The Abandonment

The **Abandonment** or **Cataclysm** was the strange incident that put an end to the now extinct civilizations of Old Iotania. It's unsure what happened exactly, but it is often said to be connected to architectural ambitions of the Chicken King, who wasted a swathe of natural resources building the Castle of Madness. Numerous theories regarding the reason behind the Cataclysm was made, ranging from chicken plagues, global war, to massive decline in agriculture and mineral availability. The Cataclysm eventually led to a total societal collapse in the region and resulted in an exodus into New Iotania from the area.

## Possible Causes

### General Decline

One of the earliest theory explaining the cause of the Cataclysm; General Decline hypothesis claims a gradual decline of societal output and productivity eventually resulted in the massive civilizations of Old Iotania collapsing under their own weight. The supporters of this theory emphasized that the Catacylsm was a long process that may involve numerous aspects, contrast to several other popular theories that were focused on one major cause that caused an abrupt end.

Well-kept records written by Reusnesian government which were brought by later waves of Reusnesian refugees that arrived in Elerria contained detailed documentation of Reusnesian annual tax gains, trades conducted with other nations, expenditures for public servants, etc. By the late centuries, the records showed that general productivity and gains peaked and gradually declined and ended at a time that consistently synced with the arrival of refugees to New Iotania.

The phases in which old world refugees arrived also strongly suggested a gradual decline that affected old world populations slowly instead of abrupt end. Initial arrivals primarily consisted of mainland Iotanians and old Jamestown, which was followed by Reusnesian islanders, and the last wave of immigrants came from further outlying areas such as Redarctica. This also suggested that the initial collapse was centered around the mainland and eventually spread into farther regions.

Critics of the General Decline hypothesis largely pointed out that the hypothesis itself bears little explanation for a cause itself, and that a widespread decline in societal output as hinted in Reusnesian archeological records would not have happened without significant event that purported it. Other critics questions the legitimacy and accuracy of the Reusnesian records; while also highlighting that the societal decline that happened in Reusnesia as the records pointed out, does not provide enough justification that such decline occurs outside Reusnesia.

### Great Chicken Plague

The Great Chicken Plague is a highly popular theory among White City academia. Archeological records showed that the civilizations of Old Iotania bred large amounts of chicken that may have caused a plague that eventually led to the Catacylsm and collapse of old world societies. This hypothesis were oftentimes emphasized as the main cause that resulted in a gradual decline as opposed to numerous differing reasons purported by the General Decline theorists.

Chicken was highly common in Old Iotania as suggested by archeological evidences pointing out the significance of chicken in religious texts and the abundance of chicken recipes in new world cultures that were not native. Furthermore, the presence of chicken varies between regions of Old Iotania, where chickens are most popular in the mainland and were less so in the islands and the arctic. This is consistent with the phases in which refugees arrived as regions with more chickens collapsed first, followed by ones with less. Meaning that a devastating plague that came from chickens may resulted in societal collapse that happened. Furthermore, Reusnesian records showed that while everything generally stagnated and declined at the same period; trade with other nations, particularly the mainland declined somewhat earlier.

Critics argued that there were no single archeological record that a plague happened. Additionally, it was questioned on why Reusnesian records had not noted of such a major event had it happened. Historians also pointed out that chickens does not really exist outside mainland Iotania as they were long extinct in the islands and were not present in the arctics according to historical records.

The use of refugee phases as an evidence in the plague theory was also criticized for its inconsistency. As New Gurrineans were one of the first to arrive, and so did refugees from Khöndig Gatsuur that established Tsyezari. Both cultures are known to be faraway from mainland Iotania and lack sizable chicken populations if at all.

### Musketeer Wars

In Secmont 1753 DR prominent Reuselerrian historian and archeologist Georges A. Potier publicized a hypothesis that claimed the Cataclysm was mainly caused by a devastating prolonged war between major civilizations of the time. Potier initially theorized the concept to address the criticisms against other popular theories (namely the General Decline and the Great Chicken Plague). However this theory eventually developed as a possible main cause for the Cataclysm itself and the abandonment that followed.

Records on the establishment of the New Gurrinean, Old Jamestown, and Reusnesian cultures away from mainland Iotania suggested that discontent and anonimity against the authoritarian rule of King Angst of Iotania was the main reason of the establishment of said 'exodus' cultures away from the mainland. Same records pointed out that the three 'exodus' civilizations cooperated together, likely in opposition against the common mainland threat.

This may culminated in an eventual devastating war between the two factions that eventually tore apart the fabric of the old world's societies.

However, critics pointed out that there are little evidence that showed any active animosity between the powers of the old world beyond simple rivalries, and that military technology at said time would have never resulted in a total destruction that may cause such a massive global collapse.

### Reus Accident

Sometime in the early 2nd century BCE, Empress Lexianne I led a Reuselerrian expedition to a known stronghold to inspect the level of maintenance required to activate its end portal for a planned United Nations peacekeeping mission to the End. The expedition concluded its mission with successful activation of the end portal, but took an unexpected turn when the Empress accidentally transported herself to the End. Fearing for the life of their Empress, her closest advisors called upon Vizar geomancers to bring her back to the overworld dimension, as part of a special operation known by the code name Project Borealis.

Ten years later, a team of Eastonian physicists conducted a study in the field of interdimensional travel when they stumbled upon records of the so called 'Reus Accident' in White City archives. Further research was directed into this matter and they uncovered a bedrock anomaly in the End that had occurred as a result of the geomancy rituals used to bring back the lost Empress. It appeared to be of little importance at first but this exact anomaly was later found to have impacted records on the history of Old Iotania worldwide. In their highly controversial paper *Interdimensional Travel and Its Impact on the World*, the Eastonian research team presented a new theory regarding the Abandonment: rather than the widely accepted theories about the downfall of Old Iotanian civilization, they argued the Reus Accident and the bedrock anomaly it had caused was behind the Abandonment due to an unforeseen disruption to the timeline.