View source for Dawn War

{{Conflict
| image       = 
| caption     = 
| name        = Dawn War
| partof      = 
| othernames  =
| type        = Interplanar war
| place       = [[Abyss]]<br/>[[Astral Sea]]<br/>[[Elemental Chaos]]<br />[[Shadowfell]]<br />[[Prime Material plane]]
| date        = Creation – [[Shadow Epoch]]
| duration    = Untold millennia
| basicrefs   = <ref name="DMG4e-p161">{{Cite book/Dungeon Master's Guide 4th edition|161}}</ref><ref name="FRCG-p42">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide|42}}</ref><ref name="TPA-p6">{{Cite book/The Plane Above|6}}</ref><ref name="HotEC-p32">{{Cite book/Heroes of the Elemental Chaos|32}}</ref><ref name="Demo-p7-9"/>
| cause       = Divine intervention on the works of the [[primordial]]s
| responsible = [[Tharizdun]] and the [[obyrith]] lords
| battles     = 
| result      = Victory of the [[god]]s
| histrefs    = <ref name="DMG4e-p161"/>
| combatant1  = Primordials, obyriths, [[demon lord]]s, [[demon]]s, [[titan]]s, [[giant]]s, [[elemental]]s
| combatant2  = Gods, [[angel]]s, [[devil]]s, [[dragon]]s, [[humanoid|mortal]]s
| combatant3  = [[Nature spirit]]s
| combatant4  = 
| combrefs    = <ref name="DR-p14-17"/><ref name="PHB24e-p5">{{Cite book/Player's Handbook 2|5}}</ref>
| commander1  = Tharizdun<br/>The [[Queen of Chaos]]<br/>[[Miska the Wolf-Spider]]
| commander2  = [[Bane (Nerath)|Bane]]<br/>[[Ouroboros]] the World Serpent
| commander3  =
| commander4  = 
| commrefs    = <ref name="Demo-p7-9">{{Cite book/Demonomicon|7-9}}</ref><ref name="Dra372">{{Cite dragon/372/Deities and Demigods: Bane|26-27}}</ref><ref name="FRCG-p42"/>
| strength1   = Innumerable
| strength2   = Innumerable
| strength3   = Innumerable
| strength4   = 
| strrefs     = <ref name="DR-p14-17"/><ref name="PHB24e-p5"/>
| casualties1 = [[Obox-ob]], many primordials, demon lords, demons, titans, giants, and elementals
| casualties2 = Many gods, angels, devils, dragons and mortals
| casualties3 = 
| casualties4 = 
| casurefs    = <ref name="DR-p14-17">{{Cite book/Death's Reach|14-17}}</ref><ref name="Demo-p7-9"/>
}}
The '''Dawn War''' was an ancient conflict that raged between the [[primordial]]s and the [[god]]s at the Age Before Ages. The conflict was massive, spanning entire [[Cosmology|planes of reality]],<ref name="DMG4e-p161"/><ref name="TPA-p6" /><ref name="Demo-p7-9"/> as well as many [[Crystal sphere|worlds]] of the [[Prime Material plane]], including [[Abeir-Toril]], [[Nerath]], [[Oerth]] and [[Athas]].<ref name="Dra372"/><ref name="HotEC-p32">{{Cite book/Heroes of the Elemental Chaos|32}}</ref> The war encompassed the eras known on Abeir-Toril as the [[Blue Age]] and the [[Shadow Epoch]].<ref name="FRCG-p42"/>

{{Quote|The primordials and the gods had not yet made contact in this long ago era before the Dawn War. The birth of the [[Abyss]] changed this, as it changed so many things. . . .|''Excerpt from the [[Demonomicon of Iggwilv]].''|<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/>}}

==Location==
The Dawn War took place mostly on the [[Astral Sea]],<ref name="TPA-p6" /> but some of the most intense battles were fought in the [[Abyss]], the [[Elemental Chaos]],<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/> the [[Shadowfell]],<ref name="DR-p14-17"/> and in many worlds of the Prime Material plane.<ref name="PHB24e-p5"/><ref name="Dra372"/><ref name="HotEC-p32"/>

