The Tear

“What do we know of the Tear? Well, if all of the speculation, contrivance, blue-sky guessing, and assumptions that have been made about the Tear were an ocean, we would have approximately a thimble of knowledge.”
– Calbrixi of Fiona, The Tear (1997 A.T.)

Although there have been many events in the history of the world of Fantasy Alive that have rocked the world, perhaps the most consequential that can be recalled is the Tear. A magical and natural cataclysm of unmatched proportions, the cause of this event – and its exact nature – are much disputed. What records survived the Tear and the era of warring survivors that followed conflict, and contain little technical detail.

What is generally agreed upon is that the Tear included natural disasters including earthquakes, ruinous hurricanes, firestorms, and waves that savaged coastal regions. Magic itself became unstable, and thereafter, the rules of magic appear to have changed; great workings now discovered that survived the Tear are not merely beyond the understanding of arcane researchers, but at least theoretically impossible. That they work in spite of this suggests either that contemporary understanding is badly askew, or that they were constructed under circumstances where they were possible.

The current calendar measuring the year – with the everpresent ‘A.T.’ suffix – counts the years since the tear, with the suffix standing for ‘After Tear’. While different reckonings mean that the precise year is the result of backward calculation, it is generally understood that it has been approximately two thousand years since the beginning of the Tear.

The Golden Age of Magic

Surviving writings, artifacts, and ruins tell us some little information about the world as it was before the Tear. Now referred to as the Golden Age of Magic, the area now known as Ariel was substantially covered by the Empire of Alexander, an Elven military leader and emperor (or imperial dynasty) whose rule was broadly spread. With the resources of a continent-spanning empire at their disposal, the magic-workers and artisans of the Golden Age advanced their understanding of magic enormously.

Other arts and sciences also flourished in this era. While the focus on magic is understandable, recovered items that were not ensorcelled nevertheless show a high quality of craftsmanship that modern artisans can approach but rarely match. It is understandable that such artifacts that may have survived over two thousand years would be of high quality – poor quality items being far less likely to have survived – but despite this age, many still function as it is believed that they were intended.

Some writings suggest that in the few decades immediately prior to the Tear, the Empire was beginning to fray at the edges. Without the capacity for continuous expansion, factionalism and infighting, rebellion, and betrayal became both likely and commonplace. Ambitious courtiers sought ever more ambitious projects to further their understanding, and the strength and survival of the Empire were threatened. It is possible (and much speculated) that whatever led directly to the Tear may have been in response to the Empire’s precarious position in this time.

The Fallen Age

With the fall of a centralized government, factions that had already been forming prior to the Tear now banded together in loose and shifting alliances. Wars tore up unprotected towns and villages, and cities that had been built to encourage the free movement of peoples, ideas, and wealth, suddenly had great cause to raise walls that frequently were woefully insufficient for their defence.

Heavy losses and tribalism further divided the remnants of the Empire, with groups warring over arable land, sources for natural resources, and surviving scraps of magic and power that might give them an edge. However fractured the Empire had been before the Tear, centuries of wars often down species lines shattered the remains, with opportunistic attacks from those that had not been included within the Empire adding further complication to these struggles. Much expertise and knowledge was lost, with some experts and arcanists being among the resources being fought for.

It would be some time before any kind of stability would emerge. Regional war – not least the multiple wars of Understone – continued to divide and destabilize much of continental Ariel. Where stability led to prosperity’s bloom, this as often proved a target. It is because of this instability that few useful records remain as to the events immediately before, during, or after the Tear.

Authored by: Andrew Dunlop
Fantasy Alive Lore Team 2026
Copyright © Endless Adventures Ontario