The Harrowing

"When the false king rises, when the great blackness emerges and consumes the very sky, and the children of Methuselah swarm like locusts, the end will come. It shall not rest. It shall not abate. It shall consume all." - Excerpt from the prophecy spoken by King Agrimas on his deathbed.

Summary

The Harrowing is one of the names of Irkalla's most well-known eschatological story. According to the story, invaders will emerge from The Abyss to destroy Irkalla.

Spread

Almost everyone in Irkalla knows some version of the story.

Variations & Mutation

The "false king" referenced in Agrimas' prophecy is typically either thought to be anyone who claims the title of King, or specifically Methuselah, either reincarnated or never dead in the first place. Most agree that "the great blackness" refers to The Abyss, and the "children of Methuselah" are generally thought to be Abyssals.
An alternative interpretation is that "the great blackness" refers to both the The Abyss and Abyssals, and that the "children of Methuselah" are the servants of the Aevorean gods.
Whether "the end" is the "great blackness", the "children of Methuselah", or something else entirely is widely debated.
There are countless versions of the story, many diverging significantly from the original prophecy. All versions of the story involve an invading force, although the form this takes varies. Some versions of the story refer to an army that invades Irkalla, while other versions refer to a small group or even a single individual.
In some versions of the story, the invaders intend to kill all of the denizens of Irkalla. In others, they intend to actually destroy the continent.

Related Locations

• Irkalla