The Death of Vernelis

Written by UmbralGoat

Nothing could... have stopped the Great Death... Not even the Trinity. They...wished for the world to take its own... form...To grow on...Its own. It was a self-fulfilling...prophecy. It was...Inevitable.

— Neptune

The Death of Vernelis, also named the Great Death or the Omen, refers to a period in time leading up to the of the Dark Era. It is said to have occured just before the start of the Dark Era. One of the most significant disasters to occur during the Great Death was the destruction of the Roaring Trinity.

Few know the exact cause of the Great Death, and it has become a significant part of the Celestial cosmology, with tales claiming that it was the ruthless deity Hesþilis that brought it about. Others at the time thought it was the Trinity reawaking to punish mortality for the increase in Dragon hunting, a very taboo practice.

It's believed that the majority of the damage the world sustained that lasted through the Dark Era was actually caused during the Great Death, and that the Dark Era was more of a period of haunting quiet than one of destruction. This is frequently debated, however, as modern historians are unsure how so much destruction could have been wrought in such little time.

Records

The records of this time are held within Saturn's Great Library. Many of these are said to be warnings from kingdoms who suddenly became aware of the rapidly-approaching disasters. Because of the urgency of these warnings, it's thought that the vast majority of kingdoms were not even able to send out messages, and were struck too quickly- perhaps overnight.

Among the more well-preserved records are distant observations as destruction took place, most likely from nomads or travelers on trade-routes.

A blessing of the [ocean's] horizon...Reduced to ash and smolder.

Even the bluest sky was engulfed in gray in seconds...The Light that rained...Left nothing of my beautiful village.

Never in my decades of travel have I [illegible] so blackened by fire and soot...

I saw it...Such a small creature, how could it have [illegible]

— Excerpts from records

A brief period of peace several years into the Great Death meant more kingdoms could sound their warnings and call for help. Many believed that the terror had ended, but it was during this respite that the Roaring Trinity was destroyed, and the second phase of the Great Death began. Magic vanished from millions of Ancient Dragons almost instantly, leaving them and their territories completely vulnerable.

Conclusion

The Great Death ended with a quiet, solemn transition into the Dark Era. The last note-worthy period of destruction occured with the inexplicable devastation to the population of Ancient Dragons; approximately 30 million were slaughtered in less than a year.

With the destruction finally ceased, Saturn now held the power to revive the damaged world, seeking out as many survivors as possible and unknowingly forming the beginnings of his divine rule as a Celestial Dragon.

Event Type
Disaster
Date of Event
Est. 450,000 years ago
Duration
Est. 3 weeks
Resulted in...
Countless countries/cities destroyed
The Dark Era