Following the near complete eradication of the central body governing Tellia in 982 B.F., an age of slow, painful mending followed. Nameless kingdoms rose and fell within periods of months, and barbarism was at an all time high. The most prominent of these kingdoms, such as the the many supposed successor states to the Tellian empire, were wiped out manually by the Old Gods' themselves, if they didn't succumb to infighting.
Cultists of the Old Gods had always been known to lurk within Tellia, but they were elevated to a new level during this era. Many feeling they had been wronged by the Tellian Empire, they were one of the only groups to remain Unmarked and, consequently, submit to the Old Gods. The most wicked, and consequently most trusted to the Old Gods', were made "Waste Lords", the first known to be appointed in 959 B.F. They were notoriously cruel, and served to keep humanity within its' shackles. Around 900 B.F., in fact, the Old Gods' themselves were said to have ceased being observed, leaving only the Waste Lords to rule in place of them.
Unfortunately for the Old Gods, despite their unseemly appearance, the Waste Lords were just as human at their core as any other warlord of the era. They begin to war against each other, even those who had received their powers from the same deity. Their kingdoms were just as susceptible to collapse, and by 747 B.F., only 6 of the original 46 remained.
With the Old Gods' nowhere in sight, the peripheral colonies, particularly Jailur began to encroach upon the former waste territory, and found little resistance. By 696 B.F., they had almost entirely reclaimed their Pre-Collapse. The other colonies soon followed suit, and by 650 B.F., only perhaps 60% of the continent was under formal control of the 6 Waste Lords.
Around 620 B.F., bleeding territory at a rapid rate, the Waste Lords formed a kingdom of their own known as the Union of the Void. The Union territories, though spread out, still cast an impossible to ignore shadow over the entire continent. For the frustrated peoples of the former tribes and colonies, it seemed as if they would forever be ruled by these immoral and increasingly unfathomable monstrosities.
A faint glimmer of hope appeared in 596, however. While travelling from Fihan to Latisc, one of the Waste Lords, Yanatal Zauin, would be kidnapped while taking a caravan. For many days, his delay would appear as if he had simply gotten lost crossing the vast sands. However, when representatives of the Union went to search for him, they would find nothing.
A month later, a parcel of treasure would be sent directly to the Waste Lord reigning over the modern-day region of Scila. In addition to its expected content of necklaces, rings, and other worldly delights was something unusual. Yanatal's skull, ill-proportioned for any mortal though it was, was unmistakable. Like everything else, it was adorned with gems and practically dipped in gold. Marked upon the back in several languages were the words "Recall you are mortal.". This terrified the Waste Lords, but it seemed there was little they could do. Taking control of the center territories proved to be difficult with an empire so spread out. All they knew is that someone in one of the most populated places on the continent not only possessed the means to kill them, but was very interested in doing so.
Legend spread across the colonies, leading to many wild theories popping up regarding the killer's identity. In Jailur, some believed it was Cassian I returned, or even Renatus I himself. Across the wastes, others invoked long forgotten names such as N'hesin. Within the Union of the Void, desperate citizens simply referred to them as Revelation, whoever they might be. A savior to rescue humanity from its shackles.
To this day, who committed the act is not known, with some historians even speculating it had been a group effort. The deaths of the Waste Lords would continue, however. In 587, another would go missing, this time directly from their palace. Another skull would be found a month later, this time marked with "Evasion is futile.". The killings would continue until 564, always following the exact same pattern. By this point, the only remaining Waste Lord was easily overwhelmed by the warlords roaming the continent. While in the process of what remained of the Union of the Void being pillaged and looted, the last skull was found, unmarked.
From here, the lines between where exactly the Apocalypse's Edge ends and the Second Colonial Era begins are a little blurry. Inevitably, however, the warlords would largely fall out of favor in contrast to the more structured, traditional governments of the reforming colonies. While the nearly continent spanning Tellian empire was still long dead, civilization had been restored.