Great Erosion: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 14:42, 6 October 2026

The Great Erosion (c. 63,000–55,000 BME) was the period in which water, air, and fire entered Dalel, the realm of earth, and broke it into separate landmasses. It followed the Era of Isolation and was followed by the Age of Ascendance. It was a conflict between the Primordial Spirits and their armies, and ended with the defeat of Yairan, the Primordial Spirit of Earth, who lost almost all of his realm. Time came into existence near its end.

Background

Before the Great Erosion, Dalel was an unbroken and unbounded expanse of stone and the only tangible realm. Yairan was its only inhabitant.

Course

Intrusion of Aahi

Aahi, the Primordial Spirit of Water, had no realm of its own. It forced its way into Dalel and began to wear away the stone. During the Great Erosion Aahi formed Aasila, the realm of water, around what remained of Dalel.

Air and fire

Yavi, the Primordial Spirit of Air, and Metihi, the Primordial Spirit of Fire, followed Aahi into Dalel. Yavi's winds wore down the surface. Metihi's fire broke through from below.

Wardens

Each of the four spirits created a race to fight for it. The warriors of these races are known as Wardens.

Spirit	Race
Yairan	Namuril
Aahi	Bensahai
Yavi	Shosior
Metihi	Oxeyihlu

The Namuril defended Dalel and built refuges and passages beneath its surface. Those beneath Khamria and Orinilure later became the Deep Roads.

Emergence of time

Konmai, the Primordial Spirit of time, emerged near the end of the Great Erosion. The cause is uncertain. It is most often attributed to the consciousness of Umalyu. Before Konmai, events in Dalel had no sequence or duration. After Konmai, the elements acted on one another in order, and the changes they made became permanent.

End of the conflict

Umalyu created the Enarei, beings of greater power than the Wardens, who stopped the fighting. The Enarei have not been seen since. The four spirits then agreed that each element would keep its own nature while continuing to act on the others.

Yairan had lost almost all of Dalel. He withdrew with the Namuril to the Domain of Yairan and raised the Așdilu Mountains around it.

Consequences

Dalel was reduced from an unbounded realm to separate landmasses surrounded by the sea of Aasila.
Rivers, lakes, weather, and volcanic activity came into existence in Dalel.
Time began, and the history of Dalel is dated from this period.
The collapse of the boundaries between the realms also began the Dawn Wars, a conflict between Tñarilu and Náiluv, the spirits of light and darkness, which has not ended.
The conditions created by the Great Erosion allowed the Ascendant Spirits to arise in the Age of Ascendance.

Landforms

Several features of Méniail are attributed to the Great Erosion.

The Așdilu Mountains were raised by Yairan to enclose the Domain of Yairan.
The valley of Aráinia is said in Barugoar tradition to have formed where Yairan's tears fell.
The swamps of Balúrail formed where Yairan hardened the earth against Aahi and the water could not drain.
Arezilur was carved by wind from land that had been joined to Khamria.

Continuing erosion

The conflict ended, but the elements continue to act on Dalel. Water, wind, and fire still wear down and reshape the land, at a pace governed by time.

