Great War

The Great War was fought among the members of the Prime Pantheon with the forces of Order and Chaos arrayed against each other.
Little is known about the details of many battles fought during the war, but the final battle created the Wasteland and resulted in the defeat of the forces of Chaos and their binding within a prison designed by the gods of Order. Additionally, the Ancients disappeared at the end of the war and have not been seen since then.

The Conflict

Prelude

While the exact cause of the Great War has been lost, many scholars and theologians speculate that one of the primary triggers was the attempt by some of the sorcerers of the Ancients to ascend to godhood through magical means. This provocation triggered actions by both the Lawful and Chaotic sides of the Prime Pantheon leading to escalating conflicts that eventually broke out into a full war between the two major factions within the Pantheon.

Outcome

In the immediate aftermath of the Great War, the Chaos gods were sealed away from the mortal world for punishment in attempting to destroy the Order god's creation.  Any followers that remained of the banished god lost any divine power that were derived from them.  The forces of Order hunted the remnants of the Chaos armies and attempted capture those who they though could be rehabilitated and destroyed those who were beyond redemption.
Among those who were lost at the conclusion of the Great War were the Ancients.  While they did not uniformly side with the forces of Chaos, many did, but after the conclusion of the war, their cities lay in ruins and none of them could be found.  Some say they were all killed, while others say they went into hiding.  Some believe that they left our plane of existence to find a place of their own on another.  Whatever the truth of the matter, only ruins and relics of this once powerful arcane race remained after the conclusion of the Great War.

Aftermath

The War had lasting effects on the entire world, reshaping not only the direct influence of the gods upon the world, but changing the geography and even the heavens.   Many lands were destroyed or sank beneath the waves during the conflict while seas boiled away revealing new lands previously unseen.  
The most notable of these changes created a tremendous desert Wasteland to the east of what now is the Empire of Illyria. Few attempt to cross this barren desolate land and any who have tried are never heard from again. Legends speak of lands that once existed to the east of the Wasteland. But with the now impenetrable barrier blocking travel in that direction, it is unclear if those lands still exist or were swallowed up during the final battle.

Historical Significance

Technological Advancement

The Great War brought the masterful technology of the Ancients to the ground, smashing their flying cities from the sky. The war devastated lands and sent mortals hiding for their lives. When the fighting eventually ended, these survivors emerged and found the world greatly changed. The cities and countries that they once knew were gone and the lands were filled with wild, monstrous creatures. The hearty people who lived through this tumultuous times had to use their wits and the limited supplies available to them to survive. As a result, much of the knowledge, skills and technologies so common in the daily lives of people from before the war had disappeared. Only though time has the world been able to recover. Still to this day, though, the civilizations have yet to fully rise back to the heights of knowledge that the previous cultures had reached.
Some of the relics of the ages before the War still can be found and treasure hunters scourer the old ruins of these cultures looking for remnants of the power they once controlled.  While very uncommon to find in the current time, new items continue to be found.  These times tend to have little power and act as mere trinkets with trivial or cosmetic functions, indicating that they were once ubiquitous in the time of the Ancients.  Still, on occasion, some item of power is found and can fetch a tremendous value in the right market.  Items that appear to have military or political power often are confiscated by the Empire and the Arcanum studies these with great intent.  Because of this, there is a thriving black market for these items where such finds can command amazing prices.   As a result, relic hunters often operate in the grey areas of society, working to maximize their profits on finds they know to be unique and valuable.
While many of the ruins within the Empire have been thoroughly searched and anything of value removed, active sites still can be found along the borders of the Empire.  Particular of note are the areas to the north and northeast of the Empire along the Termat Range and to the south in the Swamp of Selnge.  Some ruins are also noted to be found on the boarders of the Wasteland, but those are rumored to be quite dangerous as lingering elements of the undead still roam.

Conflict Type

War

Conflict Result

The forces of Order defeated those of Chaos and locked them away for all time