History of the Dawn Age

Some say the universe was painted into being, some say it was danced. Others yet say it was sung; the threads of fate but the score for the music of creation. Whatever the case, the early universe was a time of expansion and ever-shifting elements. In this bedlam, consciousness emerged in the form of the primordials and their lords, who began shaping their domains.

Amidst the elemental cosmos, moments and pockets of order emerged. In one haven, universal forces intermingled to form the sanctuary of Apocrypha, allowing mortal life to begin. The primordial lords vied for control, seeking dominion over the planet. These four elements carved out continents of earth, ice, sand, and water; shaping the modern geography of the world.

From the young mortals, concepts greater than even the elements arose - and from them, their respective embodiments. First and foremost was Asgorath: deity of elemental unity, who sought to end the turmoil caused by the great lords. They were soon joined by gods of life, death, order, chaos, and beyond - as not only the incarnations, but also the champions of mortal plights.

In the culmination of the Dawn War, the gods enacted the mortal will for a world free from elemental rule. Over millennia, their power grew from divine magics, to physical manifestation. This culminated in the fracturing of Asgorath, and the ordering of the planes. The lords were exiled to new planes, and the remaining gods were either weakened, imprisoned, or dead.

With Asgorath's demise, countless dragons were cast into a world of wounded gods. Bahamut and Tiamat respectively compelled the dragons that bore their likeness. Whether kindness or cruelty, each was free to act as they wished with impunity. Survival was a choice between struggling beneath the kind wings of gallant dragons, or appeasing the avarice of tyrants.

The primordials endured, and their progeny adapted to become lesser titans, and in time, giants. Encroaching from the corners of the world, many mortals joined their war of attrition against the dragons. Suddenly - without warning, explanation, or leaving a trace - dragons all but vanished from Apocrypha. For the era to come, the caste system of the Jotunbrud Ordning had arrived.

In the power vacuum, much of the world was subjected to the to the Ordning. The social order of most giantkin, its adherents were called Jotunbrud. Oft uncaring of their subjects, most ruled through tribute; banning worship of all but the Stormlord. Slavery was not unheard of, however, and Wayfarer settlements now known as Zangbe and Drachim, became bastions of resistance.

Through martial prowess, arcane study, and the gods' gradual recovery, the Ordning was arduously dismantled. As revolt spread and power shifted, giants turned against their kin to be spared from retribution. This culminated in a battle to capture Utgardr; seeing the Jotunbrud driven into the frozen north, in what was the last recorded appearance of the snow-elves.

The Illumination was a period of sweeping progress in the wake of the Ordning. Vast empires, global trade, and grand feats of architecture and magic alike defined the era. Many thanked the gods, while others felt that they were the final shackles to be cast off. Gradually, as tensions heightened and beliefs clashed, subtle conflicts between deities turned towards open warfare.

The gods had not been idle. Some wished to unify with compassion; and some sought balance. Others - cruel or disillusioned - plotted to impose their will above all else, provoking retaliation. New lineages emerged, and old ones diverged. Having regained the strength to manifest avatars, the deities were now free to wage their wars of atrocity, wading ankle-deep in corpses.

Distraught, or simply wishing maintain balance - the gods known as the Cadences and Axioms worked to protect Apocrypha from devastation. Combined with the efforts of mortalkind, they established a barrier, that banished both the Betrayers and themselves to the outer planes. Divine magics and planar travel were still possible, but Apocrypha was now in mortal hands.