The city-continent of Aldmeris is devoured by the mysterious catastrophe - by ©Ted Krüzsley
The Sundering of Aldmeris, often called the Sundering, was a cataclysm of an unspecified nature that caused the collapse of the Aldmeri Hegemony, which had prospered for X thousand years, and the disappearance of the continent of Aldmeris. It occurred about a century before X in ME X. Spells, knowledge, and recorded history were lost in the Sundering, and the Exodus to Tamriel followed the disaster.
Foreshadowing[]
Some years before the Sundering, a prophesy was made that predicted the utter destruction of Aldmeris, and how the children of Aldmeris would need to find new homes on distant shores. It is believed that some Aldmer set sail from their city-continent soon after the prophesy was made, although he vast majority either were not aware of it or did not believe it, and remained behind.
The Sundering[]
Thousands of Aldmer flee, suffering terrible deaths
On the day of the Sundering, every hill for five-hundred miles erupted, filling the air with ash, smoke, and fire. Earthquakes destroyed palaces, temples, and towns, while lakes boiled or turned to acid. Mountains sent molten rock thousands of feet into the air, and red clouds rained down obsidian shards. The cataclysm fragmented the continent into numerous smaller islands, many of which sank into the Eltheric Ocean. East of Aldmeris, Pyandonea was hit by devastating tsunamis.
It is commonly believed that the Sundering was a natural calamity caused by the eruption of volcanoes that the Aldmer were unaware of, although some priests of the Faith believe the ancestor-worshipping Aldmer delved too deeply into the eight hells. Alternatively, Sapiarch Tenawen and some priests of the Church believe that Aldmer spells controlling the volcanoes faltered. Other explanations include infighting Aldmeri lords assassinating pyromancers to advance their own political ends, inadvertently destabilising the potential spells that held the volanoes under control.
Aftermath[]
The Doom directly precipitated the Exodus to Tamriel, which involved many nobles and commoners fleeing from Aldmeris, scrambling to board ships and depart their homeland for the safety of distant shores. This was by no means a coordinated effort, and some lords were greedy enough to charge fees or accept bribes for who would be allowed onboard. There are also tales of Aldmer killing each other to board ships, or slaying those who owned ships to commandeer it themselves.
Ultimately, many ships successfully sailed northwards, eventually landing on the unsettled land of the Summerset Archipelago. On the otherh and, Maormer legends claim that while some ships sailed to the Summerset Isles, others sailed eastwards to Pyandonea, eventually becoming the sea elves. This version of the legend, however, is contested by many scholars, both from the Summerset Isles and mainland Tamriel. Despite those ships that successfully made it to dry land, hundreds more sunk in the Eltheric Ocean, as Aldmeri ships were not designed for long-distance travel, and some were no more than pleasure barges. Ultimately, many Aldmer failed to make it to land, either sinking or starving before they had the chance.
Those who did survive the difficult and exhausting journey across the ocean were faced with the difficult challenge of surviving in a foreign, untamed land. Some Aldmer, like the fabled Torinaan the Foresailor or Elion the Godstouched, rose to the challenge and led their people through difficult times, eventually founding powerful and long-lived dynasties as kings. Torinaan, for example, is well-known for having explored and laid claim to all of Auridon, becoming its first king. Elion, on the other hand, allegedly won the heart of Allannia, a goddess who ensured his ships arrived safely upon the archipelago's shores. He later went on to marry the goddess and construct the great castle of Sunhold.
Quotes[]
Aldmeris is accursed, all Men and Mer agree, and even the boldest sailor steers well clear of its sinking bones... but we would be mistaken to believe that nothing lives there now. It is said that demons live there now, I would submit... along with such other horrors as we cannot begin to imagine
—Erenias Collereth
Every man there knew that the Sundering still ruled Aldmeris. The very ocean there boiled and smoked, and the land was overrun with demons. It was said that any sailor who so much as glimpsed the mountains of Aldmeris rising above the waves would soon die a dreadful death.
—Arryk Belton