Great Cataclysm

The Great Cataclysm, also known simply as "the cataclysm" was a tremendous disaster that destroyed the world of the Elder Gods, leaving only a few fragments such as Punkett Island.

The cataclysm separates the era of the Elder Gods from the Time of Creation that immediately preceded the First Age. The First Age is called the First Age because it is the First Age after the cataclysm. It is not, of course, the first age in the history of the world, but virtually all knowledge of prior history was lost in the cataclysm.

The exact nature of the cataclysm is known only to the gods and possibly only to the Elder Gods. Its results included the sinking of nearly all the lands of the known world under the sea, leaving only a few islands above water. This does not seem to have been caused by rising sea levels or at least not this alone. Port Town on Punkett Island is still a port as it was in the time of the Elder Gods with no noticeable change in sea level from before the cataclysm to today.

It is believed that the cataclysm was magical in nature, but this is only speculation.

Another key result of the cataclysm was the enormous loss of life and the apparent extinction of many species including Humans and Elves. Both of these were recreated by the New Gods using magic left over from the Elder Gods. In the case of the elves, it also involved a bit of luck and determination on the part of Allort, known as the First Elf.