The Great Quakes

Chaos engulfed the region, nothing like this had ever happened before. Everything swayed from side to side, shook loss and were thrown around like stone marbles thrown by playing children. No one could prepare for this, even foretell that it would happen. But the consequences of nature was realized in the aftermath: hundreds of thousands of lives were lost, nature was ever changed and a culture and species was forever changed by this beyond belief.

— Everam, Teller of Nimenra

A catastrophe beyond recorded times, The Great Quakes changed a region, a conflict and a country in many ways. The ones who lived through these chaotic years lived in constant danger, even away from the epicentre of the event. Many are still fearful that it might happen again and devastate even more lives.

Manifestation

The Great Quakes was an unforeseen event that took place in a period of three years between 1922 V.D. and 1925 V.D. The first few months a series of rumblings were felt in the earth around Marlun, especially close to Israk and the southern mountain-range Nerekuastar. This seems to have been pre-motions of what was to come. The real quakes came during Marem. The earth shook up and down all over Marlun and it's surroundings. Buildings were levelled to the ground and the mighty walls of Glarn was even razed completely in some damaged sections. Israk spewed out large amounts of magma, destroying the dwarven city Dwargcrat below the volcano. Even more, it started a huge forest fire in the Israk forest where it probably destroyed several of its hidden villages and killed numerous wildlife. Marlun was reshaped with some of the eastern hills collapsing and the eastern mountains creating large avalanches of dirt that rained down and destroyed villages and the lucrative mining-operations that Glarn had in the mountains.
The same happened to several of the other mountain-chains, most notable the one Israk is belonging to. In Kingdom of Telaron's capital city, Telahem, several buildings were destroyed and heavily damaged, including the castle. Many people died during the initial quakes in Telahem. In Kingdom of Ravero there were large amounts of floods from the rivers coming down the mountain but worse was the destruction of several mining villages that were completely wiped out. The capital was saved from much trouble, only sustaining a moderate amount of damage during the period.

Nekuram

For Nekuram across the continent, however, there was much more damage. The sudden quakes created blockades on the pass out to Marlun, killed a lot of people that lived in it and even worse, destroyed close to all production of iron, black iron and other metals due to collapsing tunnels and mines. To continue the The War for Marlun Nekuram was forced to smaller battles, melting tools and scavaging equipment. Eventually, a ceasefire was enforced on all sides for different reasons, but all relating to the quakes.

The Dwarven Kingdom

For the Dwarfs and the Dwarven Kingdom, there as a different matter. Their mountain homes were affected much more than any other country and species on Nimenra. Their great tunnels connecting cities stretching across two landmasses collapsed and broke off all communications. The main highway, Jordgur Tunnel, had several important intersections collapse and ceilings falling into large piles of rubble. From having a kingdom with twelve cities and 22 000 000 dwarfs to three cities that survived with connections to each other and about 3 500 000 dwarfs scattered across the cities, small villages and outposts. Their involvement in the war for Marlun ended and the nation went into isolation to recuperate and rebuild, only allowing limited trade from the Kingdom of Ravero. Dwarfs outside of the Dwarven Kingdom was essentially exiled. Some, like the Dunnd Dwarfs, settled in Ravero's villages and towns for their lifetime and would only have some letters seen or delivered to their kins in the Dwarven Kingdom. A memorial day called Margrim's day was adopted by the dwarfs to remember the sorrows and loss that was after this period.
Overall, the devastation that the quakes caused was immeasurable. the continent was changed. It turned a thriving kingdom and species into isolation and stopped the war for Marlun for some time until 2216 when it reignited all over again.

Type

Metaphysical, Elemental

Explore Nimenra: