The Myth of The Cataclysm
“Long ago, Echino Mesa was nothing but vast valleys of sand and rock, formed by an ancient ocean. Over time, the small, scattered villages and settlements grew into towns, and eventually banded together to become one united state. Nothing shattered Echino Mesa's spirit for ages as they learned to sustain life in the harsh badlands and perfected the art of terraforming magic.
The best and brightest of all of these settlements was the city of Calicle Way. Through the union of the hard working citizens and the adept magic users, it flourished: iron, gold, redstone, and precious gems of all sorts were abundant in its soil, and they prospered. Every building was trimmed in gold, and even the poorest families had stocked pantries and cold, clean water.
But, accomplishments attract attention and breed jealousy. A great and terrible beast slumbered underneath the proud city, a monster borne of greed and resentment: the Cataclysm. It had long kept all the riches to itself, and upon seeing the successes wrought on the surface above, it flew into a violent rage. It burst from the ground, maws lined with steel teeth and slimy hide impenetrable, so large it blotted out the sun- and in its first act against our people, it found the tower of the great wizards and snapped it within its jaws.
The battle was long, hard, and bloody. In its vicious cunning, it struck at the heart of the city first, swallowing a great many wizards in its jaws in a surprise attack that left the people of Calicle Way scrambling on the defensive. But the citizens of Calicle Way, of Echino Mesa, thrive under adversity: the beast was unprepared for their indomitable spirit. Rather than a quick and easy battle, the Cataclysm found itself in a struggle that went on for three long days and nights, menaced on all sides from bullets, magic, and bombs.
On the seventh day, when the sun just peeking from the edge of the horizon, the monster was subdued as it fell back into the hole it came out of. Worn out, it sought out a place to hide and was finally defeated when two wizards controlling ocean water blasted it until it could no longer move. All that was left was its calcified remains which lie next to the tower it tore down.
The sun could be seen again and the sand and dust the Cataclysm stirred up finally settled back down. The citizens banded together once more to rebuild their cities from the ground up, making them better than ever. From that day forward, nobody, nay, NOTHING but fools would ever dare to challenge any citizen hailing from Echino Mesa.”