The Great Grief

Event

The Great Grief was the single most destructive event in the world's history, destroying most of the known world. It was also the violent end of the Second Era.

It happened after the Redstone Alliance between the three kingdoms had collapsed, resulting in Helmsdeep attempting to create a Helmsdeep Empire by conquering Kythria and the Riverlands in cooperation with Redstonia. Afterwards, the Helmsdeep Empire could hold a siege at Redstonia until King Whazajottom would surrender.

However, the forces of Redstonia stabbed the Kingdom of Helmsdeep in the back by marching back to set fire to Helmsdeep, after which the Helmsdeep forces moved back into their city to turn off the fires, only to be blown apart by hidden caches of TNT placed by Redstonia. At the same time, caches of TNT has been set off in Kythira too. When the forces of Helmsdeep realised it was too late to save Helmsdeep, they went on the completely ravage it instead.

In the end, the only place in the world not effected by the Great Grief was the Kingdom of Redstonia. But, being a service based economy, without nations to trade with it swiftly collapesed economically and over time was left abandoned.

Aftermath

At the dawn of the Third Era, the former King of Kythira, Coetzeeclan, retook his fallen Kingdom, and after restoration of the old Kingdom he began slowly unifying all former territories of the Second Era, eventually annexing the entire Continent of Westeria. The Continent of Easteria was given to Peppered, former ruler of Blackwater Base, a castle in the Riverlands that survived the Great Grief without any damage. Here, this Peppered soon setteled on the Isle of Dorwall, and eventually the Empire of Imperius grew from this.

Large craters can still be found in the Riverlands, as in the city of Kythira most craters have been builded over. There has also been a large amount of caches with TNT found during reconstruction work. Several has been set off by the reconstruction, others could luckily have been removed. But there still lays a threat of TNT blowing up at any moment somewhere.

Memorial

The Great Grief is remembered every 15th of September at the Great Grief Memorial near the Imperial City. The ceremony begins at the White Gold Tower, moving into boats from there and travelling to the Memorial. Here, a two minute silence takes place around the eternal flame. Afterwards, the participants move into the Hall of the Fallen, where they can gift an offering to the lost. Afterwards all return to the Imperial City.