The Cataclysmic Event[edit]
Magic Before the CE[edit]
Prior to the Event, the world of Jeff did not have much magic. Dwarves knew a very small amount and used it to aid in their manufacture of weapons and armor. The Elves of the Elthôrana knew more, but they kept it entirely to themselves.
The Actual CE[edit]
1750 years ago (as of this writing), something terrible happened. It is believed that the planet of Jeff was struck by an object, although we don't know what kind of object, nor how it was propelled, nor whether it was deliberate.
What we believe is that somehow there is some kind of store of magic deep within the planet, and that the CE somehow "loosened" this magic, because since the CE, magic has flourished in the land. Wizards, sorcerers, and other wielders of magic are now commonplace.
The CE also had a huge physical effect on the planet, laying waste to most civilizations that existed at the time. Weather patterns shifted, and climate change occurred on a massive scale. Whereas once the planet was largely temperate, hot and cold extremes now existed. Some land masses broke away from others.
It is rumored that Jeff Erickson has created a group of scholars to study both the physics of the original CE as well as the mechanisms of magic and why magic is now much more plentiful.