The Second Cataclysm

Era beginning/end

Introduction:   The Second Cataclysm was the decade-long event that transitioned the Illithid-Dilug Intergalactic Empire of New Rocheron from the High Precursor Era to the Modern Era. While few records remain of the event, small amounts of data have been recovered over the past 500,000 years, giving the modern population a glimpse into what happened.   What is Known:   The Second Cataclysm was a time period when Super-Aberrant Megafauna viscously attacked the Empire and all life in The Universe, with the intent of driving all life extinct. The attack was focused on the empire.. It is unknown why the conflict started, as the great old ones had remained fairly docile for most of the empire's existence. The great old ones were wildly successful in their attacks, destroying thousands of inhabited planets, sterilizing several galaxies, destroying all but one ringworld, and severing most intergalactic travel hubs. During this time period the Empire was desperate for a way to stop the attacks, and eventually succeeded through an unknown method.   The End:   The Second Cataclysm ended when the megafauna attacks ceased. This happened after several changes in the Empire occurred:   -Nearly everybody in the Empire disappeared   -The Overseer was put into power   -The level of technology in the Empire was greatly lowered, and has been unable to improve significantly since   -The Drift Drive was replaced with the Plane-Shift Drive   It is unknown why these events caused the attacks to cease, although several theories have been proposed by historians. Until more data is recovered, the explanation is lost to time.