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Bank of Aqilia
Showing posts with label Sage Beten. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sage Beten. Show all posts
Scholars of Modernity and Antiquity Volume B
Bao Dan (d)
Bank of Aqilia
Bank of Aqilia
1st: The Age of War
Long ago, when Erenth was young, there was but one Land in the midst of a great and roiling sea. A word for that place comes to us from the High Speech of the Elder Races -- Sumervale. It was so large that the one end could be under the pall of deepest night, while the other was lit by the brightest noonday sun.
High above Sumervale, on a rocky Surround stood the Aksus – a mountain which stretched as if a ladder to the stars. The Surround was a towering wall of rock and ice that kept back the wind and the waves of the turbulent sea. From it, melt water cascaded down into Sumervale as a thousand misting waterfalls. There it ran into coursing rivers and pooled into great lakes, passing through thick forests and spilling out onto vast grasslands.
In those days there were no nations in Sumervale, for that place had been as a garden and untouched. The lakes were teeming with fish and the forests with game. The grasslands hosted vast herds, some familiar and some now long forgotten. In the air were great flocks of flying things – which traveled back and forth according to their whims.
The First Ones to Sumervale are said to have been a celestial tribe. An angelic race who were either refugees or outcasts from the stars. They crept down the Aksus and discovered the beauty of the dale, and once there, could not bear to leave it. They were greatly feared and wisely respected, having made a great name for themselves. While they were first and dwelt long in the peace of the place without interruption, they were eventually joined by the other tribes -- the so-called Elder Children of Erenth.
Above Sumervale, among the animals that flew, lived the winged folk -- the Avari -- which kept to the rocky heights of the Surround. Down in the dale many other tribes lived together -- the Urok, the Hoflin, the Lod, the Dwenir, and the Vyrum. Now the First Ones viewed these newcomers with suspicion and lived apart -- silent and watching.
It must be said that there were wild men who also lived in Sumervale, but they were fearful and given to hiding. For man did not traffic with the Elder Races and instead lived as little more than two-legged beasts without language or industry. It is not known when they came to Sumervale, at the beginning, middle or end; for in the First Age, they were often mistaken for beasts and little regarded by the others.
Great regard in that age was given to the tribe of the Urok. A fierce and violent people, the Urok found discord among themselves and strove continually against all the other races of Sumervale. They had a natural predilection for conflict and a highly emotional, if impatient, nature. Simple rivalries among them quickly erupted in bloodshed and the resulting recriminations were both long and ruthless. They were savage to be sure, but their greatest advantage proved to be their fecundity. By the end of the age, scarcely any others remained.
The Urok were both like and unlike the other tribes. They stood upon two legs, were thick of jaw and large of hand. They tied their hair in great bands that fell behind their necks and decorated those locks with the bones of their victims and enemies. They scarred their flesh with scratches and sharpened their teeth with stones. Of all things, they admired war the most and were skilled in the use of hurled rocks and sharpened wood spears.
The Urok pressed hard upon the tribes and drove all before them. They held the most terrible of the Reigns of Sumervale. Their savagery is still known. From that ancient and violent time, names still emerge from shrouded memory to frighten children and to herald destruction. Gorond the Terrible, Kunak the Bloodrinker, and Visar the Impaler. Under such noteworthy names, all of Sumervale trembled.
The Urok were as rapacious as they were brutal. Even the beasts of the fields fell before them and the fish of the lakes were depleted, and the great woods were chopped down to drive the animals from them. So, the land was blackened and scarred. The beauty of that place was despoiled. The Urok found all, killed all, and ate all; until those which had sat, waiting and watching from the Surround, would watch no longer.
The First Ones were troubled for the noise made by the Urok, and they sent their children, the Yotinir, to visit justice upon them. Now the Yotinir were far fewer in number, but of terrible aspect. They had lightning in their glares and thunder in their voices. Their height was at least two or three of the other tribes together. It was held that they were not deeply concerned with Sumervale and not easily roused. So they ought to have been left alone, but the Urok imagined themselves the masters of all. So, those which should have been undisturbed were wakened to fury. They abandoned the Surround and when they came to the green floor of Sumervale, they painted it red. The wrath of the Yotinir was inexhaustible. They did not treat with their enemy, nor offer them quarter.
The Urok threw their best warriors upon the Yotinir to slay them. They used every stratagem of warcraft that they had learned and all the savagery that they could muster, but the Yotinir were victorious. Right and left, they slew the Urok. The most brutal and most numerous of everything in the Sumervale, were no match for those the Justice that had come.
Eventually, the wrath of the Yotinir was spent and they withdrew to distant places in order to live apart. They were forgotten by time and nearly passed from all mind, for their wrath was not again kindled for many ages.
