The Convocation

The Convocation
The ploy of the Convocation was left behind by the Renegades Nor and Zarach before their banishment from Eo. They handed it to the Fial Darg who then hid it away, deep within Shaper ruins on Xu as a trap waiting to be discovered. Centuries later, after the Circle had uncovered it, they began scheming of conquering the power of the Primal Elements - unaware of what misfortune they would bring upon this world.

‘ We knew not...

And so we fought, fought until in our ignorance we brought about the end of the old age. Senseless wars were waged under the reign of the Circle; so blinded were we in our constant quest for power that we did not foresee what was to come, could not comprehend the fate we had sealed for our world. As the shadow fell upon the Eye of Aonir, the Masters of the Elements, answering the call of the Thirteen, cast off their bonds and roamed free. Their power and rage unleashed, the ancient Elements once again began to fight amongst themselves, as they have since the beginning of time.

In their anger, the Elements heedlessly ravaged the face of the world. The earth burst open and its glowing blood flowed freely over the land. Columns of fire stretched toward the sky, up to the maelstrom of black clouds that seemed to swallow the horizon. Scorching storms of ash and poison upheaved even the highest mountains and ground them to dust. The oceans began to boil, greedily tearing away at the coasts.

One day and one night the rage of the Elements lasted, before the shadow passed. Then they were banished, just as they had been once before, and a deathly silence fell upon a scarred world.

Only a few of us managed to seek shelter by the Stones. There we lay; some crying to, others cursing the Gods that had let this happen. Yet we were blind, refused to accept the obvious truth… we were to blame.

For we knew not… ‘

~ "Ishtar Magnus „The Darkest Hour“

The Convocation is a cataclysmic event during which Aonir's Eye is covered by the Dark Roamer, akin to solar eclipse. In that moment, Aonir's power over the elements weakens, and their ban can be lifted by powerful rituals. At the height of the Convocation Wars, the Circle used this to attempt to control the Primal Elements, a plan that backfired and resulted in the destruction of Eo's countenance, leaving behind fractured islands surrounded by a hostile elemental sea.

Background

Aonir's Sacrifice

At the dawn of time, Aonir, the God of the Stars, descended on Eo and tamed the Primal Elements that raged on it. He sealed them away, deep within Eo's surface, and put a spell on them that would ensure they remained in place. Before leaving, he used a rock to pierce his side, and from his blood, he created Godstones that would harness a fraction of his power for this world so that the Elements would not awake from their slumber to cause discord once more.

Having returned to his home among the stars, his light still shines upon Eo, protecting it from the destruction that lurks deep within its core.

The Renegades' Ploy

Needing to atone for breaking the rules of the All-Father, the Renegades Nor and Zarach were to be banished from Eo, but before this came to be, they devised a plan to bring utter destruction upon this world, for if they could not have it, no one should.

They forged scriptures in the language of the Shapers and tasked the Fial Darg, Zarach's most powerful creation, with hiding them among Shaper ruins on Xu. The texts spoke of an event known as the Convocation, when Aonir's light will get dimmed for a brief moment, allowing powerful individuals to call upon the Elements and tame them, achieving power that would rival even that of a god.

But the prophecy of which the texts told was a lie: indeed, there would come a day when the Eye of Aonir became covered, however, calling upon the elements would be foolish, for the Renegades knew that only the might of their father, Aonir, could ever hope to conquer them. There the texts remained for many years, waiting for their unsuspecting victim - a wait that would come to an end with the onset of the Circle.

The Circle's Discovery

After being founded in the year 518 before the Convocation, the Circle began conducting research in many parts of Eo. One such research led them to Xu where they would uncover the prophecy speaking of the Convocation. Wishing to obtain greater power, the Circle began studying these texts and devising plans to conquer the Convocation for their own, but as time passed and the greed of the Allfire took hold of their hearts, they began turning on their Circle brother's and sisters, wishing to obtain this godlike power for themselves alone.

What started as animosity would turn into the Convocation Wars around 50 years before the foretold date. The mages of the circle sought to eliminate their former allies, using armies of Rune Warriors and loyal followers to do their bidding, all while preparing themselves for the ritual they would perform on the fateful day to come.

The Convocation

On the day of the Convocation, the moment Aonir's light got dimmed out, the Circle Mages called upon the Elements, hoping to each claim their might as their own, yet they would quickly realise the folly of their ways. The elements had been awakened, but none of them could hold them in their grasp, and so they raged for an entire day and entire night, ripping apart the face of Eo until nothing but islands surrounding the Godstones were left behind, protected by the might of the god of the stars.

Most of the Circle died that day, together with countless others. Once Aonir's Eye had been uncovered, the Elements returned to their slumber, however, the destruction they left behind was a permanent scar on this world, and from this moment on Eo would never be the same.

Significance

Apart from changing the countenance of Eo forever, the Convocation also caused a major shift in power. As the islands left behind got reconnected by Rohen Tahir through his portals, many towns and Kingdoms suddenly shared borders with whom they considered foes, prompting them to reevaluate their defences and general position in this new, fractured world.

Apart from this, the Convocation became the new time standard for measuring time, with the Convocation being year 0, everything prior referred to as B.C. (Before the Convocation) and everything after as A.C. (After the Convocation). The previous known measurement of time revolved around the start of the Age of the Swords which began with the onset of the Humans, roughly 1000 years before the Convocation.