ARK-CRAM BEFORE 1680 PK

The Unending Ocean is the site of the greatest tragedy ever to occur on the planet Drak. Prior to the year 1729 PK, approximately 1,280 years ago, the area that is now the Unending Ocean was the location of the 3rd largest continent on Drak, known as Ark-Cram. Translated from the ancient tongue, Arkokrama, meaning "separate curves", referred to the shape of the continent, which was roughly in the shape of a large number "3", 3,200 miles north-to-south, and 1,600 miles east-to-west at it's widest point. Ark-Cram was the cradle of life and civilization on Drak. It was here that the first Drakatoj settled almost 62,000 years ago. In 1729 PK, it was the second most populated continent, home to over 15,000,000 persons of all races and dozens of distinct cultures. Then the first earthquake occurred.

To even begin to understand the physics behind the earthquakes, the historian must also understand the physical structure of Drak. Underlying the surface of the planet is a massive honeycomb of tunnels and caverns naturally formed within otherwise solid rock. While many of these caverns and tunnels are interconnected in groups, many are not, and the vast majority have no entrance or exit to the surface. This honeycomb extends nearly 200 miles into the crust of the planet, becoming more solid the deeper they lie. While the reasons for this phenomenon are not well understood, residues and pockets of trapped gasses are often encountered, and lead to the conclusion that bubbles were formed in the upper layers of the surface while the planet was cooling.

THE ONDEGO BEGINS, 1680 - 1760

In approximately 1680 PK, about 50 years before the first earthquake, there was a rather sudden increase in the level of carbon dioxide and other gasses in Drak's atmosphere. At the same time, a number of newly activated volcanoes erupted, most on the Ark-Cram continent. This led to a noticeable global warming. Prior to 1680 PK, the northern ice cap was 1/3 larger than today, and there was a southern ice cap that covered as far north as Antro and Grapio Islands in the Southern Ocean. Heavily populated Procque and Tardique Islands in the Horsepath Sea were uninhabited and connected at the base of a huge glacier. There is no southern ice cap today, the last vestiges of it having melted in the early 400's PO.

The result of the global warming was a substantial increase in the volume of liquid water on Drak. The period between 1680-1729 saw many terrible floods, and much of the lower lying coastal land on all the continents was lost. This resulted in a serious panic among the population, and a substantial increase in religious belief. This was only a mild foretaste of what was to come.

The early part of the year 1729 PK witnessed an increase in the number of mild earth tremors in all areas of the planet. This was noticed, but caused no great alarm since mild earth tremors have been very common on the planet from its earliest history. In early summer, an unusual tremor, very mild, but lasting almost continuously for 4 days did frighten many. It was a week after that tremor had ceased, when suddenly, in the middle of the night, a massive earthquake occurred with it's epicenter about 600 miles equidistant from Torreplass, Lastport, and Nauregnoj Island, south of what is today the Morgel Island chain. At the same time, the Island of Nauregnoj, a long extinct volcano, erupted in a massive explosion. The shocks were felt in every corner of the planet, with mild damage occurring even as far away as northern Chielio. Virtually every structure within 400 miles of the epicenter was leveled, and it is estimated that over 1,000,000 people were killed Drak-wide as a result of the quake and volcanic eruption.

Within two weeks, a period marked by continuing aftershocks in the same area, it began to be apparent that the land in the northernmost portion of the Ark-Cram continent was beginning to sink, and relatively quickly. Communications were quite primative, as was transportation, and most of the surviving population of that area, already in a state of shock, starvation and confusion, simply did not know what was happening. For the following 30 years, for the people of northern Ark-Cram, water-levels simply seemed to be rising faster and higher than before the great quake. Small earthquakes occurred every 5-10 days, and each year saw more and more land becoming first swamps, then ponds, then finally bays, as they were claimed by the encroaching ocean. Occasionally, great waves ("ondegoj") washed over the land, but as they drained off, less and less of the land remained above water.

Interestingly, this was in contrast to the rest of the world, though this was not known to most people in Ark-Cram. The Great Earthquake of 1729 proved to be the end of flooding elsewhere, and water levels remained static. In hindsight, it is now known that the earthquake destroyed hundreds of thousands of miles of deep tunnels under northern Ark-Cram, undermining the area, and both causing the land to sink, and accepting the excess water that flowed from the melting icecaps.

