The Shattering

The Day the World Cracked

The Shattering was a catastrophic event that massively changed the geological landscape of X'anthia, killed countless people, and resulted in the removal of power from the pantheon of the gods.

"You broke my locket! You broke my PLANET!!! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?! *sighs* YOU are the reason I CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS!!!"

— Sabine, Mother of the Gods, to her children regarding their actions relating to The Shattering.

The Shattering by Midjourney

The Shattering. The day the gods broke the world. It can be summed up quite succinctly - The Shattering was really the result of children behaving badly. The godlings stole an object of immeasurable power from Sabine, fought over possession of it, and fractured the world in their scuffle. The entire event only lasted about two hours from start to finish, but the ramifications of this act still linger to this day.

Curiosity Kills

Qualisha didn't mean to start a fight. She didn't take the Sabine's Locket to use it, she simply wanted to study it. She settled down in a quiet corner to examine it, but her siblings quickly figured out had it and the fight was on. Some fought to possess the locket, and others fought to return it. As the fight progressed and intensified, inhabitants of X'anthia began feeling the disturbances, and then the unthinkable happened. During the struggle, the locket fell out of the heavens, streaking towards X'anthia at unrecordable speed. It barreled into the city of Heaven's Reach, extinguishing the light of nearly 250,000 inhabitants in the blink of an eye.

Sabine's Locket by Midjourney

"Using knowledge without wisdom is like giving a baby a battleaxe!"

— Sabine, Mother of the Gods, to Qualisha regarding the theft of her locket

Destruction of Heaven's Reach

The destruction of Heaven's Reach shook the universe. Sabine, realizing what was happening, managed to secure away several citizens of great importance to the world. By the skin of her teeth, she was able to shield the other major cities from some of the devastation. The fight was still raging though, and before Sabine could intervene further the locket was thrown down once more. This time, it hit the water just north of St. Misko's Isles, directly into a fault line. The hit on Heaven's Reach was nothing compared to the impact this made. The planet had had enough and the lands surged away from its tormenter. Sabine rushed to grab the locket and deal with her wayward children.

Divine Repentance

The scolding the godlings received was heard by all, echoing across the land. It is rumored that it was even heard at the far reaches of the universe. Following two days of beratement (after which the remaining inhabitants of X'anthia gave a collective sigh of relief and finally fell asleep) Sabine stripped her children of the majority of their powers. They were still mortal, but they were only given enough strength to answer prayers and calls for help. They were then cast out of the heavens and assigned both a ruler and a land to help rebuild and serve their penance. They were instructed to not interfere in the government decisions, instead, they were to offer their services to help where needed. This punishment is still in effect today, and the gods can be found walking among the people of X'anthia.

Reconstruction by Midjourney

The Shattering

Pre-Shattering X'anthia by Anna Omis

Post-Shattering X'anthia by Anna Omis

Type

Metaphysical, Divine