Time of Darkness

Era of Conflict and Storms

Within the grasp of the dark,
Where life does not flourish,
And faces and places are stark,
When the art cannot nourish,
The time of the Heartless.

-Fragment of a poem by an unknown author from the Time of Darkness

History

The Time of Darkness, as it is called by the historians of Zinato, is the era that preceeded the Time of Rebuilding. It is defined by frequent, powerful storms and conflict. The storms greatly reduced the ability to grow food and caused wars over resources and rampant theivery. In the present the era is viewed as a time of mistrust and treachery but this notion is disputed by a few who cite the quick embrace of cooperation in the Time of Rebuilding as evidence that hope permeated the Time of Darkness.
Due to the lack of written evidence, historians have not been able to make any estimates about the length of the Time of Darkness. Archaeologists estimate that it lasted around four hundred years.