The Sundering, Shattering of the Earth

Though salvation cleansed the wicked taint of Esteban, its poison spread far deeper than possibly imagined as the very earth shattered once its influence vanished, leaving nothing but more suffering in its aftermath. - Survivor of the Sundering

From Salvation To Mass Destruction

In the aftermath of the Woe of Orinene and its perpetrator, Estaban The Tainted at the hand of a cleansing Star Fall many found a brief respite from the horror that came about from the Dark Time created by it. However, it would not be the end of the suffering as a far more catastrophic event would unfold in the coming days that would change the face of Embera forever. As the corruption of The Gloom subsided in the several days after the conflict as the people attempted to rebuild what was lost, something unexpected happened as the very earth began to shake under their feet now and then only to grow bigger and bigger with each passing day. Not many pay heed to this, believing that it was the land that settled into its original state after being freed from the corruption that spread across its soil. The only ones that seemed to be on edge were the Wyldkin as their primal natures often foretold them dangers many times. They were never wrong, resulting in many Emberans following them from said danger while others chose to remain behind, thinking that the threat was over. It would not help many of them either way, as many would be claimed by the destruction that followed.
When the time finally came, and the earth did not stop shaking, the ground under their feet caved in on itself and swallowed them whole. No one realized the extent of the Gloom's taint surrounding Orinene as it had appeared that it had seeped into the very earth itself so deep it ate away at the soils that supported it. Yet it would not be just around where the city once stood; it would spread for hundreds of miles, creating a chain reaction that could be felt halfway across the continent. Those trapped in it could only hope that the sinking ground did not consume them as tens of thousands would be in its wake. No one knew how long this earthshaking travesty had occurred, but when it ended, the sea consumed a large portion of Embera, leaving only islands from its shards and a large chunk of land separated from the rest of the continent. This horrific disaster would forever be known as the Sundering. It would result in the loss of knowledge, instability, and political upheaval for years to come as the continent would assess the damage and do what it could to rebuild, yet be forever changed and vowed to ensure that it would never happen again.

Time of Discord

by Jester%

Despite the Sundering only happening for a brief period, its legacy would last for decades in its aftermath as the survivors rebuilt what was lost on the mainland as famine and security around the outer impact zone would cause much strain to the lands of Ondelenia Senju mainly the ladder as they had lost much of their government body, resulting in it lands being placed under the authority Board of Stewards that divided up the land into various territories to balance out power and maintain order and authority over the disorganized land often referring this brief period as the Regency of Stewards. As for the lands of Senju, it became more isolated now that much of its connection by land with Ondelenia was gone and suffered decades of displaced refugees, as the masses could not cared for inland due to lack of space and resources to aid them. Many turn to crime to survive and become Badlanders and Plunderers to stay alive as they fight their neighbors for just about anything they can get their hands on. However, the worst to suffer were those isolated from the mainland, who could not build ships due to a lack of infrastructure and knowledge to build them on their newly formed islands. Most would perish from starvation and exposure to the elements, with the most information being victims of Gloomification due to the desperation they found themselves in. It would take more than half a century to rebuild, often referred to as the Mending of Embera’s Scar, but most knew that nothing would go back to normal after this and sought to ensure it would never happen again.

Manifestation

From theories after the events of the Sundering, it was concluded that the reason that disaster occurred was due to the corruption of the Gloom poisoning the very soil of the earth so deep that once it was removed at an alarming rate from the Starfall, the corrupted soil had burrowed into bedrock and damaged it in a large radius, causing it to be unstable. Once removed, the remaining soil shifted in place, and pressure was applied to said bedrock, fracturing over time and eventually collapsing. This resulted in a chain reaction that damaged the surrounding earth and sank it into the sea, as what was left of the bedrock that was not damaged remained.

Localization

Once the damage was done beneath the earth, a chain reaction undid the earth's foundations and spread as far as it could with no chance of stopping. All that could do was endure and pick up after the damage in a world ever altered by this catastrophic event. However, no one could predict the magnitude of the devastation coming in its wake.

Sundering

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Type

Natural

Loss of Many

by Jester%

Many things were lost in the wake of the Sundering; innocents perished in the collapse, with many more who survived the impact perishing later in desperation from their inability to survive their new environment. Fountains of faith and knowledge that had existed longer than anyone could remember vanished instantly, with only texts long forgotten to remember them by. Cities, towns, and villages filled with life no longer have names or memories. All that remained of this were ruins that survived or were built over them by those who came after. It was a different world after that, and no one would forget the dark shadow that came with it, lest they forget and allow such an event to transpire once more that could become far worse than ever before.

Total Damage

There is no valid, accurate record of the actual loss of life and destruction of property that can come close to the events that transpired from those days. Still, there have been close estimates that many have come to accept in the aftermath of the Sundering and viewed as such.
Lives Lost: 600,000 Total
Displaced: 2,000,000 Total
Settlements lost: 241Total

Places of Significance

Orinene: The capital of Ondelenia, despite being destroyed by the Star Fall, was stated to be primarily intact after the impact, only to be lost once the ground underneath it opened up with all of its history and knowledge lost to a watery abyss.
Destile: It was one of the few ancient cities that had managed to survive the Dawn Age, being rebuilt and used as a bastion of hope and light for all who lived in it, with it being said to have contained ancient text dating back to that and lost technology was used with its walls.
Perosa: A holy city that was the original seat of the Congregation of the Eternal Spark that it was founded in, filled with ancient artifacts and beautifully crafted buildings.
Cintoris: A booming trade city that connected Ondelenia and Senju, what used to be called the Saphire Bay, now called the Shattered Sea.
Senthi: A Major city in Senju known for its vast farmland that feeds people from around the region; once it was lost, famine struck inland, leaving thousands to starve.
Omeru: A Regional capital of Senju that governed much of the border region between the Raidarchies, with its destruction, lawlessness, and chaos running rampant for years without decisive government intervention.