Notes on Norvath
World - History - Overview of the Ages
Orth has had four civilized Ages throughout its history, plus a prehistoric Age.
Prehistory:
The earliest and longest Age on Orth. Non-sentient life ruled the planet, and Norvath was split into several different continents. Many creatures of this time were not unlike dinosaurs, though a select few were far more fearsome to behold. Some of these creatures are thought to have shaped the world by manipulating the elements, and this is supported by recent geological findings. It is believed that this ancient life commanded the most pure and primal forms of arcana, and that all arcane energies and practices since have been recycled and diluted throughout time. This Age ended abruptly when a mass extinction occurred. The exact cause of this extinction event is unknown. What is known is that the extinction of the larger and more dangerous creatures paved the way for smaller, smarter creatures to develop.
First Age (Age of Birth):
As new life sprang forth, powerful beings known as the Old Gods were born. These Old Gods sought to tame arcana, and make it their own, and that is exactly what they did. Unlike the primal beasts that preceded them, using no more than instinct to command their power, the Old Gods had purpose in mind. With the energy of the world in their hands, they shaped the continents into one mass of land, on which they wished for all life to live in harmony.
They once dreamed to create more beings such as themselves to fill their new world. From raw materials they conceived new creatures, and raised them to become beings of rational thought. These newly sentient creatures were ancestors to modern mortals, and spent several millennia building up their new societies and living peacefully alongside the Old Gods. In time these mortals became known as the High Races, consisting of six distinct species. For much of the First Age, the mortals revered the Old Gods, and prayed to them for guidance. Their most honored individuals - be them warriors, philosophers, or rulers alike - were sent to the Old Gods to learn their ways, and thus became New Gods. These New Gods were fiercely loyal to their own people, and each did what they could to protect their countries. As the first clear kingdoms were established, strife rose between civilizations, and many sought to claim as much of the world for themselves as possible. When the first wars broke out, the Old Gods were stunned as they could not fathom the selfishness of their creations, and did not understand why they would want to bring pain to others. Mortals in every corner of Norvath prayed to the Old Gods for their help in defeating their new enemies, but the Old Gods refused, and sought to bring peace back to the continent. Feeling abandoned, the mortals became angry with the Old Gods, and set their sights on attacking them instead. Truly unified for the first time, the mortals did not appreciate being told how to live by beings who believed themselves to be greater than them. With the power of the New Gods on their side, the mortals fought the Old Gods in a war that would be known as the Divine War. As the first blood was spilled, the First Age drew to a close.
Second Age (Age of War):
The Divine War raged on for two thousand years. Though the Old Gods possessed the power to destroy the mortals for good, they were hesitant to bring destruction to their beloved creations. The mortals and New Gods had no such reservations, and attacked the Old Gods relentlessly. As the New Gods grew more powerful, they found they were able to kill the Old Gods, and did so with pleasure to appease their people. Eventually only one Old God remained. They made one last attempt to convince the mortals to end the war, but the mortals were in no mood for negotiations. They struck the Old God down, who managed to escape just before the last of their life force faded away. Feeling alone and betrayed, the Old God felt anger for the first time. With the last of their strength, they made one final creature from the dirt that had become stained with their blood. These beasts would be the most powerful and most deadly beings to ever roam the land. They were to wreak havoc on the mortals and punish them for their insolence. And so, with their dying breath, the last Old God had created dragons. The dragons took their purpose to heart, and wherever they went, disaster and destruction followed. Even the New Gods were not prepared such ferocity, and a great many fell at the claws of these beasts, so many in fact that not more than seven New Gods survived beyond the war. The dragons and mortals fought for many more years. Mortals who felled dragons became known as heroes. Others became skilled in arcane arts and became the first wizards and mages in attempts to find more ways to combat the dragons. Though the dragons were truly awesome and terrifying beings, they were not without emotion. Just as mortals grieved and honored their dead, the dragons did as well. As the war grew older, both sides came to realize they had becomes evenly matched, and if they kept fighting they would surely bring themselves to extinction. The dragons and mortals were finally able to negotiate peace, bringing an end to the Second Age.
