First Contact War

Common Knowledge
The First Contact War broke out just after the event called Mystfall. The event that changed everything on The Material Plane.

When the First Contact wars broke out the Empire and The Conthestani we're both embroiled in a Cold War, each group fighting for the neutral zone between them known as The Frontier.

The Cold War promptly ceased as each side struggled to deal with an outbreak of plague, killing horses and most other pack animals. Alongside the first scouting parties from The Mysts with elves welding powerful magic.

Empire Perspective
(Empire Lore 1 or NOSian Lore 1)

While the war is often framed in The Empire as a grand feat of military prowess. Unfortunately the reality is much more grim.

Around the time of Mystfall portals began to open between The Mysts and the Material Plane. There were no major conflicts between humans and elves at first.

As time passed stories of 'knife-ears', (derogatory slang for elves who made the bulk of the military force encroaching on The Material Plane) attacking villages and towns became more common.

The Plague had travelled from town to town claiming lives in the hundreds of thousands. Superstition took hold and elves became the main people to blame for the crisis.

All the resources of war were turned towards trying to cure the plague.

(Bellator Knowledge 1 or Empire History 1)

The Emperor, Medaka III made a grand announcement that The Medicus Bellator would offer free medical assistance to all in the Empire. These mobile tents were not much more than glorified hospices but offered hope to those suffering.

The Medicus Bellator outpost near Tor'Jadin was destroyed by Annette the few survivors fled and allowed the Empire to know that Tor'Jadin had officially fallen to the elves.

This marked one of the major flash points of The First Contact War.

The Siege of Tor'Jadin

The Peace Treaty of Three

Post War Attitude
Even after the peace treaty most common folk still did not take kindly to Fae and Fairy worshippers. For nearly 50 years elves were the only accepted visitors to Tawdic City, and only to teach at The College, or for important trade and diplomatic affairs.

Carreg Wynn and the frontier became an area where mixed communities of various species were more common and accepted. Attitudes are slow to change especially in rural communities and in the secret rooms of high society.

(Knowledge Empire Lore or related 3)

In high society elves have become more commonplace, older more elite families may still maintain a disdain for those who use magic, having a firm attachment to having their children and relatives learn faith from the NOSian Church.

While other families have readily embraced having a private elven tutor as a sign of wealth and power. Often gleefully signing their children up for the Collage.

In The Senate it is well known that there are many contingency plans if the war is to ever spark again between the Mysts and Humans. The Prime and The Talon Knights spend much of their training preparing to go up against magic users and psychics.

Conthestani Perspective
This is a verbal retelling of the history of the First Contact Wars.

By Guardian Nerine of Kel'Arizon

First, there was the Cold War with The Empire who wish to exploit the frontier for resources and the power of the leylines. Wherever the Empire went thick black smoke billowed choking the life from the air and water. The flesh of the earth was used to create walls, the bones of the earth were used to make weapons of metal.

Their presence disrupted the natural formation and cycle of things.

The Empire had pushed forward and destroyed many of the sacred stones that held the memories of many Conthestani. These memories and the voices of the ancestors will never be heard again.

There was fragmentation in our communities about the best course of action. Those who resided closest to The Frontier wished for defenses that could not be overcome. They created terrible traps, poisons and psychic weaves that ensnared, that is why it is now so dangerous to walk or explore within The Great Forest. As knowledge was lost so with the locations of the terrible weapons that we created.

The Empire continued to push forward and one fateful day there was a snap in the Leylines. For months the stones were suddenly silent and no one could rouse them, our people became sick and many died.

No one really knows what caused the plague but my community believes that the Empire dug too deep, did too many rituals incorrectly and balance had to be restored by removing humanity from the equation.

This is not universally believed but it was what I was told.

Then there was a new invader that moved very differently from the empire. They were soft footed and they left few traces of themselves behind. But then the city of Kel'Arizon begin to fall, the grand stone discs and carved ancient trees began to die. There was a fire that burned from the base of the grandest trees incinerating them from the inside out. Our Keepers all perished from the plague and the knowledge of maintaining Kel'Arizon died with them.

The new Magic that the elves welded was to blame for the great fire and so the Conthestani agreed that we're treating from the front lines and focusing on curing the plague and defending themselves from the elves was the best course of action. There were a few communities that did not agree and broke off on their own I do not know what happened to them.

The abruptly stopped, and are stones begin to slowly reawaken. Many of the memories and stories that lay within the stones no longer existed, the Empire had destroyed so many and whatever disrupted the ley lines took what was left.

The empire likes to pretend that they are a monolith of power, and perhaps they are. The Conthestani were left fractured and disorganized, left to our forest to pick up the broken pieces that were left.

This is why it is so important to maintain the tenets that we have learned.

To give back what we have taken, to not delve into the old scars of the world for metal and gems.

To share as many stories and experiences with the stones and tree in hopes that one day we can reclaim our past but also to make sure that we do not repeat our past mistakes.

To provide what we can within each of our abilities and to give to those who cannot.

The First Contact war was a lesson, humanity is weak and we are small and that we should not harm the being that provides to us.