Periodization
The timeline of the Material Plane after the Syzygy can often be difficult to make sense of. After a population of twenty million people was utterly decimated (by the most literal definition of the word) in the span of a single day, so much from the Old World was forgotten in the time before the restoration of civilization. And then, with so much happening throughout the following centuries, many scholars of history have a hard time remembering the order of things. To rectify this, however, historians have devised a method known as Periodization: a handy way for members of the academic community to break up the Current Era into more manageable parts, structured in the form of five clear-cut ages.
The Lost Age was the ill-fated first chapter of an already bleak Current Era. It began with the cosmic cataclysm of the Syzygy, which (for all intents and purposes) destroyed the world, kicking off a desperate, decades-long odyssey known as the Grim Voyage. With disease running rampant and supplies perpetually scarce, this hopeless time was nearly the death of mortal life. However, after a volcanic eruption created a beacon of ash for the surviving ships, this Age came to an end with the discovery of a new archipelago.
The Revival Age began with the arrival of the first fleet and the founding of New Firth on the island of Omphalos. With less than a tenth of the population still alive (which mainly consisted of humans, halflings, dwarves, and elves), this settlement would be a haven for the people of the Material Plane to regroup, form new nations on nearby isles, and begin the reconstruction of society. More survivors would continue to trickle into the newly christened Reverie Isles, and as the citizens of New Firth expanded their borders to accommodate them, the city of Craven was born. This Age finally came to an end with the establishment of Craven’s first permanent governing body, the Court of the Crown.
The Regency Age was a time of dramatic transitions, both for better and for worse. It began when the position of High Regent was formed to lead the Crown, and to prevent the rise of a monarchy. However, with this action, the Crown would get something much worse than a monarch: an ambitious, tyrannical megalomaniac by the name of Thaddaeus Kaldwin, who wished not to unite the Isles, but to conquer them. Before he could succeed, though, he was overthrown by his son, Victor Kaldwin. Victor ushered forth a period of peace and prosperity for Craven and the Isles, repairing the damage dealt by his father. It was only after Victor Kaldwin had died of old age that this Age came to an end.
The Industrial Age began when the final decree of Victor Kaldwin came to fruition, with the dissolution of the position of High Regent and the inauguration of the first Sovereign Council. Though this period was not by any means a happy time, it laid the foundations for future successes. It was an Age of plagues, civil strife, governmental overreach, and political assassinations, but it was also a time of incremental societal improvements, coming to an end with the Upheaval: a revolt that secured the people’s right to freedom.
The Victorian Age began the moment the reforms written during the Upheaval passed into law, and it continues into the present day. The building projects that started near the end of the regency were finally finished, opening up education and allowing for the citizens of Craven to reap what had been sewn with their own sweat and blood. But there is still work to be done, for the Isles are by no means a utopia: threats stir on the shores of Winograd, pirate lords pillage the Sea of Tears with impunity, and thralls in Ebonos still spend their lives in chains. However, if anyone thinks to doubt the progress that’s been made over the previous century alone, they need only open their eyes to see the truth.
The Lost Age
1 CE — 90 CE
Approximate Population: 4,000,000 souls survived the SyzygyThe Lost Age was the ill-fated first chapter of an already bleak Current Era. It began with the cosmic cataclysm of the Syzygy, which (for all intents and purposes) destroyed the world, kicking off a desperate, decades-long odyssey known as the Grim Voyage. With disease running rampant and supplies perpetually scarce, this hopeless time was nearly the death of mortal life. However, after a volcanic eruption created a beacon of ash for the surviving ships, this Age came to an end with the discovery of a new archipelago.
The Revival Age
91 CE — 490 CE
Approximate Population: 2,000,000 souls survived the Grim VoyageThe Revival Age began with the arrival of the first fleet and the founding of New Firth on the island of Omphalos. With less than a tenth of the population still alive (which mainly consisted of humans, halflings, dwarves, and elves), this settlement would be a haven for the people of the Material Plane to regroup, form new nations on nearby isles, and begin the reconstruction of society. More survivors would continue to trickle into the newly christened Reverie Isles, and as the citizens of New Firth expanded their borders to accommodate them, the city of Craven was born. This Age finally came to an end with the establishment of Craven’s first permanent governing body, the Court of the Crown.
The Regency Age
491 CE — 816 CE
Approximate Population: 3,000,000 souls (the peak population in the Isles)The Regency Age was a time of dramatic transitions, both for better and for worse. It began when the position of High Regent was formed to lead the Crown, and to prevent the rise of a monarchy. However, with this action, the Crown would get something much worse than a monarch: an ambitious, tyrannical megalomaniac by the name of Thaddaeus Kaldwin, who wished not to unite the Isles, but to conquer them. Before he could succeed, though, he was overthrown by his son, Victor Kaldwin. Victor ushered forth a period of peace and prosperity for Craven and the Isles, repairing the damage dealt by his father. It was only after Victor Kaldwin had died of old age that this Age came to an end.
The Industrial Age
817 CE — 878 CE
Approximate Population: 1,500,000 souls survived the Red DeathThe Industrial Age began when the final decree of Victor Kaldwin came to fruition, with the dissolution of the position of High Regent and the inauguration of the first Sovereign Council. Though this period was not by any means a happy time, it laid the foundations for future successes. It was an Age of plagues, civil strife, governmental overreach, and political assassinations, but it was also a time of incremental societal improvements, coming to an end with the Upheaval: a revolt that secured the people’s right to freedom.
The Victorian Age
879 CE — NOW
Approximate Population: 1,750,000 souls (1,200,000 in Craven and 550,000 elsewhere)The Victorian Age began the moment the reforms written during the Upheaval passed into law, and it continues into the present day. The building projects that started near the end of the regency were finally finished, opening up education and allowing for the citizens of Craven to reap what had been sewn with their own sweat and blood. But there is still work to be done, for the Isles are by no means a utopia: threats stir on the shores of Winograd, pirate lords pillage the Sea of Tears with impunity, and thralls in Ebonos still spend their lives in chains. However, if anyone thinks to doubt the progress that’s been made over the previous century alone, they need only open their eyes to see the truth.
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