As Arkcramian lands were flooded, and people died by the score of disease and natural disaster, others began to migrate south on the Ark-Cram continent, while a lucky (and wealthy) few sought refuge by sailing to Gaiavio. The head of the church, also the head of the state, in nearby Vesperio declared that the Ondego was a punishment for the sins of living among the heathens, and called upon all Vespers living in Ark-Cram to repent of their sins, and return to Vesperio, which was, at that point, a very lightly populated land. Free land was given to all returnees, and over 500,000 Vespers from throughout Ark-Cram took them up on the offer during the next 100 years.

Following the idea of the Vesperians, a similar offer was made to the Dwarven population of Ark-Cram to come to Zuracio, where a pair of mostly underground cities, Somli and Homli, were constructed for them. 400,000 dwarves ultimately found their way to Zuracio.

By 1760, the sinking had slowed, and the area around the Morgel Islands began to look as it does today. Earthquakes had become seldom, and people had begun to reclaim shattered lives. Things remained quiet for 8 more years, then without warning, in 1768, a second Great Earthquake occurred.

THE SECOND ONDEGO, 1768-1800 PK

The second Ondego began after an unusual series of massive storms, nearly 12 days of drenching rain that covered most of the Ark-Cram continent. Although the second quake was not of the intense magnitude of the first quake, it was more massive as far as the physical area affected. To this day, we do not know where the epicenter of the quake was located. Indeed, there appear to have been a number of epicenters. The result was a long, rumbling shock to the entire continent, and almost equal shock to Vesperio and southern Zuracio. Actual ground damage was minimal. But the quake had made a ghostly moaning, grinding sound that continued for 3 days, before it slowly stopped. Frightened people on all three continents held their breath, fearing the worst. But the worst appeared not to come, at least immediately.

It was not until nearly 5 years later that it was determined that the entire continent of Ark-Cram had begun to sink, albeit at a very slow rate. This information was determined by academics in Gaiavio. Fear, however, of setting off a world panic led them to suppress what they had learned, and only in recent years has it been determined that many of the deaths that would occur in the next 325 years could have been avoided. As far as the people of Drak were concerned, the second Ondego was a non-event, though it did increase the level of fear in the population in general.

What had happened, deep under the continent, was that the remaining land mass of Ark-Cram had broken into 7 pieces. Over the next 30 years, all that was noticeable was that rainfall had increased greatly over the continent, and that low-lying valleys (continuous to the cracks between the broken sections of the continent) began to form rivers that became deeper and deeper. Ultimately, by 1800, the seven divisions of the continent were becoming increasingly visible, had one been able to see the continent from far above. This was not possible, however, for the average Arkcramian, who was still basically a feudal serf, working the land on the edge of survival.

THE THIRD ONDEGO, 1801-1868 PK

The third Ondego was a duplicate of the first. It happened suddenly, late at night, after a series of mild pre-quakes had begun to alert people that all was not well. The epicenter was about 100 miles west of what is now Kaninchen Island. And like the events following the first Ondego, within three weeks, it was obvious that the upper section of the continent was quickly sinking.

Deaths that immediately occurred during this quake were even greater than those that occurred during the first Ondego, and were estimated at nearly 2,000,000. Part of the reason was that this was a particularly heavily populated area, and that population was probably the poorest, least educated and most barbaric of any of the areas of Ark-Cram. Made up of an uneasy racial mix heavily weighted toward orcs and phantoms, with many elves, spirits, and felines, the area was broken into small villages and towns divided mainly on racial grounds, with little commerce between them. A fairly large population of vespers in this area had returned to Vesperio years earlier.

The vast majority of deaths occurred as floods hit towns and rural areas with no warning. In most cases, the victims didn't know what hit them, nor did they have any idea of the continent-wide ramifications of the Ondegoj. Most, in fact, were ignorant of much outside of their own villages, travelling seldom out "among the savages" of other races. Those who did try to migrate did not get far, and many were killed by other villagers who saw them as invaders. Some refugees on the northeastern edges of the continent flooded onto Schlask and Black Tree Islands, large islands off the eastern coast that seemed little affected by the disaster. Belatedly, the King of Spiritio offered to take refugees who could prove "spirit blood" (spirits, elves, phantoms, and felisprits), but by the time the offer was extended, many had already died, and the total refugees moving to Spiritio was fewer than 10,000. Finally, the southwestern part of the affected region bordered upon what was already an impassable swamp, the most distinct of the "dividing lines" between the broken "parts" of Ark-Cram. Hundreds of thousands died trying to cross into the lightly populated regions of Elgwood and Timinai.

