The Sundering of Threads
Overview
The Sundering of Threads was a pivotal, divine event marking the fall of Arasta, Weaver of Fate, and the fragmentation of divine trust that preceded the Age of Mortals. It is considered the inciting act of the prophesied Ragnarök and the beginning of the slow withdrawal of the gods from mortal affairs. During this time, divine betrayal, cosmic fear, and prophetic doom coalesced into a single act of unmaking, whose tremors still echo through history.
The Prophecy and the Calling
Arasta, whose domain was fate, dreams, and the web of destiny, foresaw a chilling future: the coming of Ragnarök, an age wherein gods would fall, and mortals would ascend. But her vision showed more than divine death—it showed Grol, the Wolf of Darkness, devouring what remained of a godless universe. Grol, ancient and unknowable, cannot digest what is inherently good. The death of the gods would allow him to feast unchallenged on all creation.
Terrified for the fates of her divine siblings and for the balance of reality, Arasta summoned the Prime Deities—Varaal, Caudiel, Liupan, and others—to a secret Conclave. She implored them to act, to change fate, or risk extinction. But her plea fell upon ears made deaf by fear.
The Secret Pact
Instead of pursuing redemption or altering destiny, three of the Primes—Varaal, Liupan, and Caudiel—struck a secret pact. Believing Arasta’s insight to be the fulcrum upon which Ragnarök balanced, they concluded that removing her would delay or even prevent the end. Worse still, they feared the rise of mortals in a godless world, which would challenge the divine right of worship they had long claimed.
And so, they began the Sundering.
The Unweaving
Over time, Arasta's powers were slowly stripped from her. Worshipers once loyal to her began dreaming of other gods. Her temples fell into ruin. Her dominion over fate and dreams eroded. Most of her influence and domains were redistributed—Liupan absorbed the majority of her power over fate and dreams, reshaping them into streams of memory and prophecy. Caudiel claimed aspects of hope and light within dreams, while Varaal took guardianship of the balance once maintained by destiny.
Arasta, once calm and composed, became erratic as her divine spark dimmed. Feeling betrayed and broken, she lashed out.
The Binding and Transformation
In her rage, Arasta began unraveling other gods' fates, causing tremors in the web of destiny. In response, the Primes physically restrained her during a final confrontation. During the struggle, she slashed at the sky—one of her legs tore a shard of the moon, leaving it forever marked in a crescent shape as a celestial scar.
Fearing she would fall to Grol’s corruption or destroy the balance entirely, they twisted her form, binding her soul and body into the shape of a spider-elf hybrid—a drider-like monstrosity reflecting her broken divinity.
But they could not kill her.
The Divine Seal and the Underdark
With assistance from Annum the All-Father and Asmodus, who also feared the coming age, the gods carved a prison deep within the world: the Underdark, a land of eternal shadow and hollow echo. There they placed Arasta, locked away by the Divine Seal—a confluence of Celestial, Infernal, and Giant runes forming a sigil that reads in a mixture of the three tongues:
“Though in Darkness, Find the Light.”
This seal was not just a prison—it was a warning, and a promise of redemption.
The Final Crusade
To enforce her banishment, a divine crusade swept the surface world. Leading it was Astreon, the Dawnbringer, a mortal-turned-paladin of Caudiel, wielding the light of the sun against the shadows. He was joined by:
- Orpheitus, a titan-blooded barbarian of Varaal, who shook the earth with his fury.
- Solanar Veyne, the Last Light of Eltheria, an aasimar sorcerer born of Caudiel’s spark.
- The Giant brothers Surtur and Loki, once exiles, who chose to join the crusade to honor Annum’s will and avert the end.
Together, they drove Arasta’s remaining surface cults underground, sealing the last gate and forever banishing the Drow, Duergar, and Svirfneblin to the Underdark. This act was not just a crusade—it was a spiritual severance, cutting off entire peoples from the light of the surface and the gods above.
Comments