==History==
{{Quote|No mortal can truly know what motivates the gods or what has occurred in the depths of prehistory. All they can do is read through the religious texts of various faiths and try to piece together a narrative that approximates the truth. This is one such possible truth.|''From the [[Nerath]]ian [[goblinoid]] legends about the rise of [[Bane (Nerath)|Bane]].''|<ref name="Dra372"/><ref name="TPA-p51">{{Cite book/The Plane Above|51}}</ref>}}

===Causes===
According to the sages of [[Faerûn]], the Dawn War began when the primordials invaded [[Realmspace]], as they coveted the newly born worlds of this universe. This happened soon after [[Toril]] was seeded with life, so [[Selûne]] and [[Shar]] both moved to defend the worlds of Realmspace against the primordial threat.<ref name="FRCG-p42"/> [[Nerath]]ian legends and the inscriptions found in the murals of [[Death's Reach]] gave more context to this. According to these sources, the primordials were the actual creators of the worlds of the Material plane, and they wanted to destroy them so they can start a new creation, following the cycle of creation and destruction of the Elemental Chaos. As the gods were already invested in such worlds, they decided to defend them against the primordials, starting the Dawn War.<ref name="DMG4e-p161"/><ref name="DR-p14-17"/><ref name="W&M-p56">{{Cite book/Wizards Presents: Worlds and Monsters|56}}</ref>

The [[Demonomicon of Iggwilv]] suggest a more sinister cause for the war, however. According to [[Iggwilv]], when the Oerthian deity [[Tharizdun]] found the [[Shard of Pure Evil]]<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/> in his quest for a weapon that would allow him to conquer the [[multiverse]],<ref name="MM4e-p52>{{Cite book/Monster Manual 4th edition|52}}</ref> he was corrupted by the creators of the Shard, the [[obyrith]]s. They demanded Tharizdun plant the seed of evil within the Astral Sea, promising him total dominion of that realm in exchange for his fealty. Tharizdun was aware that the other gods of the multiverse would turn on him before he could fully seize the power the obyriths promised. Instead, the mad god traveled to the farthest reaches of the cosmos, planting the seed of evil in a primordial expanse of the churning Elemental Chaos, which he hoped to seize as his own. This seed eventually grew into the Abyss.<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/><ref name="MM4e-p52/>

Infuriated with Tharizdun, the obyriths tried to destroy him, but the Shard of Pure Evil had given Tharizdun powers the obyriths couldn't have predicted. Using his newfound power to enslave the [[demon]]s that were spawned by the Abyss, Tharizdun opposed the obyriths for eons before the two forces reached a stalemate.<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/> Meanwhile, a group of primordials went into the Abyss out of curiosity, and were corrupted in the process, becoming [[demon lord]]s. Among them were [[Baphomet]], [[Demogorgon]] and [[Orcus]].<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/><ref name="MM4e-p52/> They found the Shard of Pure Evil at the center of the [[Styx|Blood Sea]], and fought each other for its possession. Demogorgon was the first to reach the Shard, but was confronted before he could reach it by the obyrith [[Dagon]], who also wanted the Shard. While the two were fighting, another obyrith, [[Obox-ob]], took the chance and claimed the Shard, becoming the first [[Prince of Demons]].<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/>

Like it did with Tharizdun, the Shard of Pure Evil corrupted Obox-Ob and compelled him to plant it in the Astral Sea. Aware that if Obox-Ob succeeded he would become the master of the multiverse, Demogorgon, Baphomet and Orcus joined forces to defeat Obox-ob. The battle was so violent that it created the [[Blood Rift]], into which the Shard of Pure Evil fell, never to be seen again.<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/> When he became aware of their presence, Tharizdun tried to control Baphomet, Demogorgon and Orcus, like he did with the lesser demons spawned by the Abyss, but they proved to be too powerful and resited him. Avoiding the risk of defeat at the hands of the demon lords, Tharizdun retreated to the Elemental Chaos.<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/><ref name="MM4e-p52/>

Under the guise of 'The Elder Elemental Eye', the first of the primordials (a ruse devised by Tharizdun to gain the trust of the primordials),<ref name="MM324e-p113">{{Cite book/Monster Manual 3 4th edition|113}}</ref> Tharizdun marshaled the forces of the primordials, who were already angered by the gods' intervention with the worlds of the Material plane. This movement eventually gave rise to the [[Cult of Elemental Evil]], rallying other elemental creatures and demons of the Abyss under the banner of 'The Elder Elemental Eye'. Among the converts, only a few knew the true identity of Tharizdun. Of those few, a [[tanar'ri]] known as [[Miska the Wolf-Spider]] soon advanced through the ranks and became a high ranking officer of the elemental forces.<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/>

