The Sundering

Upon his death, Ao’s essence shattered and fell to the earth. As the pieces landed, they caused a cataclysmic event that broke apart the land into several continents and many islands separating its people from each other.

The dark kingdom of Malumterra was brought to ruin, but the conflict devastated Aondor's peoples, reducing most cities to ash, inspiring in many a desire to flee from this plane of existence entirely. So great was the loss of life during the war and subsequent Sundering that historians believe only about a third of Aondor's population survived.

The world entered a long, dark period of healing, reconciliation and rebuilding, when history had to be recovered and purpose had to be restored. The Forsaker Gods were banished once more to their realms of deception and hate, but the threat of their return weighed heavily on the world. The Shroud had been weakened  and fractured. Unless it was mended, the prison planes that held the banished Forsakers would remain imperfect and temporary.