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eskiworks:

A piece of early TeaFeathers history, which I created thanks to the support of my patrons on Patreon!
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The Cataclysm

The Cataclysm refers to an event in Alecani history approximately 3,000 years before Nym’s time, when they were driven out of their ancestral lands and struck out on the ocean to find a new home. During this event they lost touch with their then-patron spirit, The Great Song, and forged a relationship with a new patron spirit, the Tea Spirit. The Cataclysm was a combination of spiritual and physical events, which led to the downfall of ancient Alecani civilization.

The Physical

Every several thousand years, there is a massive meteor shower that tends to produce some noticeable impacts, in addition to a spectacular light show. Some years, it passes with little destruction. Other times, the planet’s surface doesn’t escape unscathed. It has resulted in more than one extinction level impact, where a large meteor pierced the planet’s crust and set off a chain of volcanic events.

During the Cataclysm there were a few meteor impacts that created an area of destruction approximately equal to the 1908 Tunguska event in Siberia, which devastated 770 square miles of forest. Crucial alecani hunting grounds, agricultural lands, and cities were destroyed. While an extinction level event was avoided, this was civilization crippling for the alecani.

The Spiritual

In addition to the physical impact on the planet, a significant spiritual impact can be felt. The meteor shower brings spirits from off planet, which interact with the terrestrial spirits. This interaction period is a tumultuous time. Certain kinds of spirits become more active, such as volcanic entities, who remember the times in the distant past when this event brought volcanic destruction to the surface. Other spirits may go dormant, perhaps saving their energy or hiding from the off world spirits. Sometimes spirits will choose to change homes, with planet-bound spirits joining the ranks of the off-worlders, and vice versa.

For the alecani, this effect doubled down on the destruction of their home. Volcanic spirits caused more frequent and more destructive eruptions than normal, sealing entire cities beneath magma, and devastating the natural landscape with pyroclastic flows. In addition, the alecani’s then-patron spirit, The Great Song, went dormant. It was not present to guide the alecani through this trying time.

The Aftermath

As the meteor shower ended, the alecani began to attempt to rebuild their society. Under normal circumstances, one must ask the spirits to partake in the resources in which the spirits make their home: forests of lumber, quarries of stone, and more. But the landscape was quiet; many spirits still lay dormant. Many alecani foolishly took their silence for consent, and went about taking resources, rebuilding where they could. As the spirits began to awaken to find their homes altered (or in some cases destroyed) by the alecani, they took their anger out on the remaining population. Ailments, death, and curses plagued the now dwindling population, and finally drove them from their land.

As they took to the seas to find a new home, the Great Song reappeared as The Listener. It no longer shared its knowledge openly, or accepted offerings. This was a terrible spiritual blow for the alecani. Silent and cold, it chose an emissary to collect the stories of the disaster that changed alecani society forever; The Harp. Some say that the bond between the Great Song and the alecani was damaged during the Cataclysm. Others theorize that the spirit chooses its continued silence. Either way, the alecani found themselves without a patron spirit to aid them in rebuilding. They came to blame the volcanic spirits, believing their Great Song to be drowned out by the fiery cacophony of their revelry. That is why to this day, alecani with fire related magic are treated suspiciously. They are seen as agents of destruction.

It was also during this time that the new patron spirit of the alecani emerged; the Tea Spirit. In exchange for taking the last remaining tea tree to a new land, the Tea Spirit took up the role formerly filled by The Listener, and watched over them on their journey.

The alecani did eventually find their way to their new home, where they met the pylura and formed a new joint society called the Dimali.

Evening reblog!  If you ever wanted to know why fire magic users are ostracized in alecani society, here lies the answers!