Again, sinking, that began quickly, slowed, then stopped at the borders of the Great Swamp. By 1830, the descendants of the survivors were trying to put their lives together. Because of the destruction in the north moving to the south, the residents of what is now the Central Unending Ocean, west of the Great Swamp, began to see the handwriting on the wall. That group, particularly residents of Wolf, Terni, Meriout, and Jaorvick, was much more knowledgeable about the world outside their immediate area. An early shipbuilding and trading area, there were many educated residents, along with persons who had come there from elsewhere in the world. This was an area weighted heavily toward humans, felines, and catlings, races in general favor throught the world.

It was the Jaorvick nobility that started talks with allied trading nations, particularly those in Gaiavio. Fearing that they were indeed next, hundreds of ships were built during this period, and boatloads of refugees were resettled in Gaiavio, and later, in far-away Felinio. With them came virtually everything of value from western Ark-Cram. By 1868, those areas were well on their way to total depopulation, and many areas looked like they had been picked over by a hoard of millions of giant locusts. Nothing remained. Cities were reduced to ruins, all items of value were removed, if not by the original owners, then most certainly by the looters that followed them. It is estimated that over 2,000,000 people were resettled from western Ark-Cram in less than 40 years.

THE FOURTH ONDEGO, 1869-1922 PK

The fourth Ondego has often been spoken of as "the deity's slight-of-hand". While everyone's eyes were focused on northwest Ark-Cram, Jaorvick, and Gaiavio, the fourth Ondego hit with absolutely no warning, not even an early tremor. But it was not the now desolate Jaorvick that was to sink into the sea, it was the central area of the east coast bounded roughly by Gwyndrth, Gorion, and Death Islands today. This was primarily a fishing and farming culture, with thousands of small fishing boats available to rescue survivors, had there been any kind of warning.

But there was not! The fourth Ondego hit at mid day during the very hot summer of 1869. Nearly 300,000 square miles of the continent were inundated within 8 days! Those living inland had no chance to even react. Coastal villagers packed themselves like cattle onto boats meant for coastal fishing, not extended seagoing voyages. Many set out for Zircopian Island to the east, while the majority hoped to reach the Islands of Diander to the southeast. Few reached their destinations, either victims of ocean swells, starvation, or exposure on the inadequate boats. It is estimated that about 750,000 people were killed within the week, and another 60,000 died on small boats seeking refuge.

Approximately 15,000 refugees reached Zircopian Island, and many of them were ultimately resettled on Felinio, mostly in Trogan. 25,000 refugees reached the Islands of Diander, fighting their way into a very primitive society that had lived there for centuries. The result was 20 years of hand-to-hand warfare, the result of which left a society incapable of survival. Diseases carried by animals and the native population, which had remained virtually isolated from the rest of the world due to their poverty and backwardness, attacked the newcomers with full ferocity, killing most of those who were not killed in the fighting. Today, those islands are still avoided in all but emergencies. The decimated population has degenerated into a condition not much better than wild animals, and the diseases that killed so many remain rampant, carried by the thousands of rats and other vermin that infect the islands. Rand Zircopian, who passed through the Islands of Diander on several of his voyages, called them the "Islands of Disease", and the name stuck.

The warning was clear, however, and virtually everyone heeded it. Ark-Cram seemed doomed, from coast to coast. Drak was not then, nor is it today, a heavily populated world. Room for newcomers was available nearly everywhere, if only people could get there. Barriers did exist, Primitive transportation and communication made "getting there" difficult. Racial, religious, and cultural restrictions prevented the acceptance of some refugees in some areas, but planning and common sense, as well as the willingness of most countries to accept willing workers, meant that there were homes for most people who sought them. For the most part, the elderly resisted such a drastic move, but the young adapted, in many cases with an entrepreneurial spirit that carried them into great careers. More ships were built on Drak between the years 1870 and 1920 than had been built the three centuries previous to then. A constant flow of refugees sailed in all directions from the remaining Ark-Cram continent. By 1922 PK, population density on Ark-Cram's remaining "mainland" was reduced to about 2 people per square mile, with the exception of the far southwestern portion of the continent. During those 50 years, 3,500,000 Arkcramians fled abroad, and were successfully integrated into their new countries.

