The Collision
It is safe to say that everything changed. Our cultures, our kingdoms, the very ground beneath our feet. Continents formed and shattered, families torn apart across the planes, and cities folded together and spread wide. There was nothing natural about it - this was the work of the divine.The Collision, occurring in 1 BC or 33 Thawing, was a world-altering event unlike any previously seen, with the human world of Tiyu Amara and the elven world of Tiyu Noha being brought together by forces of divine proportions. People, places, and even the stars themselves were exchanged and distorted between the two worlds, shattering and reforming each in an unfamiliar image.
Pre-Collision
The two continents of Tiyu Amara, Abravost and Thurásin, have each been home to their own conflicts and difficulties, and even their own earth-shaping cataclysms. In Abravost, it is widely held folk belief that the Krenar Mountains that separate the central plains from the east are in fact the body of a dragon who once ravaged the land. In Thurásin, this is known fact, with the dragon Jrinta arising from their slumber in 27 Continuance to destroy the country of Dyiiladuun and sink large chunks of it into the torrid sea. Despite this history, no surviving records anywhere in either continent predict the Collision in advance. Some point towards something strange occurring, such as scattered reports in Thurásin's north regarding new stars, and suggestions by wizards that simple spells were unusually potent in the days and weeks preceding it. Unlike the destruction of Dyiiladuun, or the later Separation, no known contact by The Divinities was made to warn the people of what was to come.The Collision
The mountain shook as though it might erupt, and it was as though the very sky was afire all around us, trapping snow in its haze. Homes were swept away into the colours by the avalanche, never to be seen again. When we truly awoke, the mountains were gone, and we were alone above the world.On an otherwise unremarkable day later in the year, the air and ground shook, and the sky came alight in dazzling rainbow colours. Entire sections of land disappeared, either transplanted to Tiyu Noha, or 'replaced' by land from that world. Towns were collapsed and scattered, mountain ranges reshaped, and the coastlines flooded by towering waves. The most obvious consequence was the arrival of Elves throughout Tiyu Amara, along with their lands, and the loss of many humans over the planar divide to Tiyu Noha. Other changes were far more regional.
Abravost
The most obvious change Abravost faced was being split in two by the deep volcanic trench of the Shattered Strait, permanently splintering the Vosti Empire in two. The west would soon declare itself to be the Republic of Skarhu, and grapple with the many other changes, such as the mass flooding of three freshwater lakes which merged them into the so-called Skarhan Sea, and the appearance of the elven Lialpumpám Swamp in the marshy north. The east saw the complete destruction of the imperial capital city of Fovenis, replaced by a hole that would gradually become Fovenis Lake. It also saw ecological shifts with the transplanting of Chalsei Kóshoil, a volcano with glittering emerald lava which erupted for a week straight. Further large changes would not be discovered until later naval explorations discovered the City Islands far off the eastern coast, the remnants of Kailkoseltii city of Noinihal.Thurásin
Though less obviously scarred by the Collision, Thurásin was no less affected by it. The centrally located Lake Strelish overflowed its banks, devastating its surrounds and all that followed the watercourse of the prominent River Tsädh. The shifts in the Sholarixa and Dividing Mountains also caused untold havoc in the mountainous communities. The cold north was permanently altered by one removal and one addition - the loss of the island of Hiy'u Pwalu, and the arrival of the Carved Mountain. The former took with it the diarchs of the Kingdom of Xiy Kiiquldast, shifting northern politics to account for its loss and later spawning the pirate "republic" of the same name. The latter brought with it the elves of Gze Gu'azhayddzi, whose towering pillar from an elven mountain range has become a defining landmark of the north. Other impactful alterations have involved the appearance of the uninhabited island of Xörrodha and its paralysing Porriha Coral off the south western coast, the ruined city of glass in Wanbarum Crater in eastern mountains, and the large Nowenkayet Island off the eastern coast. The latter, home to the clans of the Shyanhol League, has proven influential in eastern politics.Post-Collision
In the settling dust, new neighbours became acquainted as they helped each other, and new norms were established. The politics of some regions were irrevocably changed, such as through the independence of the Republic of Skarhu in eastern Abravost, and the loss of dominant political players such as the Kingdom of Xiy Kiiquldast in Thurásin's north. Turmoil, both geopolitical and interpersonal, reigned for decades. In Abravost, the majority of elves would find themselves settled east of the Krenar Mountains by the Vosti Empire, and would be so mistreated by the ruling family as to eventually demand their independence as the republic of Waal Zaimyatl in 107 AC. Their geographic isolation past the mountain range aided in their victory, and likely helped inspire their magicians to develop Portals back to Tiyu Noha in the mid 200s. Though these structures would be destroyed in the later Separation, they enabled the repatriation of many elves and their belongings, as well as long-separated humans in the elven world. In Thurásin, elves were more diversely treated, ranging from respect to outright hostility and accusations of having caused the Collision. Many congregated in areas which were seen as kind, such as the elven kingdom of Zhrayqarnyu which had come through intact, as well as in the plains of central Thurásin, and later in the Carved Mountain and Nowenkayet Island. Perhaps due to the survival of many elven institutions and governments, portal magic was not successfully explored in Thurásin, insulating it from the effects of the Separation centuries later.23rd of Structure, 33 Thawing Thurásin
Cause
To this day, the true cause of the Collision is not known. A variety are proposed throughout Tiyu Amara and Tiyu Noha, ranging from divine intervention to mortal magical malpractice. By far the most widely believed is that The Divinities, particularly the Divinity of Change, had seen fit to introduce more of their domain into the many worlds of The Mother, and brought the two worlds into direct contact. This would potentially explain the Divinities making no effort to warn the peoples of either world, as they would have presumably been using their powers to aid or hinder this action. However, as the majority of the Divinities are mere splinters of The Mother, and often have conflicting opinions of proceedings, some suggest it's unlikely that enough gods found common ground in order to make this happen. Others suggest that this was the work of powerful mages, typically from Tiyu Noha, who formed pacts with the Divinities under false pretenses in order to bring the worlds into contact. This is typically disregarded as a fringe theory, often motivated by hate for the "interlopers", and there is no known evidence that denizens of either world had any knowledge of the other.
The Planar Sea by Mariamichelle, Free-Photos
Ripples
With all known worlds of The Mother existing within the cosmic Planar Sea, it isn't surprising that the effects of such an event could be felt far further afield, beyond the knowledge of humans or elves. This was proven true by the arrival of Merfolk off the eastern coast of Thurásin. Practitioners of necromancy, a magic which interacts heavily with the planar sea, the Wulsed'ok people noticed the "ripples" from the Collision, and a later echo of these at the time of the Separation. Following these ripples through the sea, and after centuries of research, they were able to construct the Portal of Siéhl, formally linking their world of Tiyu Shòbá to Tiyu Amara. There are hopes that their magic might be used to finally allow consistent passage between Thurásin and Abravost, or to even revitalise the long-destroyed portals to Tiyu Noha that were present in Abravost. As of now, neither has come to pass.
Portal by bertvthul, PublicCo, and anaterate
Fantastic and gripping article about the consequences of universal collisions. This article makes a great set piece into the setting you have made. If this is 'outdated' I cant wait for your update!