In the age between ages, slowly the trees and plants returned. They covered the face of the dale until all Sumervale was green again and the call of birds and beasts could be heard. So Sumervale was restored and the Age of War, the Age of Chaos had passed.
High above Sumervale, on a rocky Surround stood the Aksus – a mountain which stretched as if a ladder to the stars. The Surround was a towering wall of rock and ice that kept back the wind and the waves of the turbulent sea. From it, melt water cascaded down into Sumervale as a thousand misting waterfalls. There it ran into coursing rivers and pooled into great lakes, passing through thick forests and spilling out onto vast grasslands.
In those days there were no nations in Sumervale, for that place had been as a garden and untouched. The lakes were teeming with fish and the forests with game. The grasslands hosted vast herds, some familiar and some now long forgotten. In the air were great flocks of flying things – which traveled back and forth according to their whims.
The First Ones to Sumervale are said to have been a celestial tribe. An angelic race who were either refugees or outcasts from the stars. They crept down the Aksus and discovered the beauty of the dale, and once there, could not bear to leave it. They were greatly feared and wisely respected, having made a great name for themselves. While they were first and dwelt long in the peace of the place without interruption, they were eventually joined by the other tribes -- the so-called Elder Children of Erenth.
Above Sumervale, among the animals that flew, lived the winged folk -- the Avari -- which kept to the rocky heights of the Surround. Down in the dale many other tribes lived together -- the Urok, the Hoflin, the Lod, the Dwenir, and the Vyrum. Now the First Ones viewed these newcomers with suspicion and lived apart -- silent and watching.
It must be said that there were wild men who also lived in Sumervale, but they were fearful and given to hiding. For man did not traffic with the Elder Races and instead lived as little more than two-legged beasts without language or industry. It is not known when they came to Sumervale, at the beginning, middle or end; for in the First Age, they were often mistaken for beasts and little regarded by the others.
Great regard in that age was given to the tribe of the Urok. A fierce and violent people, the Urok found discord among themselves and strove continually against all the other races of Sumervale. They had a natural predilection for conflict and a highly emotional, if impatient, nature. Simple rivalries among them quickly erupted in bloodshed and the resulting recriminations were both long and ruthless. They were savage to be sure, but their greatest advantage proved to be their fecundity. By the end of the age, scarcely any others remained.
The Urok were both like and unlike the other tribes. They stood upon two legs, were thick of jaw and large of hand. They tied their hair in great bands that fell behind their necks and decorated those locks with the bones of their victims and enemies. They scarred their flesh with scratches and sharpened their teeth with stones. Of all things, they admired war the most and were skilled in the use of hurled rocks and sharpened wood spears.
The Urok pressed hard upon the tribes and drove all before them. They held the most terrible of the Reigns of Sumervale. Their savagery is still known. From that ancient and violent time, names still emerge from shrouded memory to frighten children and to herald destruction. Gorond the Terrible, Kunak the Bloodrinker, and Visar the Impaler. Under such noteworthy names, all of Sumervale trembled.
The Urok were as rapacious as they were brutal. Even the beasts of the fields fell before them and the fish of the lakes were depleted, and the great woods were chopped down to drive the animals from them. So, the land was blackened and scarred. The beauty of that place was despoiled. The Urok found all, killed all, and ate all; until those which had sat, waiting and watching from the Surround, would watch no longer.
The First Ones were troubled for the noise made by the Urok, and they sent their children, the Yotinir, to visit justice upon them. Now the Yotinir were far fewer in number, but of terrible aspect. They had lightning in their glares and thunder in their voices. Their height was at least two or three of the other tribes together. It was held that they were not deeply concerned with Sumervale and not easily roused. So they ought to have been left alone, but the Urok imagined themselves the masters of all. So, those which should have been undisturbed were wakened to fury. They abandoned the Surround and when they came to the green floor of Sumervale, they painted it red. The wrath of the Yotinir was inexhaustible. They did not treat with their enemy, nor offer them quarter.
The Urok threw their best warriors upon the Yotinir to slay them. They used every stratagem of warcraft that they had learned and all the savagery that they could muster, but the Yotinir were victorious. Right and left, they slew the Urok. The most brutal and most numerous of everything in the Sumervale, were no match for those the Justice that had come.
Eventually, the wrath of the Yotinir was spent and they withdrew to distant places in order to live apart. They were forgotten by time and nearly passed from all mind, for their wrath was not again kindled for many ages.
In the age between ages, slowly the trees and plants returned. They covered the face of the dale until all Sumervale was green again and the call of birds and beasts could be heard. So Sumervale was restored and the Age of War, the Age of Chaos had passed.
