The war was brought by the imbalance that was created in the Serpent Isle when Exodus abducted the Great Earth Serpent. The Order Serpent and the Chaos Serpent began fighting with no one to balance them. The imbalance affected the followers of Order and the followers of Chaos, which became obsessed with fighting, each side vying for supremacy, whereas always before they had co-existed peacefully. The Great Hierophant of Balance, Ssithnos, was weakened by the disappearance of the Great Earth Serpent, and was unable to restore Balance to the land.