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The First Sundering (sometimes simply The Sundering) or Ever'Sakkatien (as called by the Tel-quessir), was a High Magic ritual cast by the greatest High Mages of the Tel-quessir during the period of The First Flowering, around -17600 DR. [1][2] The ritual resulted in the creation of the Isle of Evermeet, but also resulted in widespread disaster which destroyed or altered much of Faerûn and may even be the cause of much of the non-uniformity of the Weave throughout the continent.[citation needed]
Ever'Sakkatien is somehow connected to the more recent Second Sundering, an event that takes place in the 1480s DR, and with the Tearfall, that took place in -31000 DR.[3]
History
Place of the Gathering
Hundreds of years before the ritual began, elves prepared the place for the casting of the magic. The place was surrounded by small villages, where the elves lived. The gathering place itself was at a special place in the heart of the continent Faerûn. They built there a tower of white granite which reflected the colors of the sky. It was higher than any tower built by elves before. A stair curved along the inner wall and on each step was a seat of stone with the name of the mage engraved, who would take place on it during the casting. When everything was ready and the time of the casting neared, the best high mages of the realms were sent there. Mages of all races, except the evil dark elves and the non-magical sea elves came to the tower.[4]
The Casting
Before sunrise, the mages took their seats and waited for the mage that functioned as the center of the ritual. It was a young wild elf, named Starleaf. Her place was in the middle of the tower and she began the magical song and the mages joined in. They unleashed the magic of the Weave and funneled it through their bodies and fueled it with their own life forces, ripping their very souls from their bodies.[5]
Result
Starleaf was the only one who survived the casting and she saw the others die.[6] But she also felt the tremors of the earth as it was ripped apart to form an island in the Trackless Sea. The coast of Faerûn was destroyed by tremendous earthquakes and floods. Hundreds of elven settlements were destroyed, others changed forever.[7] Another change was perhaps more dramatic as far as future generations are concerned. The city of Atorrnash was destroyed and with it much of the first Ilythiir empire. Many dark elves died, but most of them were worshipers of Vhaeraun and with that, Lolth became the dominant goddess for the survivors.[8]
The original goal was achieved. A place for the good elves of Faerûn was created and the island of Evermeet rose from the depths of the sea.[9] When the casting was done, Starleaf awoke at Evermeet and met there the gods Corellon Larethian and Angharradh. Both revealed that the elves succeeded with their help. That also meant that the elves were not the only ones to be blamed for the destruction of Faerûn.[10]
Politics
Not all elves agreed with the ritual and its plan. With every passing year the tensions between the Ilythiiri of the south and the elves of the north grew. It was for that reason the northern elves chose to exclude the dark elves from the ritual and so this heightened the animosities between the races. The gold elves stood firm and wanted to create the promised land at all costs. In accordance with old prophecies the land should be named Evermeet, and it would be a safe haven for all children of Corellon Larethian. There was resistance from the side of scholars who studied the ancient texts. They warned against the casting because the ancient realm of Tintageer was also destroyed by a mighty high magical ritual. Their warnings were unheard and no one wanted to believe the old stories.[11]
References
Notes
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (1999). Evermeet: Island of Elves. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 157. ISBN 0-7869-1354-1.
- ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 10–11. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Erin M. Evans, Paul S. Kemp, R.A. Salvatore, Richard Lee Byers, Troy Denning, James Wyatt (August 21th, 2012). What is the Sundering? (Part 1). Retrieved on September 7th, 2017.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (1999). Evermeet: Island of Elves. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 157–158. ISBN 0-7869-1354-1.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (1999). Evermeet: Island of Elves. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 159. ISBN 0-7869-1354-1.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (1999). Evermeet: Island of Elves. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 160. ISBN 0-7869-1354-1.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (1999). Evermeet: Island of Elves. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 165. ISBN 0-7869-1354-1.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (1999). Evermeet: Island of Elves. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 174. ISBN 0-7869-1354-1.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (1999). Evermeet: Island of Elves. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 161. ISBN 0-7869-1354-1.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (1999). Evermeet: Island of Elves. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 162. ISBN 0-7869-1354-1.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (1999). Evermeet: Island of Elves. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 158. ISBN 0-7869-1354-1.
Literature
3. Edition:
- Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
Novels:
- Elaine Cunningham (1999). Evermeet: Island of Elves. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-1354-1.