History
The Crisis (852 - 853)
The Ether Crisis (shortened to "The Crisis") was an event that took place between 852 and 853 following the formation of
The Tear which caused
etherbeings to suddenly grow aggressive and begin attacking mortals to consume their ether. Etherbeings specifically targeted mortals with large ether pools to consume as much ether as possible. In doing so mortals with powerful magical abilities were largely eradicated, leaving behind only mortals with small pools and weak magic.
Post-Crisis
The Crisis only came to an end after etherbeings had consumed all mortals with significant ether pools. The mortals that remained had pools so small that they weren't worth consuming, etherbeings having an easier time absorbing ether from etherically dense locations than non-magical mortals. Essentially, every mortal that
could have died in the Crisis
did.
In modern times mortals are still largely non-magical due to the crisis, making them as a whole more susceptible to etherification and leaving them unable to magically defend themselves against etherbeings.
The mortal population was decimated during the Crisis, the effects caused widespred hardship among survivors which took decades to recover from. One of the most significant losses of the Crisis was the
the Grandmaster Circle, every
Grandmaster having been a target due to their large ether pools and mastery over magic. The Grandmasters were an important political institution before the Crisis, and survivors had to figure out how to rebuild without them. Some historians suggest that mortals would be about a century more advanced than they currently are if the Grandmaster Circle had survived the Crisis. Due to the small ether pools of modern mortals, no mortal is qualified to become a Grandmaster and restore the circle.
The Tear did not dissapear from the sky after the Crisis ended, but it remained small and dormant.
999
The Tear Spreads
In 999 the Tear suddenly expanded and showed signs of activity. It was previously a small rift above the
Grandmaster Tower. The Tear is now visible in the sky all across Elos. In conjunction with the expansion of the Tear etherbeings (and partially
etherificatied mortals) have begun consuming more ambient ether, even seeking out mortals to consume in addition to ambient ether. Many people believe this to be the start of a second Crisis.
During the Tear's expansion,
Void fell out from the rift into the
Caravina Sea.
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