The End

In the oldest towns in Porphyrion, in the oldest houses, you can learn of The End.

Its existence is tucked away in long-forgotten books of fable, myths, and lore, the half-remembered accounts of spoken legends, written by people who were children when the tales were still widespread. People who turned to dust and vanished centuries ago.

The End is spoken of by many books, but none of them seem to agree. Some claim that it was a plague that wiped out 98 percent or more of life on Ardea. Some claim it was a meteor strike that had a similar effect. Some say it was a monster. Others insist The End was a war. Some claim The End was impossible to avoid, while others believe it could have been prevented. It's even said that The End was benevolent.

All agree that The End took a heavy toll. How justified this toll was is impossible to know.

Some of the books say one can summon The End, but others flat-out state it is impossible. Some claim The End was divine judgement, while others maintain it killed indiscriminately. One book says The End didn't kill anyone - only banished them to another place or time.

The End shares space in the books with other ancient legends. Some are mostly true. Some are nonsense. Some are truth after it has been forced through a sieve of ignorance, logic and fact subjected to the "Just-So Story" treatment. Some are close, but don't hit the mark.

What of The End? How true is it?

You won't know by asking the people. None of them remember the stories of The End. A few scattered researchers know, but thanks to the horribly cluttered accounts, they can't offer any straight theories.

Consulting the books yourself leaves you to sift through the muddle. How much is fiction? How much is fact? What was The End, and what was it capable of?

Did The End ever even happen?

Or has The End yet to occur?