The Lost Ages of Antiquity

Earonul is a broken land built on the ruins of four previous ages. Precious little is remembered from that time, though a few records and accounts remain and many believes run rampant. Some of those beliefs may even be true. The gods of Earonul are strangely quiet about what actually happened during these eras. This is all the more surprising given how open they are when talking about just about anything that doesn't directly relate to significant events of the Lost Eras themselves.

Summary

Tall Tales

Persistent stories through the world of Earonul speak of times long past when great empires rose with capabilities unimaginable by the people of the world today. 

The First Lost Age

The first lost age of the world was a time familiar to readers of this text. Humanity rose ascendant over most other races of the world—at least over those that humanity knew about. Technology outstripped magical development during this age and careened out of control into dramatic escalations and terrible wars, which ultimately left the shattered empires of the world laying in crumbled ruins for thousands of years while survivors attempted to rebuild.

The Second Lost Age

The second lost age was an age of strife and difficulty. Humanity did not fully recover from its own folly in the previous age; the primacy was claimed this time around by the dwellers of the Underworld, primarily dwarves and gnomes. They had been largely spared the devastation of the previous age, and their works during this period took the already impressive underground cave networks that had naturally existed and augmented and transformed many of them into interconnected, crafted wonders. The size of the underdark grew immensely as new spaces were carved into the stone.

For thousands of years the Underworlders enjoyed this prosperity until they decided that the stability of the world below must be imposed upon the surface. Their intention was to help, but with characteristic underworlder stubborness, they pressed their efforts far beyond sustainability, ultimately sowing even more chaos than had existed before their efforts and leaving their own realms vulnerable. When strain and frustration grew too great, the Wars Below broke out and the second Great Fall occurred.

The Third Lost Age

While scattered fragments of records from this age do exist, scholars have not yet collated them into a cohesive report.

The Fourth Lost Age

While scattered fragments of records from this age do exist, scholars have not yet collated them into a cohesive report.

The Current Age

In the current age, Earonul's population exists in scattered enclaves with only a few larger nations able to enforce control over lands that are home to what seems like an endless array of near-human tribes; goblins, hobgoblins, orcs, kobolds. In truth, some scholars question whether the demi-human forces arrayed against attempts at civilization are actually as strong as is generally believed, or if instead the belief itself has formented an instinct for the people of the world to turn inward and defend what they hold rather than venture out and expand.