The Day of Mourning

Disaster / Destruction

The devastation was not limited to the battlefield on the Saerun Road—what is now the Field of Ruins. The rolling hills to the east of the battlefield became a plateau of jagged glass. To the north, a chasm opened in the earth, glowing with a cold purple light. A choking fog erupted in cities across central Cyre, killing every living thing it touched as it expanded to define the current borders of the Mournland.

The devastation was not limited to the battlefield on the Saerun Road—what is now the Field of Ruins. The rolling hills to the east of the battlefield became a plateau of jagged glass. To the north, a chasm opened in the earth, glowing with a cold purple light. A choking fog erupted in cities across central Cyre, killing every living thing it touched as it expanded to define the current borders of the Mournland. Not all of Cyre's holdings were swallowed in the dead-gray mist—parts of Valenar, Darguun, and the Talenta Plains were still under Cyran rule at the time—but Cyre as a nation ceased to exist. Scant thousands of Cyrans living at the edges of the devastation managed to flee to safety, and Cyrans who were traveling or living abroad at the time were of course spared. Many of these survivors have flocked to eastern Breland in the years since the Mourning, gathering under the banner of Prince Oargev, the son of the late Queen Dannel. Oargev was serving as an ambassador to Breland on the Day of Mourning, and now plays the role of a king in exile.  

The response to the Cyrans' plight after the Mourning is one of the greatest indictments of Khorvaire's “humanity.” Although some did extend a hand to those in need, war had so hardened the hearts of the citizenry that most refugees were turned away.   Far more perished in the days after the Mourning than should have. When the extent of the destruction became clear, King Boranel, wracked with guilt about his possible role in the cataclysm, was the first to allow unarmed refugees to pass through his lines. He eventually granted Prince Oargev and his people “temporary” lands south of Starilaskur and west of Kennrun, in the shadow of the gray mists that had overrun their homeland. No other nation was as charitable.   Keeper Daran spoke movingly about the faithful accepting and providing for the dispossessed, and the substantial aid provided by the Purified since the end of the war has gone some way in helping that Church's reputation, but the hard-liners in Thrane roused the populace with stories of Cyran depredations and kept the bulk of the refugees out. Aundair, Karrnath, Zilargo, and Q’barra established small communities, but again no significant action was taken. The ruthless Valenar elves slaughtered all who approached their lands; the goblinoids were no more forgiving. - Renowned Zil librarian Augusta Wainwocket