The Ages of Irrelion

Since the first creature walked this earth, we have advanced, and our ages have advanced with us. As magic and science have advanced, so has society, and our ages reflect this

The Age of Stone. ? - S.A. 112

The Beginning of all

After the Death of the Oracle and the creation of Irrelion, loose tribes and small villages formed. Magic was still near nonexistent and tools were made of stone and stick, hence the name. This marked the beginning of civilization after the forming of the sapient races following the death of the Oracle.

The Defining Factors

Nothing was certain during the Age of Stone, language was barely developed, writing was unheard of, and each small tribe and village was afraid of each other. It took hundreds of years for people to band together and start to learn together. During this age, villages stockpiled anything and everything they could find, including metals from the earth. These were seldom usable upon discovery, but with the advent of writing and the spread of information, and the slow development of magic, metallurgy came to fruition, ending the Age of Stone.

The Age of Metal. M.A. 113 - M.A. 613

The First Forges

As magic developed, Pyromancy was immensely popular among the inquisitive, and this led to a growing understanding of metallurgy. First they learned to melt the metals they dug from the ground, they learned to distinguish and classify them, and eventually to forge them, initially relying on magic, but growing outside that dependency save for the most elusive and rarest of materials, which to this day can not be cast in a non-magical forge. This led to the first weapons. Initially spears were favored, as they required little metal and had a massive advantage, but as mining took off and forges improved, swords of many makes and models, and other weapons entered the fray. Armor rapidly advanced too, with the typical boiled-leather armor first seeing riveted plates, then the advent of maille, before plated armor quickly took off among those who could afford it.

The Magical Revolution

At this point in time, there was a good deal of rivalry between magic casters and practitioners of the sword and spear. The mere fact that magic casters had to assist in the process of forging metal weapons and armor initially was seen as a massive threat to all magic casters. Many thought it would end up giving the warriors an advantage over mages, while others hoped that it would simmer tensions. An anonymous wizard detailed these beliefs which spread rapidly amongst mages and warriors alike, the paper being called The Magical Gambit. This was and is still considered one of the most notorious writings in all of Irrelion, and was a proof of the concept that spreading ideas can lead to great things instead of the hording of knowledge that had happened thus far.

The Era of Knowledge

The Era of Knowledge came about due to this newfound idea of sharing knowledge. Ideas spread freely and without restriction, and advancements were made at blinding speed. This led to changes in nearly everything. Colleges and Schools were seen more often, warfare changed, the sheer breadth of this Era would require half a library to fully contextualize. At the beginning, this was seen as a blessed era, and life improved for nearly everyone. Intellectuals and Scholars were the effective rulers of society, spreading idea after idea, and improving life for everyone, with many of them showing little care for personal profit, instead just seeking to leave their mark. This would end on a sour note, however, as not all sought the good of everyone.

The Era of Nations

Before this point, the highest powers were City-States and Confederations joining small and medium villages and towns together. This rapidly changed with the Era of Knowledge. As arms, armor, tactics, magic, and every other aspect of war advanced near tenfold in less than a lifespan, the most powerful and influential sought to expand their domain. Within a few years, armies started to form, and went out to conquer and amass land and territory, forming the first of the nations. Borders shifted and collapsed as a self-proclaimed nation fell to another, leaving only the five we know today, The Claydor Kingdom, The Tauberg Republic, The Afrington Empire, The Estrait Republic, and The Oplar Kingdom. These powers regularly war with each other for control over territory, and shortly after these 5 nations came into existence and made clear they were here to stay, numerous battles and wars started, thus ending the Age of Metal.

The Age of Blood. B.A. 614 ~ Current Day

The current age, the Age of Blood. Self-explanatory. Wars and battles for land and resources and to consolidate power have devastated the land and the people, causing massive changes to the world. The exact starting date isn't fully agreed upon due to it coinciding with the Era of Nations, but the 610's are when almost everyone agrees was the true start to both the Era of Nations and the Age of Blood. Many have oped to call it the Age of Kings, as there are now fully established rulers and bloodlines what will likely not budge for many years in their stronghold on what power they hold. Nobody knows when this Age will end, but almost nobody believes it will end peacefully.