The Aeons Past

Dotted around the lands of Errilor there are artefacts. Temples, gateways, devices, monuments and viaducts, all stand as a testament of some great unknown power that dominated the supercontinent of Masse. Despite being many hundreds of years old many of these artefacts are structurally sound, and a few are completely intact. The waygates to other realms and plains are perhaps the best example with even the most worn and remote sites able to transport travellers through the void of space to the corresponding realm.
Despite their undeniable technological and arcane brilliance, no written or pictographic evidence of this civilisation remains, leaving no way of easily replicating their techniques or studying their knowledge. Indeed, there are no statues of this ancient people, so their very race is often debated amongst scholars.
Their name derives from one of the first elven historical texts where the author writes "These marvels of arcanomancy and architecture appear to have been constructed by a peoples from aeons past". This nomenclature has stuck, and has entered common parlance. Now, parents talk in hushed tones of the Aeons, and their wondrous civilisation.

Structure

From the lack of palaces, statues and other abundance of civil architecture that survives, it is assumed by most scholars that the Aeons Past had a kind of democratic or socialistic society, where work was done towards the public good, rather than the benefit of the individual. There are others, on the other hand, who suggest that nothing so grand and enduring could be built without a single commanding will directing the operations. In reality, there is no way of knowing for sure how this civilisation operated.

Assets

From the scope of the constructions that remain and their spread across Masse, ranging from the Northern isthmus to the south of the Wurn Plains, it can be assumed that the resources at the disposal of this empire were unparalleled. Indeed, any other power at the time would have been starved of precious resources, and completely unable to compete with the Past.

History

Despite the number of remains and artefacts that archaeologists have been able to gather and study, there is very little to give direct clues to the history of the Aeons Past. It was initially believed that their reign was over the course of many centuries, as some of the remaining architecture would have taken upwards of 100 years to construct with modern means. New thinking suggests that in fact the empire lasted for no more than one or two centuries, after one academic alchemist noted that when testing the age of the mortar used although they were indeed very ancient, no construction was more than 50 years or so older than any other. This caused consternation at the time, however, many have now conceded that such a powerful civilisation no doubt had the means to complete wondrous buildings in a fraction of the usual time.

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Alternative Names

The Aeons, The Past, The Ancients

Demonym

Past One