It’s easy to blame the gods for the Cataclysm. They sent the Thirteen Warnings and the burning mountain that followed. They sank Istar beneath the waves, shattered the continent, and withdrew from the world. They chose to cause the immense suffering of the disaster and the centuries since.

But let us suppose that the gods of good love this world and want us to flourish. That the gods of neutrality strive to steward and uphold the agency of mortals. That even the gods of evil, selfish as they are, seek power and influence, not destruction for its own sake. Why, then, would they punish us with the Cataclysm and leave us in a godless world?

I fear we’ve forgotten more than we remember. Worship of the true gods is ever waning, and false religions rise in their place. I pray every day that we’ve learned our lesson—that the gods will return, and that I may cede this chair to one who hears their voices and bears their true blessings.

Time alone will tell.

Rosamund Heward, Knight of the Crown
Acting High Clerist