The Sundering

Overview
The world-breaking event that later became known as "The Sundering" was a global cataclysm that occurred roughly 300 years ago. While the exact cause is as of yet unknown, many of the consequences are not. Vast strokes of landmass simply sank beneath the waves and most civilizations were forced to drastically change their way of life. More interestingly enough, the effects of The Sundering were not limited only to the physical world, but also broke the connection between the prime-material plane and the Feywild. To date, it seems that the continent of Aina has had no contact with anyone beyond the wrathful, endless seas.

Racial Consequences
While all races lost much in the sundering, each was affected a little differently. The following is a general recounting of what ordeals the various civilizations underwent and how it changed them.

Dwarves
The Dwarven clans lost much of the mountainous region that made up their ancestral home, and with it much of their tradition, wealth and long accumulated history. Their long-lost capital seems further out of reach now than ever before, as many text referring to it are forgotten or destroyed. Considerably less harmed were the Dwarven hill clans which now make up a much larger portion of the clans than ever before, causing an uncharacteristic shift in overall dwarven culture.

Elves
With the loss of much of The Verdant Forest and their patron Fey spirits the Elves now find themselves divided. Many of their kin fell into a great depression over their loss, further isolating themselves as they mourn days long since past, blaming the other races for their suffering in the process. A second faction emerged among those that held on to hope, opening up for much deeper ties with the other surviving civilizations in an attempt to rebuild the world and begin a search for the lands that had been lost.

Halflings
The peaceful and idyllic civilization of the Halflings was subjected to perhaps the harshest change of all the races in the aftermath of The Sundering. Previously a bountiful haven to all things that grew, the sea waters rose up over the Mother Orchard, salting the land and turning it into a swap no longer fit for anything but weeds. Unable to continue their agricultural traditions the Halflings were scattered to the wind, seeking work where it could be found and resorting to adventuring or mercenary work where it could not.

Humans
Though the human kingdom had long had its inner quarrels and feuds, their King kept them in line as a single, united nation. That is of course until The Sundering claimed him and the Human capital along with it. In the aftermath of the event a civil war broke out between the various influential families and factions, eventually coalescing into two major duchies: The Northern Sanction in the north and Karelia in the south. Hostilities between the two were only dampened somewhat in recent history as a fragile peace was brokered roughly 50 years ago, though an ideological divide remains.

The Northern Sanction, led by Grand Duchess Valeria Alemar, promotes interaction with the other races and holding on to traditional ways and magic.

Karelia however, under the guidance of Master Seth, has rejected such notions, looking rather to the future and new ways and technologies to forge a newer and stronger human kingdom, leaving behind the old ways and the races who cling to them.

Dragonborn
Led by a prophet leader to foresee the cataclysm to come, a strongly religious faction of dragonborn made their way to the desert lands of Ancora prior to The Sundering, being perhaps the only of their kin to be spared from the destruction. Though fewer in number now, they are fiercely loyal and honest, forging their world from the glass they make with the desert sands. As a consequence of their history, diviners and practitioners of the magical arts have become iconic characters within the newborn civilization.

Gnomes
As a previously hidden and secluded civilization only ever heard off in drunken folk tales, the gnomes were revealed to be very much real when their capital city of Automos was unearthed and exposed to the surface world during the Sundering. No longer able to rely on the secrecy of their existence, the ever quick-to-adapt gnomes rapidly forged diplomatic ties to the other races all the while building up defenses more imposing than their own frail selves, using their deep understanding of technology to secure themselves a place in this new world. There is, however, some division among gnomish leadership as to whether certain technology ought to be shared or not.

Tieflings
A rare breed of people at home in the Grand Library of Everglade, Tieflings were largely left untouched by the physical changes to the world, isolating them for a time with the formation of an inner sea. They rarely ventured outside the Library before and now even less so. They are strange creatures who do not share frequently in their ways, preferring to interact with the other races only in trade for knowledge they can collect.

Origin of The Sundering
There is little factual knowledge surrounding the causes of The Sundering and its origin has been a topic of heated discussion for the past 300 years. A number of plausible, and implausible theories have emerged over time though none of them have been proven as of yet. The following are among the more prominent.

The Planar-tension theory
One line of thought is that the various planes of existence, much like continents, are in constant drift. The theory outlines that this drift among the colliding planes would result in a build-up of tension that eventually releases in a snap of "motion", similar to an earthquake although on a grander scale. It is believed that such a natural event resulted in the Sundering, with the Feywild lands of the prime material plane being the "border" between planes that took the brunt of the impact and was utterly destroyed in the process.

The Divine Echo theory
Based on the belief that the gods originated elsewhere and came into our realms, it is theorized that their arrival was accompanied by a large shock that cracked an original, singular plane of existence into the multitude of smaller ones which we have come to known today. This particular theory states that, over time, a echo of this initial reverberation would pass through the planes, causing them to further divide themselves over time. Following this logic, supporters of this theory firmly believe that The Sundering caused a division of the Material plane and the Feywild, leaving the two as separate entities.

The Arcane Feedback/Chaos theory
With the races increasing manipulation of the magical forces that make up the world, this particular theory states that through sheer volume of incantations and spells cast, inevitably grander spells will be discovered through sheer coincidence. This has proven itself to be true on a smaller scale where many of today's most commonplace spells were originally the byproduct of entirely different rituals. It has therefore been theorized that the Sundering was one such occurrence, merely on a much larger scale.

Other theories
There are, of course, a number of other theories that have not gained as much popularity or traction. Most of these feature an outlandish or ridiculous premise, some going so far as to claim the involvement of "The Titans" of myth. These are largely dismissed by any scholar worth his salt as mere fanciful speculation and rumor-mongering.

On the matter of what caused The Sundering, the Gods have largely remained silent.