2nd: The Age of Stone
After the age between ages, it was the Hoflin whose prospered most among all the tribes in Sumervale. Now the Hoflin were short of stature and easily hid. They were the first to make their homes in caves and in shallow holes. And they were the first to learn to scratch in the dirt with sticks, and to place seeds in the rows that they made. Thus, by sowing and reaping they were able to grow crops, and that which they grew became sweeter and larger for their efforts. They also learned how to husband animals after trapping them behind walls of stacked stone and plaited vine. Between their rows and their livestock, the Hoflin were able to live in one place and have food without having to follow the beasts across the plains.
The Hoflin were also those who named all the plants and creatures of Sumervale. It was they who called the wild men, Larmus, or grass ape. So the latter were regarded as animals still, with no achievements or knowledge of their own. Though they were thought to be great imitators, they were easily startled and often fled from the presence of others.
As the Hoflin prospered, their strength grew and in time they became more numerous than any other tribe. They held the Reign of Sumervale by their numbers, but more than that, by their wisdom. They knew only peace and prosperity, and none were bothered by their greatness... except the Urkine. In due course, that savage people had returned and those that did were little better than the first that Erenth had known. They raided the Hoflin and carried off their goods. While the other tribes had come to trade with that people and to ask for their knowledge, the Urkine would not. They believed that since the Dodon had withdrawn, there were none to stop them and so they sought to regain their mastery of all Sumervale.
And the Urkine had not been idle, for they brought with them the atlatl, which they used to fling spears at great distance and with great effect. Now the actions of the Urkine angered the other tribes. The Lod, Stoneborn and Vyrum pledged themselves to the Hoflin and rose together in the Alliance Prime to stop the depredations. While the three tribes were smaller, with little skill at war, they nonetheless came to the aid of the Hoflin and strove bitterly against the Urkine. Once again, all Sumervale found itself in conflict. In time, even the tribe of the Avariel joined the fray.
Now the Avariel were a winged people who lived separated from the tribes upon the ground. For their queens had forbidden their involvement in the things of the tribes below. But many of them were curious and had grown to hate the atlatl of the Urkine and the bloodshed that it caused. Their hearts were filled with pity for the other tribes and they joined the Alliance Prime to defeat the Urkine. Those Avari that came brought with them the knowledge of the knapping of flint and of the kohlstone.
In the end, the Alliance Prime was successful, but it was also costly. During the conflict, fire had been used with great effect. Large conflagrations had been roused and allowed to run across the green spaces. Eventually, neither field nor wood was spared. Places once lush and fertile were turned to ash and blew away. Rivers and lakes were clogged with the burnt timbers of the forests and the water of such places became brackish.
Destruction was nearly complete. Precious little remained of fields or livestock. And so, while the Urkine had been defeated, every tribe languished in the barren landscape -- famine and disease stalked the land.
In the age between ages, the damage of the great fires subsided, and new plants and trees covered the face of the dale until all Sumervale was green again and the call of birds and beasts could be heard so that Sumervale was restored... and the Age of Stone passed.
The Hoflin were also those who named all the plants and creatures of Sumervale. It was they who called the wild men, Larmus, or grass ape. So the latter were regarded as animals still, with no achievements or knowledge of their own. Though they were thought to be great imitators, they were easily startled and often fled from the presence of others.
As the Hoflin prospered, their strength grew and in time they became more numerous than any other tribe. They held the Reign of Sumervale by their numbers, but more than that, by their wisdom. They knew only peace and prosperity, and none were bothered by their greatness... except the Urkine. In due course, that savage people had returned and those that did were little better than the first that Erenth had known. They raided the Hoflin and carried off their goods. While the other tribes had come to trade with that people and to ask for their knowledge, the Urkine would not. They believed that since the Dodon had withdrawn, there were none to stop them and so they sought to regain their mastery of all Sumervale.
And the Urkine had not been idle, for they brought with them the atlatl, which they used to fling spears at great distance and with great effect. Now the actions of the Urkine angered the other tribes. The Lod, Stoneborn and Vyrum pledged themselves to the Hoflin and rose together in the Alliance Prime to stop the depredations. While the three tribes were smaller, with little skill at war, they nonetheless came to the aid of the Hoflin and strove bitterly against the Urkine. Once again, all Sumervale found itself in conflict. In time, even the tribe of the Avariel joined the fray.
Now the Avariel were a winged people who lived separated from the tribes upon the ground. For their queens had forbidden their involvement in the things of the tribes below. But many of them were curious and had grown to hate the atlatl of the Urkine and the bloodshed that it caused. Their hearts were filled with pity for the other tribes and they joined the Alliance Prime to defeat the Urkine. Those Avari that came brought with them the knowledge of the knapping of flint and of the kohlstone.
