesser) deification as the Wyrmkings (currently has a fire & acid head, probably going for more).
Most (if not all) arcane magic is originally based in Draconic. The word arcane comes from drakanne, the Draconic word for magic. Humanoid societies learned from watching (and occasionally killing) the dragons during the Gigadragonomy, and developed it as its own source by the end.

Dragonborn origins
In the early years of the Gigadragonomy, the dragons tested the loyalty of their humanoid subjects by basting their most reverent/worshipping villages & towns with their breath weapons, loaded with a twist on their magic. Those touched by their overlord’s breath that exhibited pure, undying loyalty to the dragons would have their flesh remade to match their master’s essense. As such, the first Dragonborn were made.
In the middle & later years where concentrated Draconic rulership was prevalent, a dragon with enough worship would occasionally lay an egg filled with an exceptionally powerful Dragonborn, symbolic of the humanoids they rule over. These became known as Drake Pharaohs, indunated with their parent’s Draconic Magic far more than a typical Dragonborn would be. This connection amplified them as Draconic Bloodline sorcerers and allowed them to become warlocks to Ancient Dragons & paladins/clerics to Legendary dragons.
After the Gigadragonomy, both of these phenomenon became rarer and Dragonborn were almost always born through natural means via other Dragonborn.

Fate of the Giants -with their home continent sunk beneath the sea, Gar’gomaut imprisoned at the bottom of the ocean with the Blauri Gaiostone, and the gods driving both dragon & Giant from their claimed continents, the giants found themselves in a tough spot. They were generally pushed back to one of various regions: -those who went East were pushed back to Vulsemar. The giants warred with the dragons there until the dragons gained the upper hand, turning the war into a genocide. Some giant races were rendered extinct (ex. Forest Giants), while the others went North and settled in Eastern Cyregnor (Frost Giants). Lesser giants, such as ogres & the occasional hill giant, still roam the lands -those who went West warred with the dwarves & humans in Hythenos, who formed a rare alliance to keep them back and erected a wall of ice & stone. This wall was infused heavily with the Goultani Gaioforce to resist the giants’ Garonis magic. Frost Giants reside down here. -those who did neither -Thagorian giants warred with orcs -Figure out the distribution of giant types across the world & the other realms
Ironically, ruins of pre-Gigadragonomy societies and settlements during the wars are very rare to find on the terrestrial surface. Instead, Esgaron & most giant lands were destroyed and transmuted to seawater by Akana & the Blauri Gaiostone, now lying in scattered chunks at the bottom of the sea. Many of these ruins are corrupted by the Blauri Gaiostone, laying host to weird dark matter architecture & dangers.
Sea Giants & Forest Giants were driven to extinction after the Gigadragonomy. Some Sea Giants escaped to Ominor, becoming Aquigiants, while those that remained on Gaion were killed or devolved into cyclops on remote islands. Some Forest Giants escaped to Aurofae, becoming Fey Giants, while those that remained on Gaion were killed or devolved into hill giants. Most Solar Giants escaped to Aurofae & Hytheria, while the few that stayed were completely wiped out.

The Conflict

Outcome

• Hytheron claimed Hythenos for the humans, allowing dwarves and halflings to live as second-class citizens compared to humans.
• Dahli claimed Dalterra for Light Elves (Sun, Wood & Jungle Elves), but held Sun Elves in higher regard and status than the others. Forest, Rock & Bog Gnomes became the secondary dominant sentients after the elves.
• Cyr claimed Cyregnor for Dark Elves (Moon Elves & Frost Elves).
• Thatos claimed Thagoria for the Orcs & Goblinoids, with orcs reigning as the dominant sentients.
• Akana claimed the seas for Seafolk (merfolk, cecaileans, & aquatic humanoid races)
• Gar'gomaut was killed by Akana when she used her trident (containing the Blauri Gaiostone) to rip the Garonis Gaiostone out of Gar'gomaut's chest. She flung the stone far off into the sea, pinned Gar'gomaut to the surface of Gar'shuun, the giants' capital city.
• Fall of Esgaron: Akana used the power of the Blauri Gaiostone to kill Gar'gomaut, sink Gar'Shuun to the seafloor, and transmute the rest of Esgaron into seawater (its lifeforms either killed in the initial destruction or transmuted into sealife)
• Heig'aroth (Minor God of Storm & Cloud Giants) was killed by Hytheron
• Ouimat (Minor Goddess of Forest & Hill Giants) was killed by Dahli
• Sthogurd (Minor God of Frost Giants) was killed by Cyr
• Vulca (Minor God of Fire Giants) was killed by Thatos
• Rathuum (Minor God of Stone Giants) was imprisoned by Thatos
• Tatamoui (Minor Goddess of Sea Giants) was imprisoned by Akana's children
• Beginning of the Gigan Genocide against the various giant races
• Origins of the Solternian Empire (Dahli), the Hytherian Empire (Hytheron), & the Lunarchy (Cyr)
• Formation of the Divine Union