However, the creation of the Abyss eventually caught the attention of the other gods, who temporarily put aside their differences and joined forces in order to imprison Tharizdun.<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/><ref name="MM4e-p52/> The gods spread misinformation about the location of his prison, leaving some forces led by the then [[archangel]] [[Asmodeus]] to watch over "Tharizdun's prison" in the Abyss,<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/> while they actually sealed him in the remains of a dead universe.<ref name="TGoM">{{Cite book/The Gates of Madness}}</ref>

With Tharizdun imprisoned, Miska the Wolf-Spider took control of the forces of the Cult of the Elemental Evil and launched an attack on the Abyss, intending to claim the Shard of Pure Evil for himself. While he faced the forces of the Prince of Demons Obox-Ob, the [[Queen of Chaos]] appeared and killed the obyrith, giving the title of Prince of Demons to Miska the Wolf-Spider, who pledged his allegiance to her in exchange for aid in destroying the gods.<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/>

Regardless of the actual causes of the war, the Dawn War started when the primordials launched an attack (either on their own<ref name="W&M-p56"/> or led by Miska the Wolf-Spider<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/>) on the Astral Sea, destroying the [[w:c:dnd4:Lattice of Heaven|Lattice of Heaven]], prompting the gods to retaliate.<ref name="TPA-p6" />

===War on the multiverse===
While most battles happened on the world of Nerath,<ref name="DMG4e-p161"/><ref name="TPA-p6" /><ref name="W&M-p56"/> Abeir-Toril was one of the central fronts of the war. A primordial named [[Nehushta]] built the fortress of [[Glaur]] in what would be later the continent of [[Laerakond]], as the main headquarter of the primordial forces.<ref name="Dra375">{{Cite dragon/375/Gontal: Dominions of Nehu|78}}</ref><ref name="HotEC-p32"/> The primordials unleashed their forces of elementals, demons, and even [[giant]]s and [[titan]]s, in a chaotic fashion and pitted them against the gods. The gods soon gathered an army from their [[angel]]ic servants and [[humanoid|mortal]] followers and counterattacked, but were overwhelmed.<ref name="DR-p14-17"/> While the primordials didn't had an organized army,<ref name="SotEC-p50"/> they were more powerful than the gods.<ref name="TGoM"/> They were confident of their victory, as the gods were fewer in number, were scattered and unorganized, and most of their soldiers were easy to kill.<ref name="Dra372"/><ref name="SotEC-p50">{{Cite book/The Plane Below|50}}</ref>

Things became even harder for the gods when some primordials, led by the powerful [[Timesus]] the Black Star, went to the center of the Shadowfell, a place called [[Death's Reach]], and began to consume the souls of the dead to increase their powers. With his new power, Timesus was able to effortlessly kill many of the younger gods.<ref name="DR-p14-17"/> Eventually, Shar and Selûne summoned gods from other dimensions, among them the gods of the world of Nerath, to aid the native gods in their struggles against the primordials and their servants.<ref name="FRCG-p42"/><ref name="HotEC-p32"/> 

Some sources say that [[Bane (Nerath)|Bane]] was the first to organize the forces of the gods.<ref name="Dra372"/> He devised clever tactics, instructing the gods to set aside their differences and work together in small groups of three to five members, then sending those teams to fight specially mighty primordials.<ref name="W&M-p56"/> In a battle that destroyed countless worlds, Bane led the gods to victory by killing [[Tabrach-Ti]] the Queen of Bronze, the first primordial to fall in the war.<ref name="HotEC-p32"/><ref name="Dra372"/>

At some point during this conflict, the goddess [[Auril]] killed the primordial [[Dur-baagal]].<ref name="Dra367-p61">{{Cite dragon/367/Hall of the Frostmaiden|61}}</ref> Meanwhile, the primordial [[Rorn]] of the Rages, unable to control his temper, killed many gods and even other primordials during the conflict, earning the enmity of both factions.<ref name="FRCG-p242">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide|242}}</ref>