In the end, the Alliance Prime was successful, but it was also costly. During the conflict, fire had been used with great effect. Large conflagrations had been roused and allowed to run across the green spaces. Eventually, neither field nor wood was spared. Places once lush and fertile were turned to ash and blew away. Rivers and lakes were clogged with the burnt timbers of the forests and the water of such places became brackish.
Destruction was nearly complete. Precious little remained of fields or livestock. And so, while the Urkine had been defeated, every tribe languished in the barren landscape -- famine and disease stalked the land.
In the age between ages, the damage of the great fires subsided, and new plants and trees covered the face of the dale until all Sumervale was green again and the call of birds and beasts could be heard so that Sumervale was restored... and the Age of Stone passed.
3rd: The Age of Bronze
By the dawn of the Third Age, the ice had begun to recede from the tops of the
Surround. In ages past, the dale was ringed about by Tablelands capped
with snow, but at the Dawn of the Age of Bronze, snow could be seen no
longer. Its meltwater still flowed into Summervale but ice no longer calved and fell to the valley floor and the number of waterfalls was diminished. Still the water that came was pure and clean and fit for people and crops alike.
With the reduction in river systems many people had ceased their former lifestyles and settled into places fit for them. Specifically, the Lod and Stoneborn and Vyrum had given up their lives of hunting and gathering. After the age between ages had passed, they had already begun to live as the Hoflin did, in settled places and dependent on growing things for survival.
During this Age of Bronze, it was the Lod who were to be ascendant. For when they had become anchored in place, raising small settlements and permanent habitations along the rivers and lakes, they turned their resources toward invention. Among the races, they had developed great skill at knapping tools from stone, but they excelled even more so in the use of fire and the crofting of things with it.
The Lod used copper extensively, which eventually gave way to bronze and brass. Cooking implements, decorations, and sewing needles, became lighter, stronger and less fragile than that of the previous age. Spear tips grew finer and allowed for easier fishing, hunting and killing. The bow was invented at this time. The Lod were a small people and incapable of hurling the spear, but the bow became a great equalizer in warfare. But most important, was the use of the Lodstone, which enabled them to discover iron, and detect it and allowed them to set about learning its secrets.
So the Surround proved invaluable and not only for keeping back the fury of the Seas, but for the resources hidden in it. Iron and copper, it held in abundance. Long scars began to be cut upon its face and deep shafts sunk into its surface. These great works required effort and patience beyond what the Lod were suited. So they traded tools for labor with the Stoneborn who were already experienced. They had begun with digging redoubts for use against the Urkine and had discovered that they were well-suited to tunneling. The Lod also traded tools for crops with the agricultural powerhouse that the Hoflin had become, for despite the fact that the other races had become anchored in place, none could match their productivity.
Now the Vyrum were known as brewers and vintners. But they were also great craftsmen of ornaments and makers of pigments. Alone among the people they painted their faces and wore masks to war. These paints and powders, along with the wine they made, they traded to obtain the ingenuity of the Lod and their tools. The Lod meanwhile used the powders of the Vyrum to mix with copper in the making of bronze and brass. Bronze and brass were used to contain fires to produce heat, cook meals and purify metals.
During this age, only Men and Teraniel remained apart. For alone among the races, they were still wanderers. The Men were nomads who followed the great beasts across the fertile floor of Summervale, and the Teraniel were a warrior race, ever hunting, ever gathering. They had been cut off from their sires, the Avariel, and sought to be reunited with them, more than to develop comity with the other races. They alone were also relentless pursuers of the Urkine, who were greatly diminished but continued to live in small groups as raiders and reivers upon the other races.
In time, however, the Lod grew more wealthy and more powerful than any other people. The Rayn of Summervale was theirs, but they also became its first taskmasters. In times of plenty all prospered, but in times of dearth only the Lod were able to thrive, and so many of the other races became servants of the Lod in order to maintain their trade and wealth. Some of the Vyrum followed the practice of the Urkine and began raiding and reaving in Summervale. Many of the Hoflin were captured and sold to the Lod, who kept that race in thrall.
The Age of Bronze was ended by the coming of the Cataclysm. From time to time great shaking was felt across the floor of the dale and occasionally the Stoneborn were driven from their tunnels and forced to begin anew. These portents were probably ignored for the most part, for at first few changes would be seen by any of the people. But when bands of the wandering Teraniel returned to trade with the settled people and likely told of saltwater breaking through the Surround and poisoning distant eastern rivers. The Stoneborn needed little encouragement.
Alone among the settled races, the Stoneborn believed the Cataclysm was coming. Some say it was their knowledge of the rock of the Surround, others claim that they had discovered the seas themselves in their great tunneling and walled off those encroachments. Regardless of the reason, they began the carving of a vast egress, the Stairway, to get to the top of the Surround. Each year they took it upon themselves to move their People higher and higher into ever rising mines made in stone on the face of the Surround. So that every generation found them climbing higher and higher toward the Tablelands where the ice once sat. Some few of the Teraniel and gave up their lives of wandering to assist the Stoneborn. Some few of the Lod and their slaves also followed this migration, discovering what they might of metals and developing what they could in the way of drills and hammers and forges.
