A Pivotal Conflict in Volaire’s History

The War of 302 marks one of the most devastating and mysterious military conflicts in the history of the Ariadnian Empire. It was a time of upheaval, espionage, and forbidden knowledge — culminating in the theft of one of the most dangerous arcane artifacts ever recorded: the Emerald Tome.

This war is not well-documented in common records, but what remains is enough to understand its catastrophic influence on the balance of magical knowledge, imperial control, and the rise of rogue factions in the years that followed.

While the full political landscape of 302 is clouded in secrecy and speculation, the war appears to have been triggered by a surge in forbidden alchemical experimentation, imperial overreach, and internal rebellion across several provinces. Some suggest that factions within the royal court had become obsessed with acquiring immortality and power through arcane means.

Tensions ignited when a series of alchemical experiments went awry — including the rumored creation of beings and elixirs considered abominations by modern standards.

The most infamous act of the war was the theft of the Emerald Tome from the royal library. This ancient codex was said to contain the complete writings of the greatest Alchemists in history — a masterwork of volatile formulas, metaphysical transmutations, and theoretical immortality.

The last recorded sighting of the tome was during the peak of the war, when it vanished from the royal vaults under cover of chaos. No one knows for sure who stole it, but legends say the thief either memorized and destroyed the tome to prevent its abuse… or scattered it across the realm in pieces.

Since the war, entire generations of scholars, treasure hunters, and cultists have sought the Emerald Tome. Some claim fragments have surfaced; others say it is lost forever.

• Decentralization of Alchemy: Alchemical secrets that were once carefully hoarded by the Empire became scarce and fragmented after the war. The secrecy surrounding these arts only deepened as survivors of the war either disappeared or refused to speak of what they witnessed.
• Rise of Hidden Orders: Following the chaos, new factions formed — some to protect the realm from further abuse of arcane knowledge, others to claim such power for themselves.
• Imperial Shame: The Ariadnian Empire rarely speaks of the War of 302. Even among historians, references are vague or redacted, suggesting deliberate suppression of facts.
• Plot Relevance: Rumors of the Emerald Tome’s continued existence persist even in modern times. Characters with the right Knowledge skills or alchemical ties may uncover leads connected to this era.

• The war occurred in the year 302 of the Imperial Calendar.
• The Emerald Tome was last seen during the conflict.
• The tome contained compiled research from multiple master Alchemists.
• It was either destroyed by its thief or hidden to keep others from abusing its power.

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