Brood War

Military action

The Ak'teshi empire, through their frost giant diaspora, had tamed white dragons as beasts of war for generations. Compared to the rest of their kin, white dragons were primal beasts and were treated as such. However, other more intelligent dragons saw an opportunity in the empire. The covetous red dragons saw their wealth of treasure and to acquire it, they allied with the manipulative green dragons to weave their ways into Ak'teshi civilization. The arrogant blue dragons saw the empire as a well-ordered society worthy of even a modicum of their respect, while the sadistic black dragons reveled in the empire's cruelty.   Together, these dragons made a pact with the Ak'teshi. Though they would become allies, they would not serve as the white dragons did; these dragons weren't foolish. Ultimately, they sought only the vast treasures of the burgeoning empire. In exchange for this treasure, they taught giants the ways of elemental sorcery, granting them insight into their innate, draconic magic.   Elsewhere, within their ancient, lost city of Orichalos, dragon-kin was divided. Those who chose to align themselves with Ak'teshi interests for their own selfish ends became the chromatic dragon-flight. Those who refused, appalled by the injustice of the Ak'teshi's cruel and open enslavement of the smaller races became the prismatic dragon-flight. These were dragons of gemstone-like, iridescent scales: the diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire, and topaz dragons.   Over time, the prismatic dragon-flight sought opportunities to free the enslaved races of the Ak’teshi wherever possible, while the chromatic dragon-flight would help to train dozens of destructive Ak'teshi sorcerers.   However, the growing arrogance of the Ak'teshi empire pushed the chromatic dragon-flight under further subjugation, and many were eventually enslaved themselves. Other chromatic dragons broke away and turned on their former allies of convenience, ransacking the giant’s cities for treasure and slaves. They also turned their ire towards their prismatic kin; interlopers trespassing on the treasure they deserved by right.   Through a long series of bloody battles, the Ak'teshi, Prismatics and Chromatics were eventually dragged into a thousand-year-long catastrophic conflict that saw the razing of citadels, homes, families, and even entire clans.    During the height of the Brood War, a smaller faction of ancient dragons opted to flee to safer territories out of disgust for the sheer loss of life on both sides of the war. They found ways to shift into other planes to escape the bloodshed, and found refuge within the Spirit Grove. Thousands of years after the war, they re-emerged into the world changed forever as both dragon and spirit, becoming the first Lung Dragons.   The Brood War became the most destructive war in ancient history and saw a tremendous loss of life between both dragon-kin and giant-kin.   By the time the war had ended, the territory held by the Ak’teshi empire had been vastly reduced to a shadow of its former self, and though the empire still persisted beyond the Brood War, the event had all but crippled the empire.   Ultimately, this devastating war sparked the decline of the empire until it met its end during the War of Broken Chains.