The Fracturing

Long ago, when the world was still whole, it was dominated by the great civilisation of Altea, whose people had learned to harness the power of the Ygdril, the great world tree at the apex of the world, to create magic. Through this power, the Alteans accomplished many amazing feats and produced many wonderous relics, the likes of which would not be seen for generations since. However, at the height of their power and glory, all of this would come to an end.

Though no one knows how or why, what happened was indisputable: Over the course of a day and a night, the whole world, and a good chunk of the moon as well, was shattered into innumerable fragments, destroying Altea and bringing immense devestation to the people of Altera, with only the world-spanning roots of the Ygdril managing to anchour the larger land fragments and keeping them from drifting further apart. This would not be the end, however, as monsters known as Rooteaters began to rise up from the underground in the wake of the Fracturing to menace the surface, and strange, terrifying illnesses such as the Crystallisation Plague and the Blight began to manifest. While the people of Altera have learned to survive in this new world, it hasn't been without great struggle, and many of the threats born of this calamity remain as great a danger now as they were when they first appeared.

The stories of the Fracturing, however fragmented they may be, are taken as historical fact, due to the presence of Altean ruins dotted across the world, the Ygdril and its roots, and the fact that threats like the Rooteaters and the Blight are not recorded prior to the Fracturing.

The story of the Fracturing is known among all of Alteras inhabitants.

Due to the mysterious nature surrounding it, the origins of the Fracturing vary greatly between tellings. While most tellings claim that the force behind the Fracturing originated from within Altera and managed to reach up to the moon, others claim that it instead originated from the moon itself before descending on the world below. The role of the Alteans in this calamity has also been subject to change between tellings, ranging from being directly responsible for the calamity, to having unknowingly drawn it to Altera. Even the nature of the Rooteaters varies across tellings of this event, ranging from being the direct cause of the Fracturing, to being created by the Fracturing after the fact by the force behind, to being the "immune system" of the world gone haywire as a result of the Fracturing, among other variations.

The story of the Fracturing serves as an explanation to how the world came to be as it is now, and, among those who blame it on the actions of the Alteans, serves as a cautionary tale on the dangers of unchecked ambition.