The Unity

The Unity is the group of eleven gods, including the Cataclysm, that created Halse. Because they were present only for the very early history of the mortals, and were long gone by the time humans came to the planet, their names and functions are only known among the dragons and faeries, and even then not much has been preserved down countless years.

Origin
Dragonkind's legends say that the Cataclysm once belonged to a clan of nine gods called the Unity. They escaped from a "doomed universe" into this one after the destruction of their homeworld. Next to nothing is known about what exactly forced them out of that universe.

The Unity set out into the outer darkness to find a new blank slate upon which to enact their magic. After a time, they tried recreate their homeworld on the then-inhospitable planet that would become Halse, shaping it with mana and blessing it with the gift of life in act called the Blossoming. Many intelligent races arose. The smartest and most beautiful of their creations, faeries, earned their favor by being the first to offer sacrifices to the Unity. As a reward, the gods allowed them to have dominion over the entire land. Dragons, a hardier and magnificent race who were just as intelligent, were also favored, but not as much due to their hubris.

Ten of the gods were the primary architects of the Blossoming, with the youngest eleventh member left out because of its inexperience.

Conflict and Destruction
At some point during the young planet's formation, a passionate disagreement over an unknown issue broke out among the Unity. This escalated to war, and they broke into factions. They warped the faeries and dragons into soldiers for their use, and likewise converted the planet into a militaristic setting. Much blood was spilled, mostly that of the mortals. Driven mad with upset over this, the youngest god unleashed an untested destructive spell that ripped across the planet and fatally wounded the other gods. This event, and the youngest god, came to be known as the Cataclysm.

The Cataclysm destroyed the lifeless bodies of the Unity, ensuring that they could never come back to life by flinging their remains across the world. Unfortunately, it also wiped out most of the faeries and dragons, as well as the other intelligent races. Using the remnants of its power, it reverted the remaining faeries to their original peaceful form, transformed the dragons into the weakened drakes, and created a hiding place for itself somewhere within Halse. It sealed itself away by tearing the seams of reality in that spot in order to keep mortals away and letting the bad memories of the failed gods be put to rest.

Eventually, human refugees from somewhere else came to Halse and found its conditions very suitable for their survival.

See The Coil for their modern-day counterparts.