A brief history of the Dragon Onslaught
What follows is a historical document written by a wandering sage only known as Violet. This was the introduction of the Destiny Campaign which took place 57 years after the Dragon Onslaught.
If you are reading this I am no longer among the living. You knew me as Violet a Historian of the Great Library, the last of its kind.
In the fifty-seven years since the Dragon Onslaught you've probably heard the stories and legends of what transpired during those times. I’d like to give you my account of what happened, not the legends you've heard.
Our world used to be a beautiful and vibrant world, not the wreckage it is today. There were great cities, massive kingdoms, and the society was flourishing. Guilds, adventurers, and mercenaries would come and go, but one thing would always remain; the greed of wealth. It was this greed that would eventually be the damnation of all humanoids.
Years before the Dragon Onslaught, the ancient elemental Namirooz possessed a rogue mind flayer named Cy'rell. He did this with the help of his followers known as the Cult of the Twisted Darkness. The plan was simple. Find the Scepter of Dragon Mastery and use it to dominate dragons into doing his bidding. He would also have the perfect cover story to deceive the world into thinking the dragons were doing this on their own accord.
After centuries upon centuries of being hunted down for their wealth and knowledge, the dragons of our world united under one banner to exterminate all humanoid races. Chromatic and Metallic Dragons fighting alongside one another against a common foe. As hard as it is to believe that forces of Good and Evil could join, it is the truth. The name of the dragon responsible for this alliance was not a mighty red or a powerful gold. No, it was a copper dragon by the name of Silafraxamur. She was very charismatic both on and off the battlefield, which is why no other dragon opposed her. Those that were closest to her loved her and gave their lives when needed.
When the Onslaught began, our brothers and sisters to the West never stood a chance. The sheer force of Sila’s Army ran through the northwest regions within a day. Millions were lost lost and those that did survive began to hide for their own safety. City after city continued to fall, then the Dragons turned their eyes to the Islands in the North. This was a tactical move on their part as, the Frost Giants that lived there had a large fortress built into the ice with an army that was a mighty force to be reckoned with.
During this confrontation, it became evident to the rest of Eroth just how ruthless the Dragon Army was going to be to achieve their goal. The first three waves of attacks against the giants were futile. While the giants took no evident losses, the toll on Sila’s army was noticeable. The dragons needed another approach, and they found it with a nearby tribe of Ice Dwarves. The dwarves showed Sila a map of tunnels they had dug under the Giant’s Fortress that they used to smuggle out slaves. As a fourth wave was sent to fight against the giants, two polymorphed red dragons slipped through the tunnel to the inside of the Fortress. This began what is known as the Battle of the Burnt Souls. After the Dragon Army’s victory, the Ice Dwarves realized that they had been tricked into giving their maps to Sila, as she gave the command to devour the tribe.
The real chaos ensued as Sila began to move her army south into the interior of Eroth. Her army continued to destroy every settlement that they came across. Along the way, the army left behind so much death and destruction that the area between the Verna Sea and the Irontop Mountains became known as the Scorched Vale. It is important to know that once Sila reached Eroth, an army of humanoids and other creatures had mustered for her cause. At the head of these ground forces was the Cult of the Twisted Darkness.
By the time Sila and her army arrived at the city of Serenity the Governor, Rhazien Nox, had managed to raise an army of 200,000 strong from nearby territories including a small unit of the renowned Wyvern Walkers. While the city’s defenses held the dragons at bay for two weeks, eventually, they were overcome by the onslaught. It is estimated that the loss of humanoid life was close to a million by the time the dragons finished off Serenity, but the dragons were not without their own losses.
Since the surrounding kingdoms had sent their own armies to battle at Serenity, the remaining forces were no match for the dragons of Sila’s Army.
The Seers Lyceum, which was the prominent wizard guild, watched from afar as Serenity fell and began formulating their own plan of defense against the dragons. It would take place when Sila’s battered army reached the port city of Dragon’s Bluff in Southern Eroth.
It took close to two months for Sila and her army to reach the city of Dragon’s Bluff after having to cross over the Greyrock Highlands and battle the kingdom of Atha. There, the Lyceum waited. They did not attack, but waited in their tower to the east of the city. They watched as Dragon’s Bluff was destroyed and its inhabitants pushed into the sea along its bluffs. It was then that the dragons turned their eyes towards the tower. When they attacked, fourteen dragons, including one of Sila’s Captains, were instantly destroyed. The Lyceum had created a field of pure energy around their tower which meant that no living thing could pass from either side.
Sila, seeing that this was a lost cause, struck a deal with the Lyceum that would mean they could travel freely once again. The deal was simple. Neither side would show hostilities towards the other.
Now comes the part of the story that no one can agree upon. Shortly after the Lyceum Treaty, the dragons moved their sights to the eastern continent of Kilari. Some say that it was there that the dragons suffered a massive defeat at the hands of an Orc and Elvish alliance. Others say that there was tension in the dragon ranks which led to mutiny amongst themselves. There are even those that say Sila abandoned her army as she had a change of heart from all of the death and destruction she had created.
The real story is much more worrisome. The dragons moved inland and attacked the Elven capital of Rivulet. While their attention was on the battle in front of them, the Seers broke their treaty. What they did still affects the world to this day, and will for centuries to come. Utilizing a similar ritual for the spell cast around their tower outside of Dragon’s Bluff, the wizards created an energy vortex around the entire continent of Kilari. After they were sure that nothing could get out of their vortex, they did the unthinkable. The arcane spellcasters opened up two magical gateways on the outskirts of Rivulet. One gateway was to the Tormented Plane, home of the devils. The other gateway was to the Penumbra.
The Seers quite literally opened the door and invited Hell itself to come to Ro'Kroya. One can only imagine what happened to the dragons and the poor souls that were trapped inside the Vortex. These actions ended the Dragon Onslaught, but what happened afterwards inside of the Vortex is uncertain.
So much has changed since the time before the Onslaught. Survival is now our most precious asset. Wealth is not measured in gold and silver or fine clothing. It's about what you can do to survive. For me, it was my knowledge. However, considering the circumstances surrounding how you are reading this, I can only hope that you fare better than I did.
-Violet
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