Cataclysm (Dragonlance)
Encyclopedia
In the Dragonlance
books, the Cataclysm (Great Destruction) was a catastrophic event that occurred when the Kingpriest of Istar demanded to be given godlike powers in order to eliminate evil from the world.
, Beldinas Pilofiro, last Kingpriest of Istar, never liked the concept of balance. He believed that Paladine accepted it in a time when he was previously weak. As time passed, and the forces of good flourished after the Third Dragon War in which Huma Dragonbane defeated Takhisis
, he thought the time to break that outdated pact
was nearing.
His decision to end the balance became strengthened when the previous Kingpriest, known as Kurnos the Ursurper, sent Sathira, an evil spirit
, to kill him. Ilista, First Daughter and the woman who traveled from far Istar led by a prophecy
to find the true Kingpriest, sacrificed herself in order to save him.
Though at the beginning Beldinas only fought evil, as time passed, he began to include those who did not think exactly like him. Thus, he destroyed temple
s and expelled followers of the Neutral Gods, as well. With time, his obsession drove him to also destroy even "heretic" followers of the Gods of Light. As detailed in the novel Divine Hammer
, this also caused the Kingpriest to try to destroy all Wizards of High Sorcery
, causing the Order to destroy the Towers of High Sorcery
in Losarcum and Daltigoth in self-defense. This also caused Andras Rannoch, who was being mind-controlled by Fistandantilus, to curse the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas upon his death.
The warnings had been prophesied by the First Son Revando before taking his own life. Emissary Quarath, though knowing about the warnings, did not tell the Kingpriest their true meanings.
He regarded Paladine as too weak to completely destroy evil, but with the Kingpriest as his right arm, evil could be defeated. The Kingpriest called for the genocidal destruction of the ogre
races, and the relocation of the dwarves
and kender
. For his arrogance, the gods punished the city of Istar.
roared in to fill the gap. Thick, red soil was churned up by the water, giving it a reddish tint. This new body of water became known as the Blood Sea of Istar. Where the Temple of the Kingpriest once stood, there was a perpetual, massive whirlpool
that kept the red soil churned up, leaving the Blood Sea permanently blood-colored. On the opposite side of the continent of Ansalon
, the Kingdom of Ergoth was broken from the mainland, and split in two. More water flooded inland and created the Newsea. The city of Caergoth, an inland farming city, suddenly found itself on the ocean's doorstep. To the south, the thriving port
city of Tarsis found that the sea had retreated, and they were now surrounded by plain
s as far as the eye could see. The effects of the Cataclysm continue to be felt on Krynn
to this day.
Several cities, including Xak Tsaroth, were utterly destroyed.
Post-Cataclysm time in Krynn
is often rendered AC, to denote After Cataclysm.
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
books, the Cataclysm (Great Destruction) was a catastrophic event that occurred when the Kingpriest of Istar demanded to be given godlike powers in order to eliminate evil from the world.
Background
Detailed in the novel Chosen of the GodsChosen of the Gods
Chosen Of the Gods is a fantasy novel set in the Dragonlance campaign series, and is the first of a trilogy about the Kingpriest of Istar, Beldinas Pilofiro.-Plot introduction:...
, Beldinas Pilofiro, last Kingpriest of Istar, never liked the concept of balance. He believed that Paladine accepted it in a time when he was previously weak. As time passed, and the forces of good flourished after the Third Dragon War in which Huma Dragonbane defeated Takhisis
Takhisis
Takhisis is a fictional character from the Dragonlance universe. She is the main goddess of evil and head of the Dark Pantheon.- Titles and forms :...
, he thought the time to break that outdated pact
Pact
A pact is a formal agreement.Pact, The Pact or PACT may also refer to:-PACT as an acronym:* Protein ACTivator of the interferon-induced protein kinase, a protein that activates protein kinase R...
was nearing.
His decision to end the balance became strengthened when the previous Kingpriest, known as Kurnos the Ursurper, sent Sathira, an evil spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
, to kill him. Ilista, First Daughter and the woman who traveled from far Istar led by a prophecy
Prophecy
Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
to find the true Kingpriest, sacrificed herself in order to save him.
Though at the beginning Beldinas only fought evil, as time passed, he began to include those who did not think exactly like him. Thus, he destroyed temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s and expelled followers of the Neutral Gods, as well. With time, his obsession drove him to also destroy even "heretic" followers of the Gods of Light. As detailed in the novel Divine Hammer
Divine Hammer
Divine Hammer is a fantasy novel set in the Dragonlance campaign series and is the second of a trilogy about a Kingpriest of Istar, Beldinas Pilofiro, and is set during his reign of Istar.-Plot summary:...
, this also caused the Kingpriest to try to destroy all Wizards of High Sorcery
Wizards of High Sorcery
The Wizards of High Sorcery are a fictional group of people in the Dragonlance universe.- Introduction :The Wizards are a powerful institution in Krynn. They were founded when the deities Solinari, Lunitari and Nuitari taught a certain group of people how to draw power from the moons and shape it...