Aftermath

• The Garonis Gaiostone landed in the Western Cenolic Ocean, closer to Dalterra. Instead of sinking to the seafloor like it did during the Gaioforce Extinction, the stone's power transformed the region into a volcanic island chain, now known as the Seregan Islands. The flora/fauna of these islands developed an innate connection to the Garonis aura of the Gaioforce, while sentient Garonis life was created by the mixed genetic material of native merfolk & long-sunken Elven sailors caught in the transmutation blast. These people became known as Seregans.
• Storm & Cloud Giants were nearly wiped out from Hythenos, with the survivors driven out & offered asylum in Cyregnor if they swore worship to Cyr.
• Hill Giants were nearly wiped out from Dalterra, with the survivors driven out & offered asylum in Thagoria if they swore worship to Thatos.
• Forest & Solar Giants were rendered completely extinct by Dahli.
• Sea Giants were rendered completely extinct by Akana & her children
• Surviving Stone & Fire Giants in Thagoria swore worship to Thatos, living here permanently.
• Surviving Frost Giants in Cyregnor swore worship to Cyr, living here permanently.
• Vulsemar became the permanent homeland of the dragons. All dragons, whether living in Vulsemar or scattered across the world, were sworn to abide by the Treaty of Dakothsis

Historical Significance

Not much is known about the start or early engagements of the war, as nearly all the humanoid societies that existed at the beginning had been destroyed by the end. What is known is that for most of the war, the dragons and giants were evenly matched, spreading destruction and death to all humanoids caught in the crossfires. Many dragons and giants conquered civilizations instead of outright destroying them, choosing to "farm" them for regular sacrifices. Humanoids mostly reviled, but worshipped their draconic & giant overlords to survive.
By the end of the Gigadragonomy, the dragons & the giants had conquered every continent on Gaion, terrorizing humanoids and nearly drove them to extinction:

• Vulsemar was the new homeland of the dragons, being home to draconic civilizations, reptilian humanoids (dragonborn, lizardfolk, Yuan-Ti, kobolds, etc.), dinosaurs & other reptilian creatures
• Esgaron was the homeland of the giants, being home to giantoids & dinosaurs that migrated from Vulsemar when it was still connected to Esgaron via land bridge.
• Thagoria was the homeland of the orcs & goblinoids. Conquered by Fire Giants, Stone Giants, Hill Giants, Storm Giants, Forest Dragons, Infernal Dragons, Storm Dragons & Reaper Dragons.
• Dalterra was the homeland of the Sun Elves, Wood Elves, Jungle Elves, Forest Gnomes, Rock Gnomes & Bog Gnomes. Conquered by Forest Giants, Hill Giants, Solar Giants, Forest Dragons, Solar Dragons & Reaper Dragons.
• Hythenos was the homeland of humans, dwarves & halflings. Conquered by Storm Dragons with few Storm & Cloud Giants.
• Cyregnor was the homeland of Moon, Frost & Deep Elves. Conquered by Frost Giants with few Arctic Dragons.

It was the combined effort of five of the six High Gods that ended the Gigadragonomy, who led their surviving humanoid counterparts to reconquer their respective continents. While the surviving humanoids rebuilt or constructed new societies, the gods carried out the Gigan Extinction, the largest genocide in Gaion’s history, for the terror and destruction the giants & dragons had spread against the world. The gods successfully wiped out 90% of the giant population, with the survivors either enslaved by Thatos & Cyr or allied with the vampires of Cyregnor in exchange for passage to the divine realms. The dragons were heavily slaughtered as well, but survivors retreated more easily due to their ability to fly.
To definitively end the war and in light of their success together, the gods formed the Divine Union (Dahli, Cyr, Akana, Hytheron & Thatos) and traveled to Vulsemar. However, the events of the Gigan Genocide showed the dragons their fate if they continued war with the gods, so they instead embraced the Treaty of Dakothsis. This allowed them to keep domain over Vulsemar so long as they never invade the other continents again. While some defied this treaty in the beginning, all were slaughtered by the gods and strengthened humanoid societies.

Legacy

The Gigadragonomy shaped Gaion for 1,000 years and led to the rise and fall of countless civilizations, marking it as an era-changing conflict in Gaion's history. Much of the modern-day geopolitical structure is in some way related to the aftermath of this war, despite being mostly lost to history and replaced by lore from the gods.
After the Divine War and disbandment of the Divine Union, some dragons attempted to repopulate parts of Dalterra, Hythenos, Thagoria & Cyregnor, each with varying results:

1. The orcs kept dragons at bay through their Rouzhai Magic & military prowess. Many were killed, with Orc scientists creating genetically altered versions of Infernal & Reaper dragons for their people. Forest Dragons inhabited the same jungles & woodlands as Goblinoids, preying on them in a similar manner as the old Forest Dragons of Dalterra preyed on elves. Infernal & Reaper Dragons inhabited volcanoes, mountains, deserts & open plains of Thagoria, while Reaper Dragons inhabited swamps, caverns, ruins & undead empires.
2. Forest & Solar Dragons re-inhabited Dalterra, but came as benevolent beings who sought desires beyond conquering and killing. Those who remained dedicated to the old ways were driven out or killed by the Warian Collective.
3. Storm Dragons attempted to conquer Hythenos once again, but were defeated by the dwarves and kept at bay by humans. Dwarves genetically modified a less intelligent, smaller Storm Dragon that could be tamed, while humans tamed the Storm Wyverns.
4. Frost Dragons were nearly rendered extinct when they returned to Cyregnor by the Frost Elves, the survivors enslaved or forced into hiding.
5. Aquatic dragon races were rare across the oceans, nearly driven to extinction by the merfolk & cecaileans who reviled them as sea monsters. However, some lesser seafolk, especially reptilian ones, revered aquatic dragons as protectors or deities.

Meanwhile, lesser giantoids spread throughout Thagoria, while many of the true giants had allied with several of the new Vampire Lords of Cyregnor. The vampires used the Daidrin Gaiostone to send these giants to the divine realms in exchange for loyalty in any upcoming conflicts:

1. Fire Giants went to the Thugoran Chaos
2. Storm Giants went to Hytheria
3. Frost Giants remained in Cyregnor
4. Common & Stone Giants went to the Aurovian Wilds

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Planetary

Start Date

3000 BDV

Ending Date

2000 BDV

Conflict Result

Victory for the High Gods & Humanoid Civilizations

Maps

• 

  Gaion (2100 BDV, near the end of the Gigadragonomy)

Belligerents

Dragons

Led by

Strength

1. The true dragon species first appeared and evolved during the Age of Monsters, making them archaeologically older and wiser than the giants.
2. Dragons had developed powerful & ancient magicks during their first era. This Draconic Magic, as referenced by arcane scholars and texts, was unpredictable and nearly incomprehensible to other sentients, giving dragons & their trusted subordinates exclusive access to this primal & powerful source of magic. Draconic Magic is what gives dragons their signature breath weapons and other elemental or mystical abilities.
3. The natural ability of flight gave dragons significant aerial advantages in combat and strong control of Gaion's skies, making transportation and control of distant territories much easier.
4. Draconic societies were older and more developed/complex than those of the giants
5. Used their magic to create Draconic Warbeasts - gigantic monsters/kaiju resembling those from the Age of Monsters that were used in battles against the Giants

Casualties

Heavy; draconic societies around the world were either conquered/destroyed by the giants or liberated (conquered) by the gods during the war, limiting the dragons to the continent of Vulsemar by the Age of Gods. They repopulated the rest of the world during the Age of Mortals after the Divine Vanishment, but did not take any significant domain over it due to the newfound strength of humanoid societies.

Objectives

Full domain over the world of Gaion.

Giant Pantheon

Led by

• Gar'gomaut

Strength

1. The Primal Giants first appeared during the Age of Evolution, with the first of their species born underwater in the Garonis Trench. The Garonis Trench started as a crater from the impact of the Garonis Gaiostone during the Gaioforce Extinction, eventually spreading to form the trench and the Primal Giants within its emerging lava. The leader of these giants was Gar'gomaut, a divine son of Denothis, who used his bloodline to wield and withstand the power of the Garonis Gaiostone by imbedding it into his chest and body. In short, all giants that subsequently evolved from the Primal Giants had an innate connection to the Garonis aura of the Gaioforce.
2. Gar'gomaut mated with each distinct giant species to create his divine children, forming the Giant Pantheon

Casualties

Genocidal; giant territories around the world were either conquered, destroyed or liberated by gods during the Gigan Genocide, committed against the giants to cripple their control of the world. This nearly drove the various giant races to extinction, forcing surviving members to Thagoria, Cyregnor, or the immortal realms (thanks to allyship with the Cyregnorian Vampire Lords).

Objectives

Full domain over the world of Gaion.

Divine Union

Led by

• Akana
• Cyr
• Dahli
• Hytheron
• Thatos

Strength

Each High God within the Divine Union had their own domains that gave them the strength to fight the dragons & giants simultaneously:

1. Dahli, High Goddess of the Sun & Dalterran Elves (daughter of Aurovi)
2. Cyr, High Goddess of the Moon & Cyregnorian Elves (daughter of Denothis)
3. Akana, High Goddess of the Sea & Seafolk (daughter of Aurovi)
4. Hytheron, High God of the Sky & Humans (son of Aurovi)
5. Thatos, High God of Chaos & Orcs (son of Denothis)

Casualties

None; the High Gods succeeded in driving the giants and dragons from power in Hythenos, Dalterra & Thagoros.

Objectives

To liberate their respective humanoid societies from the giants and dragons, conquering them for themselves