Emerald Age

The end of The Godswar marked the passing of an age. With the retreat of Charon and the flight of Celestine, the last living Divines fled Orobeus, leaving the Elder Gods to oversee the Known Realms from Sanctum. While tensions were high, the growth of Bahamut and Tishdakalar into their full strength placed the balance of power heavily in favor of The Light . The onslaught was fierce, and before long the forces of The Shadow had been forced to retreat to their last bastions of power; Ghelebad and Rancor. The outlook was bleak for the children of Ravenna.

Ever the cunning warrior however, Eltax had a plan. The Dragon Twins, Bahamut and Tishdakalar were young, and known for their ferocity in battle, as well as their brash strategy. Luring them deep into Rancor with a feinted retreat, Eltax and Belegor were able to ambush the two, and take Tishdakalar captive while her brother was forced to retreat. Eltax cast her into the Pits of Despair, and when she emerged centuries later, she was corrupted by the Shadow. With this new addition to the forces of darkness, Eltax, Belegor and Tishdakalar were able to push back the forces of the Light to the Nether Abyss, bringing the conflict to a standstill that would endure for ages.

It was during this time that the alliances of both the Light and the Shadow began to show cracks. Frustrated at the standstill, Helmvor and Tisrendel quickly came at odds. In an effort to avoid a potential conflict, it was Bahamut who suggested that a new Lord of Creation was needed, a single figure to lead the forces of the Light against the darkness. Unwilling to name another being to their father's seat, and incapable of coming to an agreement, they instead decided to vest power over the Light to the Archangels of Sanctum. Their mother's creation, the Archangels came together to form the High Council of Sanctum. They named the most respected amongst their number, Araneos, Archangel of Honor as Protector of the Realms and their leader. It was thus that the Archangels of Sanctum grew to supreme power over the Light, the council ruled by; Ma'liki, Archangel of Destiny, Azreal, Archangel of Courage, Savanne, Archangel of Peace, Sidriel, Archangel of Mercy, Ishmae, Archangel of Wisdom, Xenades, Archangel of Justice, and of course Araneos.

At the same time, the forces of Shadow also encountered difficulties. The rising power of the Demonlords required the attention of Belegor in order to keep in line, which greatly frustrated Eltax, who felt that their full attention should be on the battle against the Light. The Demonlords were powerful mortals who had been corrupted by the Shadow, and fallen with its grasp, their power greatly enhanced by it. They were; Malpheus, Lord of Calamities, Timmaroth, Lord of Hunger, Xantanas, Lady of Sin, Zalindra, Lady of Desire, Aeltruad, Lord of Lies, Kalzad, Lord of Suffering and Venirus, Prince of the Damned. Venirus served as the right hand of Belegor, which gave him great power over his other siblings. This, in addition to Belegor's wandering focus angered Eltax, who began plotting against his brother. Eltax began gathering allies to his side, foremost amongst them being Aeltruad, the Lord of the First Layer of Hell, and Kalzad, Lord of the Sixth. Eltax and his co-conspirators plotted for over a century against Belegor, but when he finally made his move, he was betrayed. Aeltruad had informed Belegor of the plot, and just as it was put into action, Belegor, Tishdakalar and the other Demonlords moved against them. Overwhelmed by superior force, Kalzad was slain, and Eltax captured. Rewarded for his efforts, Aeltruad was promoted to Lord of the Fourth Layer of Hell, and Eltax was imprisoned. Thus, Belegor became the King of Hell and Supreme Ruler of the Shadow, with Venirus at his side. Asked to selected a new Demonlord to replace Kalazad, he would select a fiery Eldari named Belros Azul, who would become Belros, Lord of Power and ruler of the First Layer of Hell.

While war still raged across the Known Realms, for the most part Earedar was forgotten, which led to a period of growth and prosperity for the Elder Races. Little was recorded from this time period outside of the histories of the Stoneborn Dwarfs and the Eldar, but we do know that during this time the Eldar, or the First Elves died out, and the other races of the Eldari appeared. It was also during the Emerald Age that the Giants began to lose their hegemony over Earedar, and the High King of the Stonelands was founded, as well as the First Dynasty of the Xa'a Empire and other great powers. All the Elder Races warred against the Giants, pushing them to the edge of extinction. It is with the foundation of the Tseluda Empire, humanity's first great nation, that the end of the Emerald Age is marked, and the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment, known by scholars now as the Age of Antiquity.