The War of the Mages was a period of ceaseless warfare between the empires of the Octarchy which occurred at the end of the Third Age. Despite the name, it was not one single war, but it is unique in that it was a period in which war was universal and unceasing across the world for many centuries. While some nations may have been at peace, at least two nations were always at war with each other during this period of warfare. According to what very few records remain from this period, no nation new peace for longer than a single generation during this era.
The world quickly fell into ruin as powerful armies of magicians, legions, and monsters fought across the world and laid waste to cities, nations, and entire peoples. The period of war seemed that it would be endless, if not for the mysterious Sundering of the World, which ended the War, the Octarchy, and the Third Age as a whole.