Fall of the Elves

Not much is known about the fall of the elven civilization. The elves had long been extinct by the time the first humans arrived in Terra Nova. Only ruins of their once beautiful cities remained. Only through meticulous study and decyphering of the elven texts, some information about the fall has been recovered.

Shadow Incursion

The deciphered texts point at shadow magic as the cause of the fall of the elves. According to them a rift to a realm of shadow opened in the Northern Mountains and let the hordes of shadow monsters into Terra Nova. They were said to destroy and corrupt everything they touched while being almost invincible themselves. Only magic could hurt the shadow monsters, but there were too many of them even when all mages of the world stood united.

What caused the rift to the realm of shadow to open is still a mystery. Maybe it was an evil mage or a natural phenomenon

— A scholar

The surviving texts tell of a massive battle at Gasa Edhil, currently the capital of the Inherited Empire, where elves tried to stop the shadow monsters but failed. The texts say that the most powerful elven rulers fell in that battle. After it, elves had no one to rally behind and were easily defeated by the shadow horde.

Shadow Forest

The Shadow Forest present today in the middle of the continent is believed to be the remnant of the shadow incursion that killed the elves. It is a wild and dangerous place filled with shadow monsters. Many people tried to tame and settle it, but all have failed.

Type

Metaphysical, Supernatural

When the kings met at Gasa Edhil the shadow horde was very close. Everyone in the city felt fear, but no one showed it. To show fear was to admit that the enemy had already won. Nobody wanted that. Soldiers were ready for battle. The phalanx from the south surrounded the city creating a second line of walls from their shields. Horse archers from the central steppe were ready to harass approaching enemies. Soldiers from all over the continent stood ready on the walls. Even the tired refugees from the north stood ready to fight.

— A translated elven text