But most remained in Summervale, heedless of the warnings they were given. For the bulk of the Urkine had truly fled -- many bloodying themselves by climbing the Surround to escape their hunters. The green land below was still rich and fertile, and yielded itself before the plow for many seasons without number. And the Lod had the Rayn over all with their tools and craft.
But the end came at last. With a great shaking that was felt from one end of the dale to the other, the eastern portion of the Surround gave way. Great sections of the wall were thrown down and giant boulders crashed to the floor. That which had begun with a trickle in a thousand holes left by miners, ended it a roaring rush. A new wall, this one of water, poured over and through the Surround pushing down all that remained of it and scouring the green places clean. Hundreds of feet high it came, destroying everything and every people before it.
When the waters reached the west end of the Surround they rebounded and swept up over the surface, flooding the Stairway that had been built by the Stoneborn and wiping from history those who had not followed them. Thus Summervale was lost in perpetuity. A vast inner sea sat in its stead. Only those who had made it to the top of the Surround survived to bring forth another Age between ages.
With the reduction in river systems many people had ceased their former lifestyles and settled into places fit for them. Specifically, the Lod and Stoneborn and Vyrum had given up their lives of hunting and gathering. After the age between ages had passed, they had already begun to live as the Hoflin did, in settled places and dependent on growing things for survival.
During this Age of Bronze, it was the Lod who were to be ascendant. For when they had become anchored in place, raising small settlements and permanent habitations along the rivers and lakes, they turned their resources toward invention. Among the races, they had developed great skill at knapping tools from stone, but they excelled even more so in the use of fire and the crofting of things with it.
The Lod used copper extensively, which eventually gave way to bronze and brass. Cooking implements, decorations, and sewing needles, became lighter, stronger and less fragile than that of the previous age. Spear tips grew finer and allowed for easier fishing, hunting and killing. The bow was invented at this time. The Lod were a small people and incapable of hurling the spear, but the bow became a great equalizer in warfare. But most important, was the use of the Lodstone, which enabled them to discover iron, and detect it and allowed them to set about learning its secrets.
So the Surround proved invaluable and not only for keeping back the fury of the Seas, but for the resources hidden in it. Iron and copper, it held in abundance. Long scars began to be cut upon its face and deep shafts sunk into its surface. These great works required effort and patience beyond what the Lod were suited. So they traded tools for labor with the Stoneborn who were already experienced. They had begun with digging redoubts for use against the Urkine and had discovered that they were well-suited to tunneling. The Lod also traded tools for crops with the agricultural powerhouse that the Hoflin had become, for despite the fact that the other races had become anchored in place, none could match their productivity.
Now the Vyrum were known as brewers and vintners. But they were also great craftsmen of ornaments and makers of pigments. Alone among the people they painted their faces and wore masks to war. These paints and powders, along with the wine they made, they traded to obtain the ingenuity of the Lod and their tools. The Lod meanwhile used the powders of the Vyrum to mix with copper in the making of bronze and brass. Bronze and brass were used to contain fires to produce heat, cook meals and purify metals.
During this age, only Men and Teraniel remained apart. For alone among the races, they were still wanderers. The Men were nomads who followed the great beasts across the fertile floor of Summervale, and the Teraniel were a warrior race, ever hunting, ever gathering. They had been cut off from their sires, the Avariel, and sought to be reunited with them, more than to develop comity with the other races. They alone were also relentless pursuers of the Urkine, who were greatly diminished but continued to live in small groups as raiders and reivers upon the other races.
In time, however, the Lod grew more wealthy and more powerful than any other people. The Rayn of Summervale was theirs, but they also became its first taskmasters. In times of plenty all prospered, but in times of dearth only the Lod were able to thrive, and so many of the other races became servants of the Lod in order to maintain their trade and wealth. Some of the Vyrum followed the practice of the Urkine and began raiding and reaving in Summervale. Many of the Hoflin were captured and sold to the Lod, who kept that race in thrall.
The Age of Bronze was ended by the coming of the Cataclysm. From time to time great shaking was felt across the floor of the dale and occasionally the Stoneborn were driven from their tunnels and forced to begin anew. These portents were probably ignored for the most part, for at first few changes would be seen by any of the people. But when bands of the wandering Teraniel returned to trade with the settled people and likely told of saltwater breaking through the Surround and poisoning distant eastern rivers. The Stoneborn needed little encouragement.
