The War of Black Ash

A time period of near constant war, strife, and struggle, named for the numerous volcanic eruptions during the era. It is thought that this time period is the closest the world had come since the Permian Era to being devoid of life. The War of Black Ash is mentioned in some capacity by all cultures on Terra today, often being a foundational point of their histories. The period is also known by many other names directly, or the larger period in which many smaller periods are contained in such as The Millennia Without A Summer, The Dark Centuries, The Long Death, War of the Majors, End of Humanity, and Late Human Era.
While today the War of Black Ash is considered to have lasted from roughly 5892 to 6030, its effects were certainly much longer, as this timeframe nearly solely refers to the period of active widespread volcanism and significant tectonic movement. Consistent ashfall and periods wherein the sun was blocked by atmospheric pollution may have lasted for anywhere from a century to several centuries following due to the amount of volcanic particulates in the upper atmosphere and air currents around the globe.

Prelude

The time period prior to the War of Black Ash was dominated by constant war and strife between humans, omnia, other mortals, and the dragons. Political strife due to constant attack by dragons caused many countries to fall into states of upheaval, with many areas abandoning their previous governmental structure in favor of smaller and more regional governments. This was particularly notable in many colonized nations, as due to lack of resources and militaries being stretched thin in their ruling nations, local groups were often able to declare independence with minimal intervention.
The earliest of the gods had yet to take their modern roles and frequently warred with each other and the dragons alike. Despite this, there had not yet been a disaster on as large of a scale of the War of Black Ash. The Major Gods, new in their power, were just beginning to understand and test the full limits of their powers, especially the young Fire God Vega. In the earliest conflicts with Nagi, God of Water, Vega began unleashing the power beneath the earth's crust itself in the form of volcanos, the most powerful form of fire. Vega even used this to make some attacks on Lapi, The God of Earth by attempting to extend himself into her domain. As a direct result of both gods warring and moving continents at their own leisure and convenience, massive eruptions took place the world over. The most notable eruptions were that of the Mid-Atlantic Stone Rift and Yellowstone Supervolcano, both regions having been supercharged and their natural processes taken over by Lapi and Vega respectively.
It is commonly believed that many of the natural processes that the Major Gods began tampering with may have caused chain reactions that led to them no longer being within the gods' control, such as Lapi moving continents, Vega causing widespread volcanism, and Nagi and the Fallen God of Wind's tampering with global weather patterns. Attempts to correct these effects locally may have also in many cases worsened the disaster in the long term. One example of this are the ripple effects of Nagi's tampering with the Atlantic, which very likely caused extreme competition among fish in other oceans.

Aftermath

Geography

Throughout the War of Black Ash, the world saw a great number of changes to its surface. Volcanism caused by Vega and Lapi both created and destroyed vast amounts of land, most notably in the Atlantic and Pacific. Movements of the tectonic plates were greatly changed and shifted the positions of the continents dramatically- Africa moved northward and crashed into Asia and Europe and folding within the European plate caused many regions to sink below sea level as well as be pushed more northernly as well. Shrinking in the Pacific plate, paired with widespread volcanism of its many island chains, caused the ocean as a whole to become much more shallow and gradually be filled in with more land.
Due to the period's volcanism, tsunamis and floods were extremely common and had dramatic effects across the globe. Shoreline communities were often devastated by such frequent flooding and tidal waves that their land was often stripped away and eroded quite quickly. Areas already at or near sea level became permanently flooded relatively quickly, allowing for further tsunamis to move further and further inland and erode more of the parent landmasses. Floods also happened as a result of caldera collapse quite frequently, mostly within North America and Oceania- the most massive caldera collapse being Yellowstone itself, which once its caldera had become exhausted, caused the landmass beneath the region to sink. Paired with pressures from the Atlantic plate, central regions of North America became overtaken by the Gulf of Mexico.
There is some evidence that for brief periods, the Yellowstone volcano may have also been producing flood basalt eruptions, as evidenced by mineral and rock deposits within the region that still remains above water to this day. These eruptions may have come in phases, laying down hundreds of tons of volcanic stone for decades at a time before temporarily receding or going dormant. This may have become commonplace for many volcanic regions that did not ordinarily produce such eruptions, due to the Fire God's tampering with their systems and ordinary ebbs and flows in activity by forcing systems to be much more active than usual, as well as increasing the size of their magma chambers.