Bibliography

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-{{Hatnote|Part of the [[History of Orethil]]}}
+{{Hatnote|Part of the [[History of Dalel]]}}
-'''The Great Erosion''' was one of the most transformative events in the history of [[Adaris]], marking the moment when the primordial realm of Orethil—the realm of the [[Oras|Primordial Spirit of Earth]]—began to be shaped by the elemental forces of fire, water, and air. Before this event, [[Orethil]] existed as an infinite and unchanging realm of pure earth and stone, untouched by the outside influences of other elements. It was the first and most enduring realm, created from the chaotic energies of [[Astram]] within the [[Primordial Void]].
+[[File:Great Erosion.jpg|thumb|Painting of the Great Erosion.]]
+The '''Great Erosion''' (c. 63,000–55,000 BME) was the period in which water, air, and fire entered [[Dalel]], the realm of earth, and broke it into separate landmasses. It followed the [[Era of Isolation]] and was followed by the [[Age of Ascendance]]. It was a conflict between the Primordial Spirits and their armies, and ended with the defeat of [[Yairan]], the [[Primordial Spirit]] of Earth, who lost almost all of his realm. Time came into existence near its end.
-The Great Erosion was not merely a geological event but a metaphysical process that forever altered the balance of the elements in Adaris, shaping both its landscape and its inhabitants.
+== Background ==
+Before the Great Erosion, Dalel was an unbroken and unbounded expanse of stone and the only tangible realm. [[Yairan]] was its only inhabitant.
-== Origins of the Great Erosion ==
+== Course ==
-As Orethil stood alone, the elemental realms of [[Shasae]] (air), [[Tejas]] (fire), and [[Jala]] (water) were yet to fully manifest in the world. These elements existed in their own infinite expanses, but their energies had not yet interacted with the physicality of Orethil. This changed when the balance of the cosmos began to shift, causing the forces of [[Shasae]], [[Tejas]], and [[Jala]] to collide with Orethil.
+=== Intrusion of Aahi ===
+[[Aahi]], the Primordial Spirit of Water, had no realm of its own. It forced its way into Dalel and began to wear away the stone. During the Great Erosion Aahi formed [[Aasila]], the realm of water, around what remained of Dalel.
-It was during this period of elemental convergence that [[Kairos]], the Ascendant [[Spirit]] of Time, came into existence. The introduction of new elements into the timeless realm of Orethil threatened to plunge the world into chaos, with the continuous erosion of its eternal landmass. Kairos emerged to stabilize the passage of time, ensuring that the elements worked in harmony rather than complete dissolution.
+=== Air and fire ===
+[[Yavi]], the Primordial Spirit of Air, and [[Metihi]], the Primordial Spirit of Fire, followed Aahi into Dalel. Yavi's winds wore down the surface. Metihi's fire broke through from below.
-== The Erosive Forces ==
+=== Wardens ===
-The elements of air, fire, and water each had their own effects on [[Orethil]]:
+Each of the four spirits created a race to fight for it. The warriors of these races are known as [[Warden|Wardens]].
+{| class="wikitable"
+|-
+! Spirit !! Race
+|-
+| [[Yairan]] || [[Namuril]]
+|-
+| [[Aahi]] || [[Bensaha|Bensahai]]
+|-
+| [[Yavi]] || [[Shosior]]
+|-
+| [[Metihi]] || [[Oxeyihlu]]
+|}
+The Namuril defended Dalel and built refuges and passages beneath its surface. Those beneath [[Khamria]] and [[Orinilure]] later became the [[Deep Roads]].
-* Water: The power of [[Jala]] began to carve rivers, lakes, and oceans into the once-unyielding earth. The relentless flow of water slowly eroded the mountains, reshaped the valleys, and created deep chasms where none existed before. Over time, these forces nurtured new life and fertility in modern-day Orethil.
+=== Emergence of time ===
+[[Konmai]], the Primordial Spirit of time, emerged near the end of the Great Erosion. The cause is uncertain. It is most often attributed to the consciousness of [[Umalyu]]. Before Konmai, events in Dalel had no sequence or duration. After Konmai, the elements acted on one another in order, and the changes they made became permanent.
-* Air: The winds of [[Shasae]] swept across the plains and mountains, further eroding the stone and creating soft, rolling hills where sharp cliffs once stood. The winds carried seeds and new life across the land, aiding the process of transformation.
+=== End of the conflict ===
+Umalyu created the [[Enarei]], beings of greater power than the Wardens, who stopped the fighting. The Enarei have not been seen since. The four spirits then agreed that each element would keep its own nature while continuing to act on the others.
-* Fire: [[Tejas]] brought both creation and destruction to Orethil. Volcanic activity erupted, as the fiery essence of Tejas reshaped the landscape in an explosive display of power. Fire forged new minerals, created magma flows, and renewed the surface of the earth by consuming old formations and creating new ones in their place. The molten heart of the earth became both a source of danger and renewal for Orethil’s inhabitants.