The [[dragon]] god [[Io]] intervened in the war on his own, leading his army of dragons against the forces of the primordials. He killed many primordials on his own.<ref name="DrMD-p6">{{Cite book/Draconomicon: Metallic Dragons|6}}</ref> However, in one of the most violent battles of the war, in his arrogance Io fought alone against a primordial called [[Erek-Hus]] the King of Terror, and was killed when the primordial cleaved him in two with his [[adamantine]] axe.<ref name="DrMD-p6"/><ref name="DrCD-p6">{{Cite book/Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons|6}}</ref><ref name="MM4e"/><ref name="SCAG"/> Some claim Io died in that battle because the god [[Zehir]] betrayed him to Erek-Hus, as he wanted to control the dragon race.<ref name="DP">{{Cite book/Divine Power|40}}</ref> 

The same legend told that [[Bahamut]] and [[Tiamat]] were born from the two halves of the dead god.<ref name="DrMD-p6"/><ref name="DrCD-p6"/><ref name="MM4e"/><ref name="SCAG"/> However, another legend said that Bahamut and Tiamat were the oldest children of Io, born at the dawn of creation, and that they claimed the halves of Io's power after he died.<ref name="DrCD-p6"/> Regardless of the truth, Bahamut and Tiamat joined forces to kill the primordial before they began to fight against each other. Only when Tiamat fled the battle did both dragon gods aid the other gods in the war, though they preferred to work alone. Some [[dragonborn]] believed their race was born in that battle, when the first dragonborn arose from Io's blood.<ref name="SCAG">{{Cite book/Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide|112-113}}</ref><ref name="MM4e">{{Cite book/Monster Manual 4th edition|74}}</ref> 

Eons passed, and the Blue Age became the Shadow Epoch after [[the sun]] of Realmspace was devoured by the primordial known as [[Dendar the Night Serpent]]. During this phase of the war, [[World Serpent|Ouroboros the World Serpent]] was the major force leading the armies of the gods. All seemed lost until the primordial [[Ubtao]] the Deceiver turned against his kin and aided the gods in imprisoning many of his former allies.<ref name="FRCG-p42"/> The gods were able to launch a full attack on Death's Reach, defeating Timesus and sealing him away, depriving the primordials of one of their most powerful assets.<ref name="DR-p14-17"/> 

Meanwhile, Bahamut's allies, the [[Wind Dukes of Aaqa]], and an [[exarch]] of [[Moradin]], crafted the [[Rod of Law]] and defeated Miska the Wolf-Spider at the Battle of Pesh on the world of Oerth, which shattered the armies of the primordials, and the Queen of Chaos retreated with her armies back into the Abyss.<ref name="Demo-p7-9"/><ref name="FCI-HotA-p106">{{Cite book/Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss|106}}</ref>

Legends told that in the final battle of the Dawn War, the Oerthian deity [[w:c:dungeonsdragons:Kord|Kord]] slew the primordial [[Sehil]] barehanded.<ref name="TPA-p29">{{Cite book/The Plane Above|29}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
The gods of the world of Athas were destroyed or driven away by the primordials during the conflict, and some of the primordials who survived the Dawn War became the masters of that world after the war ended.<ref name="DS-p10">{{Cite book/Dark Sun Campaign Setting 4th edition|208}}</ref>

Concerned by the unparalleled destruction caused by the gods and primordials to the worlds of Material plane, the [[nature spirit]]s enacted the "[[primal ban]]", a powerful magic that bans [[outsider]]s from the Material plane unless they are summoned by its inhabitants.<ref name="PHB24e-p5"/><ref name="HotEC-p10">{{Cite book/Heroes of the Elemental Chaos|10}}</ref>

In Realmspace, the sun was recreated and the oceans thawed. This ended the Dawn War and began the [[Days of Thunder]].<ref name="FRCG-p42"/>

==Appendix==
===Appearances===
{{Appearances
|novels = ''[[The Gates of Madness]]''
}}

===External Links===
{{External link disclaimer}}
* {{PoLW}}
* {{DnD 4e Wiki external link}}

===References===
{{Refs}}

===Connections===
{{Ages}}
[[Category:History]]
[[Category:Wars]]