Climate

The time period got its name from how commonplace volcanic ash became in most regions during and following the eruptions. Due to the positioning of the Yellowstone Volcano in particular, ejections of gas, ash, pulverized stone, and other particles were easily picked up by wind currents in the middle atmosphere and spread across the globe, often cascading down in regions hundreds of miles away. Beginning likely within a decade of the War of Black Ash, so many volcanic gasses and particles were present in the atmosphere that the available sunlight reaching the ground was highly reduced and caused plants the globe over to suffer and die back into smaller forms that required less sunlight. Consistent eruption caused this trend to continue for decades, corroborated by artifacts and records of the time that there could be days or weeks where even at high noon, the sun could not be seen. Areas around Yellowstone and the Atlantic may have been in darkness for months or years at a time throughout the worst of the eruptions, becoming vegetation deadzones.
Mainly as a result of sunlight being blocked by ash and particulates, global temperatures fell significantly. Many tropical and subtropical zones saw extensive extinction events due to sudden temperature drops as well as shifts in weather patterns- desertification became common especially within middle America. Regions that were still receiving rainfall, particularly near the middle period of the War of Black Ash, would have seen extreme weather due to increased levels of carbon dioxide and other gasses in the atmosphere. Rain when it did fall was likely in massive deluges, causing widespread flooding and changes to the local ecology. Lush and tropical regions may have become cool swamp environments, as well as the conversion of local weather to more monsoon-like seasonal cycles. Volcanic particulates may also have heavily contributed to storms becoming much more violent and producing lightning more frequently.
Changes to the currents, gulf stream, and ocean temperatures are widely believed to have caused a complete shut down of the Atlantic Ocean's normal flow and circulation. Warm waters from the equator failed to be distributed further north, causing even further temperature drops in Europe, Africa's northern coast, and the Mediterranean. Algeas, kelps, and other oceanic plants also died off enmass due to lack of sunlight, pollution by underwater eruptions, and overfeeding by the few remaining fish species which may have resulted in a slight drop in global oxygen production. Acid rain due to releases of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide would have further decimated the oceans, plantlife, and ecosystems as rainfall became concentrated in pockets.

Ecological Impacts

One of the most immediate effects of the ashfall was extreme damage to farmland and livestock, creating extensive periods of famine across the globe. Rain that fell on the ash could cause it to harden into a near cement like state that made farming the crops beneath it impossible and require tilling new land that had not been affected, which as the eruptions increased and lasted for decades to centuries, became ever rarer. Volcanic ash also had incredible detriments to people and wildlife by causing a large variety of health issues such as respiratory damage and infection, damage to the eyes, nose, and throat, poisonings from contaminated water, and in areas close to the eruptions themselves there were often many cases of suffocation by pyroclastic flows and outgassing events. Wild swings in local climate as well as a notable trend to a cooler, drier climate globally also had incredible impacts on the global ecosystem, starting a chain event of ecological collapse.
What is often considered to be one of the first dominoes in the disaster's long term affects is how populations of herbivores changed throughout the event. Initial eruptions and ashfall decimated many populations, especially in North and Central America. Food scarcity, constant bombardment from ashfall, and a lack of consistent sunlight caused herbivore populations to fall by up to an estimated 78%, with large herbivores being the most affected. The migrations of humans, dragons, and omnia also had severe impacts as all groups sought out unaffected areas: Livestock was often released to fend for themselves during the disaster which increased competition with the wildlife for resources, and in some regions, livestock out-competed native species and caused local extinctions. Among both livestock and wildlife, lack of quality food caused what animals that did remain to become nutritionally starved, leading to increased hunting in order to sustain people and wild carnivores alike, further driving herbivores into decline.
Insect populations fell heavily due to lack of food, which had a strong impact on amphibian populations. Amphibians in particular were hit hard across the globe as more acidic waters, chemical pollutants, and PH changes made it much more difficult for them to reproduce, similarly to fish populations in the oceans. Alongside first hand accounts from the period, fossil evidence shows that amphibians also had an uptick in genetic anomalies and birth defects, likely caused by damage to their eggs and young, resulting in deformed eyes and faces, extra limbs, and changes to pigmentation. Due to the collapse of many amphibian species, insects may have had wild swings in population- periods where they were at incredible lows followed by extremely high local populations, causing amphibians and other species that fed on them to be in a constant state of flux.
In the oceans, contamination from volcanic ashes, lack of sunlight, and extreme variations in ocean circulation and temperature caused mass extinction. An 80% estimate of coral species went extinct in the Atlantic, with up to 90% of fish species dying off or migrating to other regions. Phytoplankton in particular struggled due to drops in sunlight world wide, collapsing the food chain in many areas and created massive dead-zones where anoxic waters favored anaerobic bacteria and other organisms. It is believed that for long periods, the oceans may have been tinted pink due to bacteria and algeas that made use of lower wavelength light as well as anaerobic species flourishing, further spreading the Atlantic dead-zone.
Large carnivores the world over suffered heavy losses and extinction, especially in species that were heavily specialized to particular niches. Lack of prey, especially prey that had good nutrition, saw that carnivores struggled to remain fed and surviving species adapted much more heavily to smaller body sizes. Generalist carnivores such as wolves, wild dogs, and small cats seemingly flourished, spreading their territories into new environments which undoubtedly put even more pressure on other species that were struggling. Many species of generalist carnivores shifted to scavenging rather than active hunting, especially with smaller body sizes that required less food.
Over all, large animals the world over either became extinct or evolved into smaller forms during the period, only changing well after the War of Black Ash concluded. It is believed that highly specialized animals such as polar bears, koalas, cheetahs, and pandas may have gone extinct during the period due to already struggling within the human era, with additional pressures from the War of Black Ash not aiding their survival. Many other charismatic species were lost during the period, at least in local extinctions or from migrations to other habitats. Of surviving species, smaller forms such as rodents, weasels, intelligent birds, and scavengers seemed to fair the best throughout the disaster, quickly adapting and taking over niches left open by extinction. These species also quickly rebounded when they did see falls in their populations and following the War of Black Ash, were able to quickly radiate into new species.

