Shattering of Skies

Covenants sundered. Blood scattered. Peace - well and truly shattered. The actions of few destroyed the hopes of many.

No single power is ever destined to rule eternal, and even the best of intentions can lead to bitter strife. What had once been a confluence of powers turned to chaos and war under the guidance of a dark-scaled beast, and the Draconic Pantheon drew back in shame as their sons turned weapons upon one another.
The Shattering of Skies is the best-remembered draconic war, taking place over the skies of Iskaldhal in the Era of the Divine before Torag's chosen had yet left the ground where the Heartforge of Iskaldhal would stand. No participant still lives, but draconic memory may be inherited and shared - through this, the Shattering is never forgotten. Regardless of the differences between chromatic and metallic, regardless of any other racial commentary - all dragons recognise their history, and all remember what happened.

It's all very well that they remember what happened, but... would it kill them to let the rest of us know?! There's nothing on this in any of our books! Even the Endless Archives supposedly only kept fragments of draconic lore in respect of a god we don't even know the name of!

— a very vexed dwarven researcher on the Shattering

What is rumoured to have occurred - as put together from small scraps of barely-translatable runes and information bartered from the youngest and most immature of dragonkind - is betrayal of the most insidious kind. Factions of many colours seeding chaos amongst the peaceful nations to spark a war that would lead to a vacuum in power that they could fill - as is usual for political dramatics - spurred on by the one deity of dragonkind never spoken of by any. A war that turned harsher than any other, slaughtering incredible numbers and breaking more in a manner that would shake modern mortals to their core.
There even lies the potential for the name to be literal: the destruction of something (or perhaps, someone). Cautious scholars posit that, given the unmentionable state of one deity as occurred after the Worldrend many thousands of years later, the Shattering is another name for a war that led to the death of a god - at draconic hands. This suggestion has been brought up to the current-day dragons with little success and much viscera.

The Conflict

Aftermath

The most well-known ripple effect of the Shattering would be the withdrawal of the Draconic Pantheon from public knowledge and presence. Though they still respond to prayer to this day, the Divine War was not necessary for them to pull all direct influence from Istralar: their own people did that to themselves. Secondly... prior to the Shattering, draconic civilisation was more widespread than mortal civilisation today. Their technology advanced in leaps and bounds, their god-given magics pushing them to new lengths over their extreme lifespans.
It was all lost in the Shattering. It has never, and will never, be reborn. Dragons remain a nomadic and selfish species, rarely cohabiting for any period longer than is necessary to mate. The Shrines of Stone are left as monuments, but most other signs of what once was have long since been destroyed or hidden by draconic claw. The calamitous Worldrend only assisted in that, many millennia later.

Conflict Type

War

Start Date

Early ED - exact unknown

Ending Date

A century or so after the initial start.

Conflict Result

Devastating loss for all sides. No clear victor.

Location

Iskaldhal

Belligerents

Dragonkind

Strength

Unknown - presumed immeasurable

Casualties

Millions.

Objectives

Unknown.

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