Third Age (Age of Growth):
Though the Divine War had ended, mortals still fought from time to time to establish borders. In this Age, the High Races and their associated nations became clearly defined. The yeti-like Arags lived mainly in the ice fields of the far north, but shared portions of the northern mountains with the Dwarves, whose lands stretched down the western coast. Elves took to the western islands, while Humans occupied the majority of the central lands as well as the southern desert. The troll-like Takkar people took up residence on the southeastern island, and the sea-fairing Mara claimed the islands in the Great Gulf, as well as the tropical areas of the surrounding coastlines. The surviving dragons lived in the surrounding land in where the last Old God had died. In interest of keeping the peace with the mortals, the dragons created their own race, known as the Dracnids. These people were grateful and fond of the dragons, and came to revere them as gods. With that the veteran dragons became the first Modern Gods. Other Modern Gods sprang up all over Norvath from heroes and saints, and and were usually granted their status by the remaining New Gods. New races began to appear in this Age. They were born through unusual circumstances, from horrible curses to failed experiments made by the Gods. Between the half-wolf Wolfein, the dark-dwelling Vampira, and many others, these people became collectively known as Beast Races for their seemingly horrific appearances and behaviors. Dracnids were often labeled as a Beast Race due to their somewhat dragonish looks, however they held the same status as the High Races. The Beast Races often kept to themselves, but as stories and exaggerations spread, they became widely feared and hated. Many came to hate the High Races with a burning passion, and would attack them on sight. Arcana became more widely practiced, and wizardry became as popular a study topic as swordplay. Potioneering was born when people found that mixing various arcane materials yielded fantastic results. Some races, such as Elves, were more adept at channeling these energies than others, while some, like the Arags, refused to have anything to do with arcana. While some wizards and sorcerers became as mighty heroes as knights, others studied sinister arcana and many a fowl monstrosity. From these dark energies, monsters and demons were created to bring ill fortune to anyone unlucky enough to encounter one. While some demons were no more a nuisance than a common rat, others were powerful and highly intelligent, and sought only to bring destruction and misery. Along with demons and monsters, these warlocks created various servant creatures to wait on them hand and foot and help further their plots. These Minion Races were born from the wastes for arcana, and most notably include Imps, Goblins, and Gargoyles. The Minion Races, though sentient, were thought to have far inferior intelligence than other races, and were treated no better than mud on one’s shoe. Eventually most Minion Races evolved to be able to reproduce on their own, and as their masters perished, many began to form their own colonies in the shadows. They stayed clear of civilization when the could as the other races began to see them as pests that were in need of extermination. As centuries passed, civilizations and technologies developed and changed. As populations grew larger, border squabbles became more frequent, and most High Races became prejudiced against the others. Humans especially wanted to conquer as much of Norvath as possible. After some initial strife, they were able to form an alliance with the Elves, who shared similar ideals. Slowly but surely they drove the Dwarves and the Tekkar to extinction. Nearing the same fate, the last of the Mara fled to the oceans in the south in hopes of finding a new land where they could live in peace. Reports say they were ambushed as their ships rounded the southern peninsula, their legacy coming to an abrupt end. The Arags offered to fight alongside the Dwarves, but they were too stubborn and prideful to accept the help until it was too late. When the Humans and Elves set their sights on the Arags themselves, they found their mountain defenses were impenetrable, and they were unable to conquer them. Initially the Dracnids tried to help the other targeted Races, but as their small country bordered only that of the Arags, they were forced to retreat into their own land in order to protect it. The Humans and Elves found the Dracnids to be the most difficult to fight as they had dragons on their side. Unlike the Dwarves, the Dracnids accepted the offer to help from the Arags, but they could not produce the same defenses in the swamps the Dracnids called home. After years of turmoil, the Dracnids realized if they kept fighting they would be driven to extinction. Though their arcane prowess was far superior, ultimately their numbers were too small and they would surely be overwhelmed. The Humans and Elves had managed to vanquish most of the dragons, and those that remained were spread too thin to effectively fight alongside their mortal allies. It is said that the Dracnids vanished very suddenly, that one morning the Human and Elven armies were marching to fight them, but when they arrived there was no one to be found. Reports poured in that not a single Dracnid was to found. Upon realizing their enemy was gone, the Humans and Elves raced to claim what they could of the country, but found the land impossible to navigate. They were also met with all manner of dragonish beasts, the likes of which most had never seen before. Once they realized they could not take the land for themselves, the Humans and Elves receded into their own countries, their war having finally ended. As the years wore on, The Dracnids became legend, and the dragons themselves became no more than myths. As the tales of the Dracnids faded into mystery, the Third Age came to an end.
