The Three Cataclysms
'Only the pettiest of rulers die and drag the whole world with them. That being said, I have never heard of any ruler that wasn't petty.'
- Anonymous
The Three Cataclysms were the apocalyptic events that destroyed all known civilization on Valahiri. With the exception of some scavenged technologies and resources, the surviving communities were forced to completely reinvent the wheel. As of 743 AG, more than seven hundred Cycles after the Cataclysms, most of the old world's history and culture has been forgotten unless there was an active effort to preserve or at the very least archive them. Many communities indeed commit to archiving, to try and preserve the knowledge of what happend in the hopes that this would help prevent such a catastrophy from happening again. Unfortunately, conflicting reports about the events and what led up to them have made this endeavour quite a challenge. That being said, there are many traumatic memories given flesh that haunt the land, even though the original owners of those memories have long since died.
Before the Cataclysms
The term "Three Cataclysms" is a bit of a misnomer. It solely refers to events that happened over a relatively short timespan. There are plenty of indicators that various apocalyptic processes were already taking place before the Cataclysms. Shards of the past found in the Elphin's collective memory suggest that the world used to look vastly different than it does today.
The Cataclysms Themselves
Memorial Shrine Mural
Memorial Shrine Mural
by
Rain Tunison
The inside of the Cataclysm Memorial shrine, consisting of three murals, each depicting one of the Three Cataclysms.
The Flooding of the Shards (2040 to 2055 of the Imperial Age)
The first Cataclysm was one of rapid climate change. Over the course of about fifteen Cycles large chunks of Valahiri's middle part were flooded, creating the archipelago now known as the Shards. The disasters killed millions and displaced millions more. Climate refugees from the Shards were hunted down by Imperial forces who were desperate to prevent any outsiders from entering occupied territory.The Death of an Empire and the Escape to the Tunnels (0 AG - 10 AG)
The second Cataclysm was the collapse of The Doninghal Empire. A combination of war and environmental collapse ended up wiping out the entirety of the empire's mainland in the north (where The Glasslands are now located), and all occupied territories. Citizens all over the continent fled the incoming apocalypse by retreating into the Tunnels. They had to endure extremely harsh circumstances underground, and many communities didn't survive longer than a few cycles. The ruling classes of the empire attempted to escape the apocalypse by building a massive city in the sky. There they lived in obscene luxury, but it wouldn't last long.The Crashed City (17 AG)
The third Cataclysm came in the form of the crashing of this city in the sky, now commonly referred to as the Sky Citadel. Its impact was so big it left a massive crater in the mainland, and flooded all lower areas in what is now known as the Shards. Wreckages of escape pods coming from the Citadel can be found all over Valahiri. Only a handful of people from the Sky Citadel survived.The Aftermath
Around a hundred years after the Three Cataclysms, the first surviving communities emerged from the Tunnels. Given the Elphin's long lifespan, some of these first settlers were direct survivors of the apocalypse. Their stories were passed down from generation to generation, but were unfortunately distorted by time. In the north, the Elphin never left the Tunnels, because the Glasslands were completely unliveable. Despite all odds, the Elphin in the northern Tunnels managed to build small, peaceful, self sustaining civilizations underground. However, this peace would not last long.The Formation of Dreamfall (112 AG)
This event is sometimes referred to as the Fourth Cataclysm, but since it took place about a century after the previous Cataclysms, it's commonly regarded as separate. On top of that, this event was different inasmuch as it had an unknown supernatural origin. In a massive earthquake, a flaming underground gorge opened up underneath what are now called the Dreamfall mountains, separating the Glasslands, the former center of the empire, from the rest of Valahiri. This chasm, also called Dreamfall, honors its name by showing reality bending properties. The areas around Dreamfall are areas where the laws of physics don't apply. Instead, the area operates completely on dream logic, making it seemingly impossible to cross it.All That is Left
The Wounded Land
Valahiri is not what it used to be. Many previously lush areas are now barren wastelands. In many areas the air is still poisonous. The local flora and fauna was forced to mutate and adapt to the new environment. Hundreds of tousands of species unfortunately failed to do so. The land is haunted. In some places reality itself seems to break down. Memories made flesh wander the land.The Changed Land
Miraculously, there are also many areas that managed to bounce back from the disaster. But these regions are almost irrecognizable compared to what they used to be. The sheer speed at which the species in these regions changed defies the laws of evolution. How this could have happened is still an absolute mystery, but it was clearly necessary to allow life to continue.Memories of a Cruel Age
The many ruins scattered around Valahiri can house strange mysteries and horrific discoveries. These are mere echoes of the brutality that took place during the Imperial age, but they still have a lasting impact on anyone unlucky enough to encounter them. There is a reason why scavengers must be extra careful when exploring Imperial ruins.Memories Made Flesh
They come in all shapes and sizes. From inanimate objects, to entire buildings, to small biomes, to strange creatures, to ghostly apparitions. They can be scentient, they can even be intelligent, or they can just be machine-like, driven solely by forces from a long lost past. Their presence warps the Echoes of the things around them. Coming close to them is thus an incredibly dangerous endeavour. And even if you come away from them in one piece, your mind will never be the same.But for those who want to know about the past, and about how to not repeat their ancestor's mistakes, coming close to a Memory is well worth the risk. The stories these Memories tell are far from reliable, or even logical. Trauma and time itself has warped them. Nevertheless, they are still an invaluable source of information. Combined with the knowledge gathered from ruins, relics and ancient text, they can paint a vivid picture of what the world was like before the apocalypse.
The Cataclysm Memorial Shrine
Outside
Cylinder
by
Rain Tunison
The outside of the Cataclysm Memorial Shrine.
The Cataclysm Memorial Shrine is built in the Fields of Resistance, only a few miles away from the Crashed Sky Citadel. It is a large sandstone cylinder with no visible entrance. Instead, the Shrine can be entered through an underground passageway, with a spiral staircase leading up to the inside of the Shrine. The round walls and ceiling are covered in murals depicting the Three Cataclysms and the formation of Dreamfall. As of 488 AG, the Shrine is an important pilgrimage site for Elphin from all kinds of different cultures. Most of the pilgrims hail from the surrounding regions, but there are also a few who travelled all the way from the other side of the Valahiri Mainland.
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