The origin of the planet of Teranuz, as well as the exact age of the planet itself, is a point of conjecture among the world's leading scientific and religious minds. While each major religion on the planet has its own creation myth to explain the world's existence, others have postulated that the planet itself is a naturally-occurring celestial body that has existed for somewhere between 3-5 billion years. As of this time of writing, no definitive answer to the question of Teranuz's origin has been confirmed.
In its recorded history, the world of Teranuz has undergone a large number of major events and upheavals, with distinct eras often referred to as "Ages". In a more categorical sense, the Vancian Calendar attributes all of recorded history into two major time periods: Pre-Vancian (PV), referring to all of history prior to the end of the Millennium War, and the Modern Era (ME), referring to all of history following this event.
In the timeline of the Vancian Calendar, Teranuz is currently in the year 999 ME.
Age of Giants
Not much is known of this period, stretching far back into the prehistory of Teranuz; what little information can be gleaned from scattered ruins and fossilized remains indicates that the world was once inhabited by an ancient civilization of enormous human-like creatures known as the giants.
What is known of the giants is that their influence spread far and wide across the surface of Teranuz, as well as potentially other, less easily inhabitable domains such as beneath the earth, the bottom of the sea, and possibly even the sky itself. Giant civilization is believed to have been both technologically and magically advanced, with evidence that the giants may have been able to harness a unique form of spellcasting through the creation of runes and symbols, which would predate the
introduction of Arcane Magic to Teranuz.
What caused the end of the Age of Giants is similarly a mystery. While giants still exist in the modern world of Teranuz, they are significantly smaller and less intelligent than their advanced ancestors, as well as prone to strange mutations: modern giants include hill giants, trolls, cyclopes and ettin.
Age of Elves
Thousands, possibly millions, of years after the decline of the giants, the Age of Elves was catalyzed by the emergence of the first elves on Teranuz, arriving from their native plane in the Feywild. Either by side effect or by design, the arrival of the elves also introduced
Arcane Magic to the world of Teranuz, which the magically advanced elves quickly used to colonize the land of Teranuz and subjugate and enslave the intelligent races that already existed on Teranuz in the giants' absence. Humanity, only just entering their Bronze Age at this time, were a particular favourite of the invading elves; entire human settlements were captured and reduced to chattel overnight, with enslaved humans being used as servants, soldiers, and subjects for magical experimentation.
The elves' seat of power on Teranuz was the western continent they named
Cresdvol ("Earthen Throne"), selected for its rich and varied natural resources. As the centuries went on, dissent begin to rise within the elven empires, leading to conflict and the formation of sub-factions: those who spoke out against the unfair treatment of Teranuz and its natural inhabitants rejected high elven society and retreated to the natural world, seeking out a more peaceful coexistence with the inhabitants of Teranuz and becoming the first Wood Elves. Meanwhile, competition for resources on Cresdvol led to escalating conflicts between the two elven superpowers known as the Eladrin and the Drow, eventually escalating into the centuries-spanning conflict known as the Millennium War.
Millennium War
The Millennium War was the name of a major conflict between two factions of elves, the Eladrin and the Drow, over the control of Teranuz and its resources. As the name implies, the war itself lasted for one thousand years, and in that time radically altered the landscape of Teranuz, both politically, magically and literally. During the time of the War, numerous atrocities were committed on both sides of the conflict, from magically-enhanced humans and other races being sent to the frontlines as proxies to the creation of powerful and destructive spells and magic items to serve as superweapons in the ever-escalating conflict.
The War was eventually brought to an end in an event known as the Battle of Scar Valley, in which Vance, the world's first human wizard, led a contingent of loyal followers to engage in battle against both elven armies, somehow defeating them both. How Vance accomplished this feat is lost to history; what is known is that the events of this battle resulted in the once-fertile land that is now Scar Valley being reduced to the desolate wasteland it is today, as well as putting an end to both of the elven empires' control over the continent of Cresdvol. In the aftermath, the surviving Eladrin retreated to their original home in the Feywild, while the remnants of the Drow fled beneath the earth, making their new home beneath the scorched wasteland of Scar Valley. The end of the Millennium War is noted by historians as the end of the Pre-Vancian (PV) Era, and the beginning of the Modern Era (ME).
The Fade
"The Fade" is a historical name attributed one of the greatest mysteries of the transition from the Millennium War's end to the beginning of the Modern Era; during this time, a vast majority of the magical and technological innovations of the elven empires on Crestfall were inexplicably and seemingly permanently lost, with little to no explanation. In the Modern Era, the remaining elves of Crestfall have little to no surviving records of many of the Pre-Vancian Era's magical advancements, having seemingly been completely wiped from the elves' cultural memory.
Theories surrounding the origin of the Fade run rampant among Crestfall's leading historians and arcanists. Some suggest that the Fade was caused by Vance, the result of a powerful spell designed to erase the effects of the Millennium War. Others suggest that the Fade was somehow the result of the War itself, either due to the untimely use of an experimental magical weapon or simply a critical buildup of magical energy. Due to the nature of the Fade, it is quite possible that these questions will never be answered in a satisfactory manner.
Age of Humanity
The Age of Humanity is an alternative name for the Modern Era of Teranuz, representing the current time period and status quo of the world following the rise of the wizard Vance and the end of the Millennium War. The age is named for the rise in power of the human race following the destruction of the elven empires.
In this era, the world of Teranuz, particularly Cresdvol (now known to world as Crestfall) is currently on the cusp of industrial revolution; recent centuries have seen rise to numerous new technological and magical enhancements to covilization, including railways, firearms technology, and other breakthroughs.
Hexstone, a type of crystalized magical energy created by the fallout of the Millennium War, is now a popular fuel source, and the lingering following of Vance's teachings have allowed magic to continue to develop in human hands alongside these new technologies.
The political powers of Crestfall now include the Hegian Empire, the Dwarven nation of Kovia, and the independent city-state of Drakmort, among other smaller nations and civilizations made up of humans as well as a diverse variety of other races.
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