Fourth Age (Modern Age):
Roughly a thousand years have passed since the Fourth Age began. The Humans, Elves, and Arags have firmly settled their borders, and though the land of the Dracnids remains unoccupied, the country is still clearly marked on world maps, though often labelled as “The Badlands” in place of its proper name. Most surviving Gods have left the physical world to live in the realm of spirits, where they can watch over their people from a distance. Many mortals feel abandoned by their Gods, and over time many of these divine beings have been forgotten. Swordplay and other combat practices are still commonplace, though with weapons technology steadily improving, the need for them is on the decline. Those who once knew how to command arcane energies have been lost to time, and the era of wizardry has long been forgotten. Instead mortals have learned to use raw arcane material to power various tools and machines in their daily lives. Technology has developed very rapidly, and regular city noise is accompanied by the sound of trains in the distance. Arcane energy has its limits, and cells made of arcane crystals - known as “arcstone” - need to be replaced when depleted. As such, arcane energy is not renewable and many cities teeter on the edge of a power crisis if their supply is ever to dry up. Arags, having never been too adept with arcane energies in the first place, have developed their own form of energy. They have found ways to generate and harness lightning to power their lights and machines. They are very strict about not letting too much of their technology out of the country for fear of what the other races might do with it should they get a hold of it. Most Beast and Minion Races - known collectively as Low Races - fight to be treated with respect, but the High Races refuse to acknowledge them as proper people. Beast Races especially find their territories constantly shrinking as Humans and Elves take their land to expand their own civilizations. With their borders overlapping, many Beast Races are often fighting amongst themselves. Some have tried to fight back against the High Races, but ultimately a lack of organization and cooperation have left their effort useless. While many Minion Races live freely in wild colonies, many others are still kept as servants for High Races, and are treated no better than slaves. Humans in particular have mastered the art of brainwashing their Minions, making them believe that they would not be safe living out in the wild. They are told that in exchange for their servitude and loyalty, they are allowed to live in the cities where they are protected from “horrible wild beasts.” In addition they are often made to believe that “wild” Minions are incredibly feral and even cannibalistic. Wild Minion Races are treated like pests and are often killed on sight. While it is true that the wilds hold many dangers for the pint-sized Minion Races, their wild counterparts are far from feral. There are even some who do what they can to free enslaved Minions and cause as much trouble as they can for the High Races. Though most High Races are ignorant to the inequality present in Norvath, there are those who wish to improve the situation. Most Arag cities remain sympathetic to the oppressed, and while they gladly welcome refugees, their northern climate is much too harsh for many Low Races. There are indeed a few Humans and Elves who show support for the Low Races, and some even believe the classification of “High” and “Low” Races should be removed altogether. Rumors have circulated about activist groups rallying to fight for the equality of all Races, and though they’d like to avoid it if possible, the threat of another world-shaking war is on the horizon.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This one got a little long so if you made it through the whole thing, thank you for reading! I’m not much of a writer, but I’d like to be better so I’m totally open to critique. If you have any questions, my ask box is always open! Reblogs are appreciated!
