The Splinter Wars
The Splinter Wars
- When: 1700–1795 STC (~95 years of continental warfare)
The Fall of the Old Alliance
After a century of peace following the Necromancers' War, Eldemar attempted heavy-handed centralization, provoking its neighbors into open rebellion. Eldemar expected swift victory through the magical might of the Noble Houses — a single powerful battlemage could decimate an infantry company.
The Disruption of Firearms
The smaller states fielded armies equipped with vastly improved, mass-produced firearms. Before the war, guns were considered unreliable and inferior to trained mages. New manufacturing techniques meant these weapons could be given to completely untrained militias. The sheer volume of volley fire, combined with specialized snipers and advanced cannons, overwhelmed the mage armies. A battlemage's shields could hold off a dozen bullets — but not a hundred.
The Decimation of the Great Houses
Eldemar and other powers eventually adapted, incorporating firearms into their own ranks, but the damage was irreversible. The traditional Noble Houses took catastrophic casualties, losing generations of experienced mages to cheap lead balls. The Splinter Wars permanently ended undisputed mage supremacy, fractured the Old Alliance into rival nations, and left the surviving Houses critically weakened.