The planet of Rivuzan experienced a phenomenon 1000 years ago that split it in two along its equator. This event was thought to be a cataclysm at the time, and some destruction was undoubtedly wrought in areas along the miles-wide chasm that formed. However, it did not turn out to be the end of the world. In fact, this unexplained event turned out to connect Rivuzan to another planet entirely.

After a few months the split settled into being a fairly benign portal, and peoples from both planets began crossing through to the other and interacting with one another. Trading was established, and settlements on both sides of the portal were formed. On the Rivuzan side, the peoples who hailed from this other planet were collectively referred to as Rifters, deriving from the colloquial name the portal eventually gained: The Rift.

The Rift profoundly affected Rivuzan’s largest nation, Argdravar. The northern half, where much of its wealth and political power was, found its grip on the southern half waning more and more with each decade. The southern half gradually fractured into numerous smaller nations, rejecting the rule of their former leaders. After 300 years of this, eventually Argdravar saw no proper answer other than war. These many nations decided to form the Crystal Union in order to defend themselves against Rivuzan’s mightiest and most ruthless army. Most of the battles took place near The Rift, which acted like a border between the two nations. Many innocent Rifters were forced by both sides into participating in the seemingly endless fighting.

This war became known as the Four Centuries of Struggle, often referred to as The Struggle or The Rift War for short. However, this war did not end because one side finally overwhelmed the other. No, it ended because The Rift began to change. What was once an interdimensional door between two planets turned into a dangerous fissure overflowing with unstable magical energy. Crossing to either the other planet or to the nation on the other side of Rivuzan quickly became a deadly venture. Those from Rivuzan who had travelled over to the other planet were now stuck there to live out the last of their days, and the same was the case for the Rifters who were in Rivuzan. Communication of any kind through The Rift became impossible, and the fighting along it ceased. While this end to the war was not satisfying to either Ardgravar or the Crystal Union, they both eventually came to a truce thanks to the nations of Gran’Gol and Kulleroth acting as mediators.

Over the course of the next 300 years, The Rift slowly ravaged deep underground areas in Rivuzan, forcing those who dwelled there out of their ancestral homes and out onto the surface. The largest collection of such people formed on a previously uninhabited continent off the eastern coast of the Crystal Union. This nation was named Huskmaw, and is the youngest nation on Rivuzan. Rifters who were stuck and whose settlements near The Rift were destroyed dispersed all over Rivuzan, settling down in places with people who allowed them to stay. Some places showed kindness, while others demanded compliance.

In the present day, The Rift continues to gradually grow more and more unstable. Where once only deep underground was threatened, now ocean surfaces and surface caves have felt its energy start to seep through. Its spread has even begun affecting life in places far away from it, causing much unease for everyday people. But just what caused The Rift to so suddenly become violent, anyway? And, more importantly, who or what can even stop it?