The Great Split

The Great Split was a war between the Tähdenvalta Empire (Elven Empire) and the Dominion of Albion, marking the first major conflict that heralded a new age. Fought primarily in the vast forests that once symbolised the Elven Empire’s natural dominion—now entirely under Albion’s control—the war was defined by its unprecedented brutality.

Although brief, the war was among the deadliest in Antares’ history, resulting in the total collapse of the Elven Empire and the rise of Albion as a dominant power.

Background

Tensions between the Tähdenvalta Empire and Albion had been escalating for decades. As Albion expanded its industry and territorial ambitions, the elves saw this as a direct threat to their traditions. Albion’s rapid technological advancements, combined with its refusal to share its innovations, fueled growing elven nationalism and resentment.

This hostility manifested in covert elven operations, including the abduction and enslavement of British citizens, seen by Albion as a prelude to war. Meanwhile, deforestation efforts to fuel Albion’s industry further enraged the elves, who viewed these actions as an assault on their sacred lands.

Prelude

In the years leading up to war, both sides engaged in increasingly hostile actions. The elves, leveraging their mastery over the Weave, infiltrated Albion’s territories, claiming they were reclaiming ancestral lands. Albion, anticipating a broader conflict, fortified its borders and expanded its military.

Diplomatic efforts were made but collapsed under mutual distrust. As border skirmishes and acts of sabotage escalated, war became inevitable. The elves, confident in their supremacy, prepared for a decisive victory. Albion, determined to fight for its own survival, readied itself for total war.

Progress of the War

The Great Split was unlike any war Antares had seen before. The elves, with centuries of experience and dominion over the continent, believed they would overwhelm Albion’s armies. However, Albion’s ability to adapt and innovate quickly turned the tide. Steel and firepower shattered the elves’ wooden fortifications and earthen strongholds.

The war was brutal, defined by devastating battles, atrocities on both sides, and unprecedented levels of destruction. Despite fierce resistance, the elves were gradually pushed back, unable to match the relentless efficiency of Albion’s so-called "war machines."

Hidden War

While the Great Split was a defining moment in Antares' history, the elven empire’s isolation and the sheer vastness of the continent kept much of the war’s aftermath hidden. News of the conflict remained scarce, with only Albion and the elves fully aware of its true scale. It was not until Myrkheim’s first contact with Albion decades later—an encounter that sparked yet another war—that the world began to learn of what had transpired.

Outside of Albion and the fallen elven empire, only high-ranking officials and leaders knew of the war before it was made public, fearing that any revelation might provoke the elves into silencing them permanently.

Magic and Steel

The Great Split was a war unlike any other. Albion, and its people, possessed no connection to the Weave—an anomaly in Antares. They could not wield magic, a flaw that should have left them defenceless against the arcane might of the elves. Yet, what Albion lacked in magic, it made up for in ingenuity.

Where the elves bent nature to their will, Albion shaped metal and fire into aberrant machines of war. Where the elves wielded spells and summoned beasts, Albion retaliated with relentless barrages of artillery and mechanical constructs

And though Albion’s war machines played a significant role in turning the tide, it was not their technology that truly gave them the advantage. It was their ability to adapt. The elves, despite their centuries of experience, could not comprehend how a race with such short lifespans could learn and evolve at a rate that outpaced even their oldest war councils. It was this ability to change—to discard old tactics and invent new ones on the battlefield—that ultimately ensured Albion’s survival.

The Siege of Yllfasera

The war reached its climax at the Siege of Yllfasera, the last bastion of the Tähdenvalta Empire.

For two relentless weeks, Albion pounded the city with uninterrupted artillery fire. The streets ran red as chemical and incendiary shells tore through homes, fortifications, and the sacred groves that had stood for millennia. The city's defenders fought with desperation, but they could not outlast the barrage.

At the heart of Yllfasera stood the Tree of Life, the most sacred symbol of the elven race. Though protected by powerful wards, it was not immune to the weight of endless firepower. As the siege dragged on, the ancient tree cracked, splintered, and finally collapsed, its fall sending a ripple of despair through the remaining elven forces.

With its fall, the war was effectively over. The elven resistance shattered, and what few survivors remained scattered into exile.

Aftermath

The Great Split left Antares scarred beyond recognition.

The Tähdenvalta Empire ceased to exist. Its rulers were executed, its lands were seized, and its people were left broken. The destruction of the Tree of Life marked the end of elven dominance, and with it, a chapter of history that could never be reclaimed.

Yet even in victory, Albion did not escape unscathed. Their war machine had consumed everything—lives, resources, even their own humanity. The cost of survival had been steep, and the scars of the war would linger for generations.

The war had ended. But the wounds it left behind had only begun to fester.

Casualties

The full death toll of the Great Split will never be known.

Hundreds of thousands perished—soldiers, civilians, entire bloodlines erased. Elven cities, once thriving metropolises, were reduced to graveyards. The forests that had stood for millennia were left as blackened husks.

Albion, too, suffered beyond measure. Though they had emerged victorious, their lands were ravaged, their people forever changed. For many, the victory was hollow—a necessary evil that had come at the cost of everything they once were.

The Great Split was not merely a war. It was the breaking of an age. And in its wake, nothing remained untouched.