The Dark Ages

The fall of last Heroes has been lost to time. And none but the oldest Celestial Exalted know the truth of matter.
Today's mortals are told a lie, that civilization collapsed records have eroded away, and the knowledge of science, reason, and culture was lost. The favor of the gods was withdrawn, wishing to remain untainted by the new evils. This is the lie spoken by the major religions of the world, especially the Olympian Order. The full story is only known to the Sidereals of the Bronze Faction. Their records show an entirely different truth, a secret truth they have guarded for the past few millennia.
This age grew from the Bronze Age. Led by the Exalted mortals entered what many would consider a second Golden Age. The Celestial Gods largely retreated from the world, content to allow their chosen to govern the laws of Creation and mortals alike. In the Heavens they merely wish for power from mortal worship, only allowed to act indirectly as decreed by Zeus at the beginning of this age. Only small aspects, avatars of their god were allowed to act as intermediaries.
Their Terrestrial God brethren, bound to creation itself, are like wise were banned from interfering with mortals directly though with some leeway to show that the gods still existed. They were granted helpers by the @Phoenea, to ensure that the natural world ran smoothly. These are known as Elementals, simple minded spirits with limited power over Creation.
For generations, the Solars ruled as a collective known as the Deliberative, with Lunars acting as their lieutenants, the Sidereals as their advisers, and the Terrestrials (now known as Phoenix-blooded) as their commanders. Using magic and technology, they made cities of glass, moved mountain to create passes, raised up new islands, and made new altered races to live at the edges of creation.
However the Great Curse placed on them by the Neverborne and Diableon began to grow in power as well. Benevolent kings became tyrannical self proclaimed gods. Judges handed out executions for all crimes. Inventors became mad with power kidnapping mortals to become horrific experiments, trying to recreate the Dragon-kings and Mountain-folk and instead creating the first Liminal Exalted. Martial art experts were overcome with their lust for fighting killing entire towns to prove their prowess. Sorcerers made pacts with the Fair Folk to tap into the magiks of the Wyld.
The Sidereal Exalts saw this happening and eventual came together to form the Bronze Faction, wishing to return the world to the splendor of the Age of Heroes. They peered into the loom of fate and foresaw 3 paths. One in which they let the world continue without interference. In this path they saw only destruction. The second, they worked with the other Exalts to purge or tamper the Curse. The end of this path was clouded with no certain outcome. And the third they slew the other Celestial Exalts and imprisoned the shards. This was the chosen path, for they saw a new albeit lessened age springing forth.
The Phoenix-blooded had grown beyond counting, so they would be the pawns of the Sidereals' gambit. Those Terrestiral Exalted of the Deliberative were positioned close to every Solar Exalt. Then the 7th legion was tricked into declaring a war upon the Solars, believing that the Solars were seeking to gain favor of the gods by wiping them out. The war began and the Solars were separated through creation fighting on many fronts at the edge of the world. Now as isolated as they could be the Sidereals struck with their Phoenix-blooded allies. Almost all the Solars were caught by surprise and fell to the blades of their former underlings. Many Lunars also fell trying to defend their mates, lovers, and leaders. Countless Terrestrials were lost that day of both sides, as the 7th Legion continued to battle the traitors.
To prevent the Solars from simply reincarnating again, the Sidereals had built a great Prison made from all of the magical materials: Orikhalkum , Moonsilver, Onyx , Soulsteel, and Starmetal. Using thier combined magik, they funneled the Solar Exalt shards into this prison, then sank it into the deepest depths of the sea and set the most powerful monsters to act as guardians. They set about erasing all evidence of the Solar Exalts excepting the parts of their evil acts. The newly appointed rulers of Creation, the Terrestrial Exalted spread the lies of Solar and Lunar Exalts being deamons who corrupted vain souls. Apollo was named as the god of the Sun, and Artemis was named as the goddess of the Moon.
The Sidereals exited Creation to work behind the scenes from the Heavens. The Lunars, greatly diminished, took refuge at the edge of the Wyld and Creation. The Terrestrials, fractured and scattered to the winds gathered in primitive tribes. Thus this nameless age ended.