Sundering of the World

Diraegon’s Folly. The Storm Neverending. The Long Night. It is called many things but for all of its names, it is still the Sundering of the World. This was the event that triggered the utter destruction of the Old World. The mighty Clockwork Empire was shattered. The work of countless generations was swept aside in a catastrophic calamity, the effects of which are still felt to the present day.

The Tower that Toppled the World

During the 4th Age when the Clockwork Empire reigned supreme over most of the known world, its ruler, Grand Artificer Kaitos Diraegon, came into possession of what is known as the Heartstone. Reputed to be a crystal of immeasurable power, he became obsessed with harnessing its energies and putting them toward his agendas. Convinced that the Dragon Gods were poor custodians of the world and determined to prove that he could build a better one, Kaitos ordered the construction of the Godspire. As he delved more into the secrets of the Heartstone, he became less and less in touch with the world around him. Eventually he outlawed the worship of the Dragon Gods. He banned the practice of venerating Mistlords. Diraegon commanded the razing of all temples and edifices of worship across the empire. It was not long before he incurred the wrath of the gods as countless followers began to revolt.

In the midst of this uprising and as the empire was fighting on multiple fronts to maintain its dominance over the world, the Mage Lords of the empire staged a coup against him. Desperate and trying to escape the forces arrayed against him, Kaitos Diraegon did the only thing he could. He activated the Godspire...and unleashed destruction across the world.

The Godspire was situated upon a powerful conjunction of aether currents. It was designed to harness aether and focus it into singular purpose according to the will of the one who controlled it. The Spire was successful in its fundamental purpose. It harnessed the raw aether of both the Heartstone and that of the aether currents it was situated on. The great tower was incomplete however and as such, the power raged out of control. The moment it was activated it crumbled and in doing so released a terrifying wave of destruction that swept across the world. The veil between the Material Plane and the Aetherium was torn open.

Centuries of civilization was erased in moments. An empire was brought to its knees. The Old World came to an end.

The Long Night

The devastation caused by the Sundering was so great that it shook the earth itself. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, violent hurricanes and more blanketed the world in destruction and chaos. Ecosystems were thrown utterly out of balance, the tectonic plates shifted and whole swaths of land sunk into the oceans even as new land masses arose.

The most impactful of these events however was the winter that came in the aftermath. Ash and debris as well as aethereal residue saturated the lands.

So began the long night.

Precisely how long the Long Night lasted is unclear. Whether it was one year or ten, calendars and time ceased to mean much. Though sunlight occasionally broke through, it was short-lived.

Species were driven to extinction. The mortal races were pressed to their limits as people died by the thousands. When the Long Night finally ended, the people of Ransera beheld a changed world.

Twilight of the Gods

Destruction ravaged the Aetherium. The Shrouded Realms of the Mistlords were shaken. The foundations of every plane of existence were cracked open and the powers, both Endir and Aldir, faced a catastrophe so great it threatened to swallow many of them. And for many, it was their end.

The Dragon Gods summoned their dragons and even their Draegir descendants. Together they halted the crumbling of Ransera's very existence. This was done at great cost. Most of the demigods were killed in the effort. Many of the dragons perished as well. By the time the smoke cleared, the Dragon Gods were severely weakened and in need of rest. The fight to save Ransera was not over, however.

The Aldir called to their brethren, many of the lesser spirits begging for safe harbor from the ravages of the roiling Aetherium. Even the Mistlords found that their realms were crumbling as the ripples of the Godspire's power splintered their foundations. Only together were both the Dragon Gods and Mistlords able to quell the destruction.

And so the gods receded from the world, that they might recover their strength.

The fate of mortals was now truly in their own hands.

Summary

The Sundering of the World changed Ransera irrevocably. It touched upon every aspect of life and affected even spirits in death. The actions of Kaitos Diraegon are forever burned into the very fabric of existence. Some places in Ransera saw marvelous and wondrous changes occur around them. Some saw only nightmares that not even their wildest imaginings could conjure.

Regardless, it is a cataclysmic event whose effects are felt to the present day.