+Yairan had lost almost all of Dalel. He withdrew with the Namuril to the [[Domain of Yairan]] and raised the [[Așdilu Mountains]] around it.
-== The Consequences of the Great Erosion ==
+== Consequences ==
-[[File:Terasil - Great Erosion 01.jpg|thumb|Evidence of the Great Erosion is still seen all over Orethil.]]
+* Dalel was reduced from an unbounded realm to separate landmasses surrounded by the sea of Aasila.
-The Great Erosion marked the gradual contraction of [[Orethil]] from an infinite realm into the continent of [[Elemara]], the landmass that exists today in [[Adaris]]. The once-endless domain of Orethil became a contained space, with the [[Citadel Mountains]] at its heart standing as the last bastion of the primordial realm.
+* Rivers, lakes, weather, and volcanic activity came into existence in Dalel.
+* Time began, and the history of Dalel is dated from this period.
+* The collapse of the boundaries between the realms also began the [[Dawn Wars]], a conflict between [[Tñarilu]] and [[Náiluv]], the spirits of light and darkness, which has not ended.
+* The conditions created by the Great Erosion allowed the [[Ascendant Spirit|Ascendant Spirits]] to arise in the Age of Ascendance.
-The integration of fire, air, and water into the realm had profound consequences, not just for the land but also for its inhabitants. The [[Orasians]], the ancient beings born from the earth, saw their realm transformed and diminished. Once titanic beings who stood as tall as mountains, many Orasians found themselves reduced in size and influence, as the elemental forces reshaped their bodies along with their world.
+=== Landforms ===
+Several features of [[Méniail]] are attributed to the Great Erosion.
+* The [[Așdilu Mountains]] were raised by Yairan to enclose the Domain of Yairan.
+* The valley of [[Aráinia]] is said in [[Barugoar]] tradition to have formed where Yairan's tears fell.
+* The swamps of [[Balúrail]] formed where Yairan hardened the earth against Aahi and the water could not drain.
+* [[Arezilur]] was carved by wind from land that had been joined to [[Khamria]].
-Likewise, new beings began to emerge from the interactions between the elements, countless corporeal beings, flora and fauna came to existence inhabiting all realms and creating their own unique societies, which in turn further changed the world.
+== Continuing erosion ==
+The conflict ended, but the elements continue to act on Dalel. Water, wind, and fire still wear down and reshape the land, at a pace governed by time.
-== The Birth of Time ==
+== Bibliography ==
-As the elements began to erode and reshape [[Orethil]], the need for a stabilizing force became apparent. Without time to govern the cycles of creation and destruction, the world would have descended into chaos. In response, the [[Ascendant Spirit]] [[Kairos]] emerged, bringing with them the concept of time.
+* {{BibliographyEntry|Category=history|Title=The Chronicles of Creation}}
+* {{BibliographyEntry|Category=history|Title=The Erosion of Eternity}}
+* {{BibliographyEntry|Category=history|Title=Balancing the Elements: The Role of Konmai}}
-Kairos’s influence ensured that the process of erosion slowed, giving Orethil time to adapt to the changes rather than being completely consumed by the other elements. The flow of time allowed for balance and harmony between the elements, ensuring that change occurred gradually and in manageable cycles. The creation of time also introduced the concepts of day and night, birth and death, and the progression of life itself in Adaris.
+[[Category:History]]
+[[Category:Dalel]]
-== Ongoing Erosion ==
-Though the Great Erosion has largely subsided, the process is not entirely over. The elemental forces continue to shape Orethil, albeit at a much slower and more controlled pace, thanks to the stabilizing effect of time.
-== Legacy ==
-The Great Erosion is remembered as both a destructive and creative force in the history of [[Adaris]]. It reshaped the land and allowed for the integration of new elements, giving rise to diverse ecosystems, cultures, and spiritual practices. The effects of the Great Erosion can still be seen across [[Elemara]], with its rugged mountains, flowing rivers, and fertile valleys standing as testament to the ongoing interplay between the elements.
-In many ways, the Great Erosion also represents the delicate balance that exists in Adaris between creation and destruction, order and chaos. The emergence of time, the formation of new landscapes, and the gradual contraction of Orethil all serve as reminders of the ever-changing nature of the world.
-== References ==
-* ''"The Chronicles of Creation"'' - A collection of ancient Adarian texts detailing the universe's origin and the elemental forces.
-* ''"The Erosion of Eternity"'' - A study on the effects of the Great Erosion on Orethil and its people.
-* ''"Balancing the Elements: The Role of Kairos"'' - An exploration of the emergence of time and its impact on the balance of Adaris.