The 1st Great War took place from EE 1,220 and lasted 22 years and marked the end of the Age of Uprising. For a few hundred years prior to this, the continent of Lesser Galwyndor had been under the control of powerful sorcerers, all of which had sailed west from the distant lands across the Turryphian Ocean beginning in the year EE 860. These sorcerers frequently fought one another for control over lands and resources, using the commoners as resources themselves.
For three hundred and sixty years they ruled without issue; the commonfolk were no match for them and their powerful magic from across the sea, despite having battle experience from warring with ogres, goblins, and trolls. Many spellcasters leveraged the animosity and allied themselves with these other races to aid in their subjugation of humans, though many of the other races were also victims.
Inciting Incident
Then, in what is now known as Gruenormark, a mason named Blanor the Burl became incensed at their oppressors, and orchestrated a party that successfully sabotaged a tower rookery in which the mage Saretis kept the white crows he used for casting spells and making tinctures.
Word quickly spread of the Burl's victory, which inspired many to attempt similar things, most of all being attracting the attention of competing spellcasters; Blanor the Burl soon found himself with powerful allies. These spellcasters took advantage of the Burl's infamy, and manipulated many of the populace with guile to strike up a revolution against rival spellcasters. Before long, the entire continent was at war with one another, until the citizens realized they were fighting the wrong battles, and eventually united against their common enemy, the oppressors.
Most of rest of the Great War was spent engaging in sabotage and subterfuge rather than outright battle, since the mages were too powerful to meet in open combat. Ultimately, one man, Thorfast the Younger, managed to amass a large army and led them into battle on the Fields of Juralane, which is in what is now Lothlan. Others banded along with him and his men as they fought against spellcasters that could not be beaten. By now the spellcasters took a similar approach and bandied together to quash the rebellion, amassing an army of their own comprised of humans who were still loyal to them, along with other races.
The final battle lasted three days and thousands lost their lives. Not one spellcaster was killed. It was said that no blade, neither friend nor foe, could slay a spellcaster. This adage rang true, at least until Aery 2 slew the spellcaster Gethalyn.
- "Not one among the legions there that night will fail to recount what happened next, for the melee was bestilled as no act of gods could rival. A single stroke by the young Aery 2 did fell the mighty spellmaster Gethalyn - by his own sword no less, and no sooner did this swift slayer stake Gethalyn through the heart into the earth where came forth a might etherwood tree which swallowed both Gethalyn and his sword alike. The impartial eye of the Backwards Moon did also bear witness to this spectacle, which silenced the legions, brought forth the end to a Great War and the beginning of a mighty empire." -- New History of Aeryloth (which is by now ancient)
Aery 2 was able to kill the spellcaster by using the spellcaster's own sword; because "no blade, neither friend nor foe" was the enchantment, Aery 2 figured out that the spellcaster's own blade did not fit the description. A single stroke ended the First Great War; the spellcasters, afraid, fled back across the sea now that they couldn't guarantee that their power was sufficient. Aery 2 became the first king of Aeryloth and thus began the Age of Alliance.
Aftermath
The conclusion of the 1st Great War marked the end of sorcerer dominion over Lesser Galwyndor and the beginning of a new political and philosophical era. With the death of the warlock Gethalyn and the breaking of the long-held belief that spellcasters could not be slain, the remaining sorcerers abandoned the continent, retreating eastward across the Turryphian Ocean to Greater Galwyndor.
In the immediate aftermath, human populations—having endured centuries of subjugation—began consolidating power and establishing independent governance. Chief among these developments was the founding of the kingdom of Aeryloth under Aery II, which would come to symbolize the transition from fragmented resistance to organized rule.
Despite their victory, the war left a lasting psychological impact on the populace. The realization that a relatively small number of magic users had maintained control over an entire continent for generations fostered a deep and pervasive fear of magic. This fear did not immediately result in its rejection; rather, it led to a growing belief that magic must be understood in order to be countered. Over time, this sentiment contributed to the emergence of structured approaches to magical study and discipline.
The retreat of the foreign sorcerers also created a vacuum of arcane knowledge. In the absence of centralized magical authority, disparate groups and individuals began to study and systematize magic according to their own philosophies. This period saw the early development of what would later become formal magical traditions and schools.
At the same time, increased stability in Lesser Galwyndor facilitated renewed exploration and contact with Greater Galwyndor. Seafaring peoples, particularly among the Veninar, expanded maritime routes across the Turryphian Ocean, enabling the movement of people, goods, and ideas between the two continents. These exchanges would prove instrumental in shaping the cultural and political landscape of the Age of Alliance.
Although the 1st Great War ended the immediate threat of sorcerer rule in the west, it did not resolve the broader question of magic’s place in the world. Instead, it marked the beginning of a prolonged period of ideological divergence regarding its use—divergence that would, in time, contribute to the conflicts and catastrophes of later ages.