The area known today as Arkramio, Malakvo, Efailen, and Alane Islands was highly conservative, and the center of the largest religious movement on Drak at the time. Arkramio was also the highest point on the Ark-Cram continent. The religion, actually four related religions, Alanian (Alane, the Goddess of Seduction), Bastian (popular among felines and orcs), Efailianism (a highly secretive, mystical cult), and Kiism (followers of the God, Ki), all were centered in this part of the continent. Though they differed on fine points of theology and interpretation, one thing they all agreed upon ... that their Gods and Goddesses would provide if the faithful would come and pray. To this end, they strongly urged refugees to come to this part of the continent rather than abandon Ark-Cram and its Gods and live elsewhere. Many heeded that call, but most did not.

THE FIFTH ONDEGO, 1923-2057 PK

It was the turn of the far southern tip of Ark-Cram. This region experienced the classic early tremors during the two weeks prior to the cold winter morning in 1923 when the land shuddered and exploded into masses of steam and foam. Volcanic eruptions suddenly appeared where only small mountain ranges had existed before. Large crevaces appeared, some large enough to swallow whole villages. Along the southern coast, near what is now Dalonna Island, underwater volcanoes burst open. As onrushing water encountered the boiling lava, steam and ash enveloped miles of coastline, killing most life there.

The faithful in Arkramio, noticing how close the eruptions were coming to the region of Alane, about 150 miles south of Efailen, launched a full-scale evacuation of their followers overland to Arkramio where they were settled in an ancient city they renamed Alane.

The landmass took nearly 12 years to actually disappear beneath the sea, and by that time, survivors of the initial volcanism had all been evacuated. The southern coastline was now about 100 miles south of Arkramio. It would be over 120 years before the four concluding chapters in this tragedy were to be written. This was time enough for many to feel that the crisis was over. Generations of descendants of survivors living in the remaining sections of the continent, now basically four gigantic islands had arranged themselves into a twisting chain:

• The north island was roughly bounded by where Wolf, Elgwood, Timinai, Fisdai, Jaorvick, and Meriout Islands are today..
• Immediate to it's south was an island bounded by what are now Call, Eastridge, Knave, and Tanelrond Islands.
• South of there was an island bounded by what are now Wizard, Mouse, and Golden Fox Islands.
• The southernmost island included Arkramio, Malakvo, Efailen, and Ki.

THE SIXTH ONDEGO, 2058-2098 PK

The most northerly was the first to fall. With a week of tremors as a warning, many escaped on the ships of what had become a substantial shipping culture. The inland regions, however, were populated by the descendants of those families who had survived earlier quakes and remained behind to till not only their own lands, but also those of their absent neighbors. Over the years, they had built a thriving society on the ruins of the old, and most were not willing to flee, regardless of the consequences. The epicenter of the quake hit the center of the restored city of Jaorvick, the population center of the region, killing most of the citizens in a terrible firestorm that burned virtually every building in that city of 75,000 people. The sinking of the land was sudden, and virtually everything was under water within 2 months. The total loss of life exceeded 750,000 people. Only about 100,000 escaped.

By 2098, the next two sections of Ark-Cram were almost totally depopulated, and refugees again streamed into all countries of the world. Only the religious enclave on Arkramio remained in place, and, indeed, gathered population from among the adherents of its faiths.

THE SEVENTH ONDEGO, 2099-2167 PK

When the inevitable destruction arrived at the next "island", there was nearly nobody present to witness it. The island was an empty overgrown forest of tangled brush and abandoned homes. Fewer than 10,000 people were living in the 640,000 square miles when it rumbled and silently sank into the sea in the summer of 2099.

THE EIGHTH ONDEGO, 2168-2211 PK

The slightly smaller area immediately to the north of the religious colony was even more desolate than it's predecessor. After 68 years of abandonment, the area had become truly a twisted wilderness supporting a rather substantial population of wild animals, many of them descendants of domesticated animals left behind by their owners. Heavily enforced religious restrictions prohibited any person in the religious colony to cross the broad river that now separated the two islands, though it was an open secret that much of the food in the religious colony was furnished by hunters who used the more northern island as a fruitful hunting ground.

Another Ondego to hit with no warning, the epicenter was somewhere on the northern "coast" near where Wizard Island is today, and only a soft jarring occurred on Arkramio. It would be obvious within about 30 days that something was occurring, but the final sinking was still occurring 43 years later.

