The Sundering

Celestial / Cosmic

The mist-cloaked vale was broken asunder beneath the Sundering Peaks.

The Archenlord spoke to the kindred peoples and warned them of the evil powers he had sealed away, and commanded them to go forth and find the pillars that he made and to fortify them. For, while the Fallen were unable to breach the Veil formed by the pillars, they would be able to corrupt the living and these would be able to harm the Pillars, breaking the veil and Nov Matar would be lost. But the kindred were happy in the mist-cloaked vale. There, they had all they wanted. There was warmth year round, and every tree and bush and root of the ground bore plentiful food, and nothing but the pure, fresh rain would trouble the vale. No one wanted for anything, neither clothes to warm them, nor houses to shelter them, nor fields to grow food on, and no one yet knew greed for things that glimmer and shine.   The Archenlord warned them and warned them, but saw that the kindred refused to leave the mist-cloaked vale. So the Archenlord lifted huge, jagged mountain-sized stones, and hurled them at the mist-cloaked vale. These rocks broke up and grew hot as they sped towards the vale. The collision of these skystones was cataclysmic. Stones hit the ground and ruptured underground lakes of lava and these spewed forth and burned many. Some struck the deep lake in the center of the vale creating huge waves that drowned others. Of all the families of the kindred, only thirteen survived. The patriarchs and matriarchs of these cried out for forgiveness to the Archenlord. They gathered their children and children's children, and made to escape the wrath of the Archenlord and, lest all those who bear his spirit be consumed by the calamity, he protected these families from his wrath and they escaped.   The mist-cloaked vale was broken asunder beneath the Sundering Peaks. Some say the vale itself still exists, but that it is a wretched underground hellscape of darkness and fire, filled with choking smoke, scalding steam and rivers of lava. Some say that a family of giants survived the cataclysm and, in making pacts with some dark power, they were altered so that they could live in such confines, but these may only be legends.