Fieri's Folly

The Folly was a short war emblematic of the "fire wars" period, in which the rogue magus Fieri Ferrari embedded a stable portal to the plane of fire in a large windstorm, forcing the elven and magocrat sides of the conflict to briefly team up to extinguish the threat and prevent massive environmental damage.

The Conflict

Prelude

As both superpowers geared up for another conflict, magus Fieri promised the Magocratos a superweapon capable of cowing the Elven Coalition for good. His research was originally just on the summoning of extra-large fire elementals, and his real plan was not known to the magocratos. After a border skirmish and diplomatic insult occurred, he was given the go-ahead to field-test the weapon.

Deployment

One blustery evening on the contested border north of the high desert, magus Fieri's team set up their equipment on a hilltop and got to work. At the stroke of midnight the team, summoned fire elementals, and Fieri himself all burnt to ash and were sucked up into the storm cell above them. An hour later, after magocratos officers had confirmed the team dead and the test a failure, the clouds burst alight with orange fire as orange fire tornados began to descend. The tornados, and the fire elementals spawned from them, not only destroyed the approaching coalition garrison, but also most of the cratic officers.

The Engagement

The firestorm carved a path miles deep into elven territory burning vast swathes of farmland and immolating elven resistance, veering into the path of maximal destruction. The Elven coalition, with no warning, was unable to defeat the threat, but was able to force it south into The High Desert. Cratic high brass cheered at their scrying mirrors, until the storm began to move west toward their own territory. They tried steering the storm back east, prompting the coalition to send it back west; this magical ping-pong continued for about a month, each side becoming more concerned as the storm became more and more unresponsive, erratic, and violent. Eventually, having destroyed multiple agrarian towns, military garrisons, and investigative teams from both sides, the storm became completely a completely uncontrollable hurricane. Both sides agreed to a truce until the threat was dealt with. With the help of some concerned druids and several massive works of artifice, the allies discovered the rift to the elemental plane of fire embedded in the storm's heart (such a portal was previously thought impossible) and closed it.

Outcome

The two superpowers agreed to a short rebuilding truce. Millions of acres of farmland was destroyed, thousands immolated, and miles of wildernesss burnt.

Aftermath

Fire magic gained a public reputation as highly dangerous and uncontrollable, as did weather-altering magic. Contributed to the war exhaustion which eventually ended the fire wars. A few fire genies were sucked through the portal and trapped on Vorago. Long-term environmental changes; the High Desert expanded and much farmland was converted back into wilderness. Fire tornados became a new, reoccurring phenomenon (though at a much smaller scale).

Historical Significance

Technological Advancement

Weather-control technology was simultaneously refined and publicly distrusted. Proved it was possible to access the elemental planes from Vorago.

Included under Conflict

The Fire Wars

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

1540

Ending Date

1541

Conflict Result

Existential Threat Eliminated

Maps

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  Vorago General Map

  Vorago in the current era, without political borders.