, causing the Order to destroy the Towers of High Sorcery
Towers of High Sorcery
The Towers of High Sorcery are famous buildings in the fictional Dragonlance universe.-Introduction:Wild magic, or elemental magic, has always existed on Krynn. The coming of the Grey Gem, however, loosed what could be considered "modern" sorcerous powers into the world. The Grey Gem came to Krynn...
in Losarcum and Daltigoth in self-defense. This also caused Andras Rannoch, who was being mind-controlled by Fistandantilus, to curse the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas upon his death.
The Thirteen Warnings
For thirteen days prior to the Cataclysm the gods sent warnings to the fanatical Kingpriest and his followers, all of which went unheeded. Following is a list, in order.- The true clerics left the land for the realm of the gods beyond. This night became known as the Night of Doom.
- The Durro Jolithas, the Tower of the Temple of the Kingpriest dedicated to Kiri-Jolith, was destroyed by a whirlwind.
- Dark fog spreads and settles in Balifor and Hylo, the kenderKenderKender are a type of fantasy race first developed for the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game published by TSR Inc. in 1984. The first kender character was created by Harold Johnson as a playable character in a series of role-playing adventures...
realms, breaking their spirits. - In a full night eclipseEclipseAn eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object is temporarily obscured, either by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer...
, Nuitari hides both Solinari and Lunitari. - The dwarvesDwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...
of Thorbardin were hunted by an ancient beast of darkness. - In Solamnia, no fires would burn.
- In Abanasinia, fires spread, destroying everything.
- In Dargaard Keep, Lord SothLord SothLord Soth, the Knight of the Black Rose , is a fictional character in the fantasy realms of Dragonlance and later Ravenloft...
raised his arms against the Knights of SolamniaKnights of SolamniaIn the fictional Dragonlance universe, the Solamnic Knights are a chivalric order, a "brotherhood forged when Krynn was young". The Solamnic Order is dedicated to the forces of light and live by a strict code of honor...
. - Palanthas was covered in mist. The weather was oppressively hot and the seas were unsettlingly still. The mist was so thick the scribes in the Great Library stopped working.
- In the elven kingdom of Silvanesti, trees wept blood.
- The forest animals near Qualinesti suddenly turned savage.
- In northern towns like Pesaro and Tucuri, the fishFishFish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
disappeared, and the water turned red. - In the Khalkist Mountains, dormant volcanoes became active again.
The warnings had been prophesied by the First Son Revando before taking his own life. Emissary Quarath, though knowing about the warnings, did not tell the Kingpriest their true meanings.
The Petition
The Kingpriest misunderstood the warnings, utterly convinced of his own infallible truth. He believed those were the last efforts of the evil gods, and only hardened his resolution.He regarded Paladine as too weak to completely destroy evil, but with the Kingpriest as his right arm, evil could be defeated. The Kingpriest called for the genocidal destruction of the ogre
Ogre (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, ogres are a lesser race of giants, rather being simply large brutes with clubs. An aquatic subrace of ogres is known as "merrow." D&D ogres are also closely related to the race of ogre magi, a smarter race with blue skin and great magical abilities...
races, and the relocation of the dwarves
Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...
and kender
Kender
Kender are a type of fantasy race first developed for the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game published by TSR Inc. in 1984. The first kender character was created by Harold Johnson as a playable character in a series of role-playing adventures...
. For his arrogance, the gods punished the city of Istar.
Consequences
Soon after the Kingpriest made his demand, a "fiery mountain" struck Istar. The city and all the land around it driven deep into the ground, and the seaSea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
roared in to fill the gap. Thick, red soil was churned up by the water, giving it a reddish tint. This new body of water became known as the Blood Sea of Istar. Where the Temple of the Kingpriest once stood, there was a perpetual, massive whirlpool
Whirlpool
A whirlpool is a swirling body of water usually produced by ocean tides. The vast majority of whirlpools are not very powerful. More powerful ones are more properly termed maelstroms. Vortex is the proper term for any whirlpool that has a downdraft...
that kept the red soil churned up, leaving the Blood Sea permanently blood-colored. On the opposite side of the continent of Ansalon
Ansalon
Ansalon is a continent on Krynn, the fictional world of the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game....
, the Kingdom of Ergoth was broken from the mainland, and split in two. More water flooded inland and created the Newsea. The city of Caergoth, an inland farming city, suddenly found itself on the ocean's doorstep. To the south, the thriving port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
city of Tarsis found that the sea had retreated, and they were now surrounded by plain
Plain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
s as far as the eye could see. The effects of the Cataclysm continue to be felt on Krynn
Krynn
Krynn is the fictional world of the Dragonlance novels, co-written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It has also been used in many other books, set in the Dragonlance universe. It is also used as the main setting in the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing...
to this day.
Several cities, including Xak Tsaroth, were utterly destroyed.
Post-Cataclysm time in Krynn
Krynn
Krynn is the fictional world of the Dragonlance novels, co-written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It has also been used in many other books, set in the Dragonlance universe. It is also used as the main setting in the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing...
is often rendered AC, to denote After Cataclysm.