Alone among the settled races, the Stoneborn believed the Cataclysm was coming. Some say it was their knowledge of the rock of the Surround, others claim that they had discovered the seas themselves in their great tunneling and walled off those encroachments. Regardless of the reason, they began the carving of a vast egress, the Stairway, to get to the top of the Surround. Each year they took it upon themselves to move their People higher and higher into ever rising mines made in stone on the face of the Surround. So that every generation found them climbing higher and higher toward the Tablelands where the ice once sat. Some few of the Teraniel and gave up their lives of wandering to assist the Stoneborn. Some few of the Lod and their slaves also followed this migration, discovering what they might of metals and developing what they could in the way of drills and hammers and forges.
But most remained in Summervale, heedless of the warnings they were given. For the bulk of the Urkine had truly fled -- many bloodying themselves by climbing the Surround to escape their hunters. The green land below was still rich and fertile, and yielded itself before the plow for many seasons without number. And the Lod had the Rayn over all with their tools and craft.
But the end came at last. With a great shaking that was felt from one end of the dale to the other, the eastern portion of the Surround gave way. Great sections of the wall were thrown down and giant boulders crashed to the floor. That which had begun with a trickle in a thousand holes left by miners, ended it a roaring rush. A new wall, this one of water, poured over and through the Surround pushing down all that remained of it and scouring the green places clean. Hundreds of feet high it came, destroying everything and every people before it.
When the waters reached the west end of the Surround they rebounded and swept up over the surface, flooding the Stairway that had been built by the Stoneborn and wiping from history those who had not followed them. Thus Summervale was lost in perpetuity. A vast inner sea sat in its stead. Only those who had made it to the top of the Surround survived to bring forth another Age between ages.
6th: The Age of Nations
The Vyrum, ruled and created the first political states. These were the four mighty nations of old that spread over the face of Erenth. They brought order, justice and precision and raised the first cities. There was peace in those days, but it was as uneasy as it was complete. So tight was the grip of the Vyrum, that each person feared to give voice to their innermost thoughts. So conflict rose once again and all Erenth was brought to the brink of destruction. The Sixth Age ended with the Great War of Four Nations and the coming of the Dragons, which burned the skies and brought cities to ruin.
So the Tytanos were again awakened and came from deep places in Erenth. They strode out and slew the dragons. Those they did not slay, they chained. So ended the age and darkness again consumed the world.
So the Tytanos were again awakened and came from deep places in Erenth. They strode out and slew the dragons. Those they did not slay, they chained. So ended the age and darkness again consumed the world.
5th: The Age of Gold
Through Elves, the written word was invented. With the word came studies in many sciences and great power. Through the power of the Llorfiril, the Elves were able to harness the very skein of matter and energy. So Erenth knew prosperity and great ease with little labor.
But the dour Dwarf distrusted these machinations (which they first called Majk) and sank deep shafts into Erenth to avoid the influence of the Elves. Though all the creatures knew peace and plenty, some of the Elves resented their elder cousins. Disagreement about the Dwarven Withdrawal led to strife and shame called the Hunt of the Fallen. The elves responsible are known as the Drow and they are forever cursed for the evil that brought the end to the Fifth Age. The Elves still mourn its passing and they began to count time from that day forward.
Whether consciously, accidentally, or by some curse of fate, the Teraniel would come to lose their gift of flight, altogether. So it was in longing for the sky that they first took to the trees to gaze upon the clouds by day and the stars by night. No longer would they soar above Summervale.
But the dour Dwarf distrusted these machinations (which they first called Majk) and sank deep shafts into Erenth to avoid the influence of the Elves. Though all the creatures knew peace and plenty, some of the Elves resented their elder cousins. Disagreement about the Dwarven Withdrawal led to strife and shame called the Hunt of the Fallen. The elves responsible are known as the Drow and they are forever cursed for the evil that brought the end to the Fifth Age. The Elves still mourn its passing and they began to count time from that day forward.
Whether consciously, accidentally, or by some curse of fate, the Teraniel would come to lose their gift of flight, altogether. So it was in longing for the sky that they first took to the trees to gaze upon the clouds by day and the stars by night. No longer would they soar above Summervale.
7th: The Present Age
In the power vacuum that followed the Age of Nations, it was the nomadic tribesman who came to the fore. The demi-humans hold that these Humans are just slightly more intelligent animals who slowly they begin to coalesce into tribes and nations as they had seen the Vyrum do.
The following major events in Erenth history have taken place in the Seventh Age:
3066 (The Fracturing)
The Ancient Council of Elves is officially dissolved over their disputation over their importance of man. While many Elf scholars recognized that man is the promised race of creation, some feel he is too weak and unimpressive to be what was foretold. Others believe he is an accident of nature or else some cast off portion of the Aenire, perhaps even akin to the Twisted Ones. Henceforth, each of the six Elf families will have its own king and keep its own counsel. In time, all the elder races will follow suit and face the same arguments.