Rise of the Minor Gods

The minor gods are largely thought to have had their start during the human era, similarly to the major gods, well before the War of Black Ash. Prior to the period, most minor gods were only locally worshiped or thought of as odd but yet ordinary animals by general populaces, only beginning to be worshiped en-mass during the disaster. It is likely that mortals began to recognize the power of minor gods and started following them due to thinking they could be protected, as many smaller cults began to form centered around them. These early followers cemented their practices early on such as building shrines, altars, and temples to their gods, giving offerings, and devoting themselves to them in exchange for great power to combat the death and destruction around them.
During this period, the roles the minor gods fill today had not yet been fully cemented- minor gods were generally only concerned with their own species and their own followings rather than the interconnected divine politics we see today. Alliances were few and far between, with divine wars being extraordinarily common. As protectors of their own kin, these early minor gods likely had far less influence over their species, playing a large part in why so many species went extinct. Cults that were able to grow quite quickly, and thus give their gods more power, often were able to survive much longer and resulted in gods living longer lives and passing their power to their heirs, rather than having it be captured by rivals. One such cult may have been the predecessor to the Pack of Ferventi.
What is known is that the minor gods eventually shifted into roles as divine protectors of not just their own kind, but the world itself. The divine began working in tandem with one another, forging alliances, claiming territory, and driving out highly aggressive dragons from their lands. This is not to say that all war between the divine had ceased, as they still frequently warred with one another, and also with mortals that posed a threat to their duties, cults, and territory.

Cultural Changes

For dragons in particular, there was a massive cultural shift surrounding cannibalism. Although it is seen in all species, sapient dragons looked down upon the practice greatly, known to shun those who took part as being weak willed, desperate, and cruel in most circumstances. Due to the incredible food shortages during the War of Black Ash, this often became common in many larger flights or for larger dragons as their fallen kin would sometimes be the only food source for weeks or months at a time. Hunting other dragons specifically to eat them was still largely, not accepted by much of draconic society, but the ability to make use of those who had died of other causes began to become a staple of their culture, eventually becoming the funerary cannibalism they are known for today.
Most of the mortal races known today had their starts during the period, many of which being the direct result of minor gods intervening with mortal affairs. Groups such as the Centari, Arachne, Mermidae, Harpy, and Demons are widely believed to be descended from those who were blessed and or cursed by minor gods who transformed their bodies in their image. Many of these groups retain extremely close connections to their respective gods with numerous cultural rituals and customs associated with them, even in groups wherein their ancestral god is no more.
The Omnia in particular had many extreme cultural shifts during the period, many of which persist to this day. A deep hatred for dragons, stemming from experimentation, slavery, and indentured servitude put in place by many flights such as the Lunar and Solar flights persist to this day. Numerous revolts in population centers allowed many hundreds of omnia to escape if not outright kill dragons keeping them as prisoners- these oftentimes coincided with revolts by the mortal races, often for the same reasons. Increased violence and subjugation between different flights also led to many groups using omnia held captive to fight wars on their behalf, which led to increased aggression between them as well as heightened stress when around members of their own kind in older individuals, especially in older age groups, which for many persists to this day.