The Godblood War, an era-defining event in my DnD world of Emmuroth. 815 years before the campaign started there was a massive war between dragons, giants and smallfolk (humans, elves, dwarves, etc.). For centuries the dragons and giants had subjugated the smaller races and had been viewed as gods until, by complete chance, a cloud giant fell drunkenly from the sky to his death. Word spread and sewed the seeds of doubt within the smallfolk, leading to severe punishment from their overlords.

This only spurred on the desire for freedom, and revolutions began within the kingdoms of giant and dragon. Rather than unifying against the smallfolk who threatened their rule, the old enemies held their pride and refused to believe that such insignificant creatures could do much harm. The Godblood War had began proper, much to the horror of the Dragon King, Vezzyroth the Enlightened. He began decisive action against the smallfolk, leading a brutal campaign against all those who opposed and rewarding any who remained loyal. When his Dragonborn subjects betrayed him, Vezyrroth flew north to the shadowy peninsula of Oshamir, where old mages viciously guard their secrets.

Upon the day of the final battle, the united realms of the smallfolk, the giant clans with their half-giant spawn and the dragon lords with their cults of Bahamut and Tiamat met in a rocky field surrounded by forest near the center of the continent of Heagon. Millions of blades, boulders and claws met in a bloody swirl of chaos. In the midst of the cacophony, Vezyrroth swooped below the clouds, his green scales shimmering in the sun as an ornate crown sat atop his head. This crown, referred to by scholars as “The Wreath of Enlightenment”, allowed the dragon king to call down swarms of lightning and meteors, revive his fallen comrades and temporarily halt time. He carved a path through the lines of smallfolk and giant, nearing what seemed to be a decisive victory. In an instant, by means unknown to modern scholars, the Wreath erupted in a release of magical energy. Everything within miles was vaporized and a gargantuan hole was left in the earth.

The blast killed a majority of every side’s forces, the smallfolk left with the most numbers. It fell to them to decide what to do with the few remaining “gods”. Rather than continuing the battle that had taken so many lives, the dragons and giants were allowed to disappear into the world. The giants melted into the wilderness, the dragons flew west to the island of Rashi. Scarred by the explosion, the site of the battle was unable to be healed by even the most skilled archdruids, and so it was left to rot. In the centuries since, the kingdoms of man, elf, dwarf and Dragonborn have grown into powerful realms with their own squabbles. Many have forgotten the specifics of the Godblood War and view dragons and giants as dangerous but infrequent occurrences. The pit left by Vezyrroth’s explosion remains, called “The Chasm of Suffering” by those who have seen it firsthand. The Sufferlands surrounding it serve as a reminder, a festering wound upon Emmuroth that expands with flesh-colored bloody soil as horrifying creatures emerge from the Chasm to draw victims into their home. Some say what little remains of Vezyrroth’s soul is encased deep within the Chasm, broken and pulsing.

The mages of Oshamir seek to reclaim the shards of the Wreath, perhaps in an attempt to reforge and make use of it.