3073 (Halfling Withdrawal)
The three halfling races are born when the Hobbit Warchief Drofo Drumbeater dies and leaves charge of his people to his three sons: Hairfoot, Tallfellow and Stout. Unable to agree on much concerning their people, two of the clans take their leave of the first. One settles a mere day away, the other settles one year and a day away from their peer.
3090 - 3190 (The Hundred Year War)
Years of bitterness dating all the way back to the Sixth Age erupt between the faction of Drow Elves and the faction of Duergar Dwarves. The two declare open hostilities and in time what began as a minor conflict pulls each of the Elf and Dwarf subraces into the fray until there is global war.
3200 (The Millenial Truce)
After more than a century of hostilities, a peace treaty is signed by four of the Elf families and all of the Dwarves (except the Duergar) and renewed every 1000 years.
3220 - 3259 (The Urok War)
The last of the Children of he whose name is not spoken, rise to conquer Erenth. Eventually the Urok are all but destroyed. Those who remain alive are pushed back into the Accursed Place where they seek only to regain their numbers and so give themself completely to simple, savage propogation. This dilutes the blood of the Urok and poisons their souls and gives rise to the foulest of offspring, the many races of animal-like goblins -- who still hate the banishment of their forebears (the only history they care to remember) and vow eternal war on the other races.
3280 - 3299 (The Internesting Dragon Wars)
This war was waged solely by Metallic Dragons against their Chromatic brethren. The two factions split over the question of mankind and the latter briefly sought to re-assert their control over the other races.
3472 - 3475 (Gnome-Giant War)
Erenth was not ready for the league of the Children of the Aenirasa and the Children of Grimgoren. No more fearful alliance was ever forged than that of the mighty giant and the crafty gnome. With great weapons of war, the Giants descended upon the habitations of the other races. They razed cities and set civilizations to flight. Their ambitions were eventually thwarted by the Alliance of the Elder Races in name, but primarily the Elves and Dwarves.
3480 - 3487 (Truce of Selazzyne)
Inspired by the success of the Alliance of the Elder Races, the charismatic Drow monarch manages to seat the Elven Council of old and then calls all of the Elder Races to discuss "The Question of Man". This diplomacy proves to be a smokescreen for more martial ambitions which come to fruition after seven long years of negotiations.
3498 - 3565 (Elvish Civil War)
The Elf tribes seem bent on mutual self-destruction as their internal debate over man erupts into war . Only the aquatic and winged elves remain nuetral. Leaving the Council, they vow to never again walk the face of Erenth. The Drow faction find allies among the Wood elves and together fight High and Grey elves.
3565 (Celede Proclamation)
Following the Elvish Civil War, the Wood Elves accept the terms of peace offered them, but the Drow are defiant and are banished forevermore to the Under Dark. Whe hostilities end, the High Elves arrange for a Gnome and Dwarf contingent to be sent to watch over the Drow. The Dwarf tribe is eventually corrupted by their proximity, but the Gnomes remain pure and dedicated to their commission. This Proclamation sits poorly with the Wood Elves to this day.
3600 - 3730 (The Rise of the Humans)
The first of Human tribes and nations become strong enough to become noticed by the Elder Races. In Westrun, there is a time of comity between Elves of Mistwood and a human king, the Half Elves are born. The Dwarves of Oromir build the city of Peakshadow for one human king. The Dwarves of Dynkyr build the city of Rath for another. The Elves of the Mistwood also reach out to the human races and teach them what they have learned and remembered.
This is a time of great hopefulness that lasts until the Firestorm.
The following major events in Erenth history have taken place in the Seventh Age:
3066 (The Fracturing)
The Ancient Council of Elves is officially dissolved over their disputation over their importance of man. While many Elf scholars recognized that man is the promised race of creation, some feel he is too weak and unimpressive to be what was foretold. Others believe he is an accident of nature or else some cast off portion of the Aenire, perhaps even akin to the Twisted Ones. Henceforth, each of the six Elf families will have its own king and keep its own counsel. In time, all the elder races will follow suit and face the same arguments.
3073 (Halfling Withdrawal)
The three halfling races are born when the Hobbit Warchief Drofo Drumbeater dies and leaves charge of his people to his three sons: Hairfoot, Tallfellow and Stout. Unable to agree on much concerning their people, two of the clans take their leave of the first. One settles a mere day away, the other settles one year and a day away from their peer.
3090 - 3190 (The Hundred Year War)
Years of bitterness dating all the way back to the Sixth Age erupt between the faction of Drow Elves and the faction of Duergar Dwarves. The two declare open hostilities and in time what began as a minor conflict pulls each of the Elf and Dwarf subraces into the fray until there is global war.
