Period of Ruination

The Period of Ruination, although being one of monumental change for the continent, and world of Varia, is not one that is well documented. The sudden and sharp collapse of most civilisations around the world mixed with the rapid changes in geography and ecological stability resulted in the destruction of most records prior to the period of ruination, along with the prevention of many accurate records over the following decades.

Cause
Much speculation has been raised over the original cause of the Period of Ruination, and there are certainly distinct schools of thought on the matter which are based on very different kinds of evidence. However, most scholars believe that the event was divine in origin, relating to The Old Gods rather than The New Gods, and was the result of some form of awe-strikingly powerful conflict which involved the reshaping of the land and seas.

There are some scholars who claim that the conflict was brought about as a punishment for humanities deviance from tradition. Such scholars refer to ancient ruins and artefacts depicting cities of people who appear to be independent. As humanity was considered to be enslaved to the Old Gods at that time, some scholars argue that such depictions of independence might have angered the Old Gods into reshaping and then abandoning the world of Varia. Other scholars suggest a literal battle between the Old Gods, which they claim must have escalated in intensity and scale to such a degree that all of the land of Varia was warped. This theory is based upon old folklore which refer to the battles of the Old Gods and the ways in which the killing of Gods were said to make the surviving Gods stronger. The suggestion is that the Old Gods killed one another until there were only a few left, with increasingly concentrated power. When these final few fought to the death, the power reshaped the world.

A final, more theological theory relates to the way in which the souls of dead deities travel. Scholars of this theory propose the idea that when any deity dies, it's energy ascends from the mortal plane into the aetherial plane. Usually, this is thought to cause minor disturbances such as miracles or small-scale oddities. However, when a great number of divine souls suddenly pass from the mortal plane into the aetherial plane, the effects are somewhat more pronounced. Scholars of this theory claim that the period of ruination was, in fact, brought about by a very sudden surge of divine souls exiting the mortal plane at once, which created a rift or tear in the layers between the mortal and aetherial plane. The tear is thought to have pulled huge masses of land up and out of the sea, forming the Wall of the Gods and reshaping much of the world.

Pre-Ruination
Time before the period of ruination is not very well known. Some particularly powerful spellcasters have been able to glean fleeting images of the time period, but these are heavily distorted due to powerful arcane interference from that time. What is known is that humanity was enslaved to the Old Gods, and were seen as little more than pets, playthings, or at best: very helpless servants. The civilisations that existed in the years closest to the period of ruination seem to have been more independent, and less religiously inclined than those civilisations which were older, and certainly seemed to make less frequent and less diverse references to the Old Gods. Furthermore, the later civilisations seemed to have begun engaging in independent politics and feuds, whereas older civilisations appeared to have been almost lacking in will; acting in complete servitude to their deities.

Post-Ruination
Following the period of ruination, most of Varia was reshaped to some degree. Although some ruins and remnants of the past remained hidden and safe underground or within mountain valleys, most architecture and culture was lost. For the few people who survived the intense destruction, this was particularly problematic, for it meant that their homes and ways of life were destroyed.

Arcane Magic
Not everything was bad following the period of ruination - Humanity did gain one thing: Magic. When the Old Gods disappeared, their closely guarded arcane magic fell into the hands of mortals. Scholars believe, therefore, that every human has the potential for magic, though many will go their entire lives without knowing it. Furthermore, the potential varies greatly between individuals, with some having such little power that a lifetime of studying might only reveal the ability to heat water, or light a candle; while others might be so potent with arcane potential that their adolescent years result in frequent bouts of wild magic, spontaneous immolations, and other bizarre occurrences.

It is important to distinguish at this point between arcane and divine magic. What was passed to humanity from the passing of the Old Gods was the ability to access arcane magic - whether through study, or emotions. Divine magic did not become available to humanity until around about 700PR when the New Gods arrived upon Varia. As most magical creatures, such as elves and dwarves, also arrived at this time, they are often cited as the source of divine magic rather than the New Gods, but this point is still in hot debate among scholars.

Civilisation
After the period of ruination, most civilisations changed rapidly to adapt to their new environment and freedom. The exception to this was the Sellederre Empire, which retained the basic concept of its pre-ruination infrastructure.

Furthermore, over the first centuries following the period of ruination, two mighty empires of spellcasters rose with the sole purpose of ensuring that no Old God ever returned to Varia. These empires, being the Rommulite Empire in the West, and the Bennite Empire in the East, continued to grow within their spheres of influence, until clashing with one another in around 400PR. Wars and hostility followed for three hundred years with little advantage gained by either side, until the internal collapse of the Rommulite Empire in 698PR. This internal collapse was sparked by Robert Lorliathe, who was of royal descent within the annexed kingdom of Loegria; and was swiftly followed by mass disarmament and withdrawal of the Bennite Empire, which later succumbed to its own internal reformation into what is now known as the Moonstone Empire.