In 2178, the religious leadership put out a call to the faithful throughout Drak, asking them to come to Arkramio to show their faith in their Gods and Goddesses, whomever they may be. By 2185, the island had become a Mecca for religious pilgrims, many of whom stayed. All major sects had major temples and shrines on the island. Ships of all nations were making a substantial profit in providing pilgrims' passages. Reports that healing and other miracles were becoming commonplace, and soon the aged and ill began to arrive, if they were strong enough to survive the voyage. Elderly faithful were offered the opportunity to spend their last years as lay clerics worshiping full time at the many shrines.

THE FINAL ONDEGO, 2212 PK

The first pre-quake rumble was felt as the sun went down on a fall evening in 2212 PK. Prayers of the faithful were silenced and soon turned to wails of fear. Over the next 20 days, the leadership of the Efailen faith called on members of all the religions to begin a continuous prayer and song sequence in each of the over 300 shrines and temples now on the island. They declared that the Gods and Goddesses were displeased that all the religions were speaking as single voices rather than as one, so they established the Conference of Clerical Intercession (CCI), an interfaith group based in the city of Efailen. The CCI prescribed a set series of prayers, hymns, and worship actions, and a schedule was set so that the same words would be coming from each and every temple on the island.

There were, in all, 7 pre-quake shocks felt on the Island, but no major earthquake ever came. THe prayers and hymns continued for over two years, seemingly successful, until it was seen that there was a slow sinking occurring. Over the next 8 years, the island continued to settle, beginning with the northeastern edge. When parts of the island were threatened, all worshipers were moved to stable parts, often with great processions and ceremonies. Approximately 1,000,000 people, less constant in their faith, took advantage of the many ships that waited offshore to return to their native lands. Many of those that stayed blamed those that were leaving for the lack of success of their efforts. There was even an effort to bar people from leaving, but to avoid outright violence, this idea was declared "an insult to the power of the Gods who could stop anyone if they chose."

By 2235, the islands of Arkramio, Efailen, Malakvo , and Ki were nearly in their present configuration, although no major earthquake had actually occurred. Malakvo had been stripped of any habitation by poisonous substances leaching up from below. Measurements being taken by the CCI clerics determined that sinking had actually stopped. The ritualized ceremonies continued at the various remaining shrines, continuously around the clock, until the year 2412, at the minute of the 200th anniversary of the precursor rumble to the quake that never came ... "the quake that the Gods prevented". Thereby declaring victory, the ritual was ended. Many of the final participants, of whom there were about 150,000, some of them 6th generation descendants of the original worshippers, remained to live on Arkramio Island. Many others returned to their native lands, where most became clerics themselves.

In commemoration of the victory over nature that the Gods gave to Drak, it was determined by the CCI, with the consent of the governing bodies of most of the nations on Drak, that the year 2414 PK (Post Kalendro) would be followed by the year 1 PO (Post Ondego), so that all future time would be measured from the day that Drak survived.

THE MODERN UNENDING OCEAN

In the 597 years since 2414 PK, many daring mariners have tried to explore the current state of the Unending Ocean, but most have died in the attempt. The depth to which the various parts of Ark-Cram settled varies, as does the height of the land above the seafloor. The entire area within the borders of the sunken continent are riddled with unmapped and unsuspected shallows. Even if the weather was normally calm, this would present severe navigational difficulties, forcing any ship to creep along testing all waters as they proceed. But the weather is seldom calm. Since the destruction of Ark-Cram, massive storms sit nearly stationary over the area, beating the seas with massive downpours, intense winds, and waves that dwarf a large ship. Even when storms are not present, many sections of the ocean are under a perpetual thick fog. Only a handful of navigators have been able to negotiate this treacherous sea, and even the two most famous, Rand Zircopian who mapped much of the northeastern quadrant, and Lexe Precot, who mapped much of the far south, both ultimately perished in the Unending Ocean.

Only the largest islands are charted today, and many uncharted smaller islands exist. It is known that many of the islands are inhabited, although the condition and culture of those inhabitants cannot even be guessed at. Demographers, based on reports by Precot, Zircopian, and a handful of others, estimate that the total population of the islands probably approaches 1,600,000. Further information on specific parts of the Unending Ocean are presented in other section of this book.