3200 (The Millenial Truce)
After more than a century of hostilities, a peace treaty is signed by four of the Elf families and all of the Dwarves (except the Duergar) and renewed every 1000 years.
3220 - 3259 (The Urok War)
The last of the Children of he whose name is not spoken, rise to conquer Erenth. Eventually the Urok are all but destroyed. Those who remain alive are pushed back into the Accursed Place where they seek only to regain their numbers and so give themself completely to simple, savage propogation. This dilutes the blood of the Urok and poisons their souls and gives rise to the foulest of offspring, the many races of animal-like goblins -- who still hate the banishment of their forebears (the only history they care to remember) and vow eternal war on the other races.
3280 - 3299 (The Internesting Dragon Wars)
This war was waged solely by Metallic Dragons against their Chromatic brethren. The two factions split over the question of mankind and the latter briefly sought to re-assert their control over the other races.
3472 - 3475 (Gnome-Giant War)
Erenth was not ready for the league of the Children of the Aenirasa and the Children of Grimgoren. No more fearful alliance was ever forged than that of the mighty giant and the crafty gnome. With great weapons of war, the Giants descended upon the habitations of the other races. They razed cities and set civilizations to flight. Their ambitions were eventually thwarted by the Alliance of the Elder Races in name, but primarily the Elves and Dwarves.
3480 - 3487 (Truce of Selazzyne)
Inspired by the success of the Alliance of the Elder Races, the charismatic Drow monarch manages to seat the Elven Council of old and then calls all of the Elder Races to discuss "The Question of Man". This diplomacy proves to be a smokescreen for more martial ambitions which come to fruition after seven long years of negotiations.
3498 - 3565 (Elvish Civil War)
The Elf tribes seem bent on mutual self-destruction as their internal debate over man erupts into war . Only the aquatic and winged elves remain nuetral. Leaving the Council, they vow to never again walk the face of Erenth. The Drow faction find allies among the Wood elves and together fight High and Grey elves.
3565 (Celede Proclamation)
Following the Elvish Civil War, the Wood Elves accept the terms of peace offered them, but the Drow are defiant and are banished forevermore to the Under Dark. Whe hostilities end, the High Elves arrange for a Gnome and Dwarf contingent to be sent to watch over the Drow. The Dwarf tribe is eventually corrupted by their proximity, but the Gnomes remain pure and dedicated to their commission. This Proclamation sits poorly with the Wood Elves to this day.
3600 - 3730 (The Rise of the Humans)
The first of Human tribes and nations become strong enough to become noticed by the Elder Races. In Westrun, there is a time of comity between Elves of Mistwood and a human king, the Half Elves are born. The Dwarves of Oromir build the city of Peakshadow for one human king. The Dwarves of Dynkyr build the city of Rath for another. The Elves of the Mistwood also reach out to the human races and teach them what they have learned and remembered.
4191 (The Sundering)
In 4191ey, though it is unknown to the men of Westrun, the Dun of Dynkyr is besieged by retreating Goblins from Balduren's Gates. This siege will end with the abdication of the throne and the eviction of the Dwarves from that home. The Stoneborn people will settle on the Southern peninsula as the so-called Sundered Dwarves and the Goblins will rule Saar for the next 17 centuries.
In 4191ey, though it is unknown to the men of Westrun, the Dun of Dynkyr is besieged by retreating Goblins from Balduren's Gates. This siege will end with the abdication of the throne and the eviction of the Dwarves from that home. The Stoneborn people will settle on the Southern peninsula as the so-called Sundered Dwarves and the Goblins will rule Saar for the next 17 centuries.
This is a time of great hopefulness that lasts until the Firestorm.
Beten the Pious
a biography by Edwir
Beten the Pious was a History of the Old Temple of Peakshadow. While he was a devout pagan, he is still highly regarded by the Church of Westrun for his singular mind and deep historical research.
Beten was born in 4204 and lived long enough to see the founding of the Eight Kingdoms under Fergus in 4266. His most significant contribution to the study of History was his multi-volume treatises on the Ages of the People of Erenth. It is still regarded today, by Human and Besnir alike, and the relevant texts were included wholesale in the Canons of the Church by Sage Chronos.
Beten the Pious was a History of the Old Temple of Peakshadow. While he was a devout pagan, he is still highly regarded by the Church of Westrun for his singular mind and deep historical research.
Beten was born in 4204 and lived long enough to see the founding of the Eight Kingdoms under Fergus in 4266. His most significant contribution to the study of History was his multi-volume treatises on the Ages of the People of Erenth. It is still regarded today, by Human and Besnir alike, and the relevant texts were included wholesale in the Canons of the Church by Sage Chronos.
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