The Last Light

The Last Light was a disastrous event that marked a turning point in the history of the continent. Probably the result of a powerful solar storm that hit the planet's atmosphere, it featured intense auroras visible in every part of the continent, so bright as to wake people up in the middle of the night. It lasted around 10 hours and was primarily felt by magical users, as the flare interacted with the magical energy in unknown ways. Mages of all sorts experienced excruciating headaches, temporary loss of their powers, involuntary display of magic, and hallucinations. Many incidents occurred due to spells firing off at random, with damage to properties caused by fires, floods, and tornadoes from elemental magic, injuries to people, and more.

Religious Explanation
Among the different explanations given to the event, the religious interpretation had the most resounding impact on the history of the continent. Followers of Leiza interpreted the auroras as a sign from the Goddess of Light and Order, casting down her wrath from the heavens to punish people for their misdeeds. One of the most zealous prophets of this interpretation was Karnak the Visionary, a cleric of Leiza from Zoa that claimed to have spoken with the goddess in his delirium caused by the event. He gathered a massive following by travelling the cities of the old River Kingdoms and preaching a life of penance and pious devotion to the goddess, eventually founding what is known today as the Church of the Last Light, the most powerful religious entity in the entire continent.

The Last Light was such a crucial event for the cultural and religious development of the continent that the most commonly used calendar, the Leizian Calendar, uses it as its starting point.