Forgotten Age

The Forgotten Age is a timespan of the world that is, as the name implies, forgotten. It follows the Age of Antiquity and precedes the Age of Discovery. By modern historians' reckoning, it begins when historical records from the Age of Antiquity end and ends with the discovery of the New World, a time period lasting around 500 years. Notable events that occurred during this era were the forming of the New World Trading Company, an unknown calamity that wiped out most elves and gnomes, as well as the fall of several civilisations spread across the New World.  

Study

Studying the Forgotten Age is a near impossible challenge. The crumble of Old World empires has meant that very few records from the time exist, and those that do cover exclusively Old World business. The real mystery is the history of the New World during this age. Almost no records of the ocean's very existence appear anywhere in any Old World empire's records, a baffling notion for such a large area. Any and all artefacts from that time come from the New World itself, and they are baffling, to say the least. Strange magical items with wondrous powers that not even the brightest modern wizards can perform, all marked with a strange language that no one can read, even with a comprehend languages spell.   The thing that makes a study of the Forgotten Age especially challenging, however, is the fact that looking into this murky period of history guarantees a visit from Aegis, and a quite erasure from history. The NWTC has plenty of secrets it would rather stay hidden, most of all the events that led to its founding. The most high-profile example of this erasure was the Doggerland Incident. Publicly a tyrannical pirate had made the island of Doggerland his base, enslaved the population, and in the process unleashes a vile curse that was rapidly spreading throughout the country. There was no means to curb the spread, so the Company troops stationed there had no choice but to wipe out the island. In actuality, the university there had begun studying the Forgotten Age against the Company's wishes and made significant headway. Rather than risk hidden secrets from being found out, the order was given, and the entire island was massacred.   These days, only a select few of the most trusted mages and artificers under the Company's payroll may study the Forgotten Age, and only under close supervision, with the goal of recreating magic items from that era to be used by the NWTC as weapons. A small contingency of scholars who continue the study outside of the NWTC does exist, though. They store their findings in a great library in The Thunderclap Monastery, where they prey their discoveries aren't found by the wrong people.   //2nd draft   At the tail end of the Age of Ancients, the earth had become a melting pot. Various races from beyond the stars had travelled in spelljammers and settled in the primordial ocean that would later become the New World. The diverse mishmash of different climates from the merging of the various planes created the perfect place for all sorts of species to come together.   One of the most prominent races to venture onto the Earth was the eladrin, later known as the elves. The eladrin originated from a point closer to home than others. The moon that orbits this world is actually a hole in reality that leads to another plane entirely - the Feywild. The eladrin were fey that originated from there. The concept of a world filled with people from across the universe intrigued and amused them, so they ventured down to explore this Brave New World that had formed beneath them.   For a time the elves enjoyed simply exploring and making friends and alliances with the disparate peoples of the world. They shared their knowledge of writing and magic, and in turn learned a great deal from the many races of the world. Over time, these alliances formed into a shared culture across the sea, where different people could come and go as they pleased, becoming the Great Kingdom. The elves eventually decided to make a permanent home on the world, taking the largest island on the ocean and naming it Cyron Bardh. With the help of many other of the races, a device known as the Island Mover was built, allowing the island of Cyron Bardh to drift across the seas and visit their allies across the world.   This peace was not to last forever, however. One of the more powerful entities from beyond the stars by the name of Anum, saw the civilization that had been created and thought that it could be improved. The people of this world could go and do as they pleased, but this freedom came at a price. The wider world was dangerous, with all sorts of hazards and dangerous creatures. Furthermore, Anum had seen the older kingdoms of the Old World, and found them full of conflict, violence and internal squabbling. This led Anum to a conclusion - mortals couldn't be trusted with their own safety. If they live free, they'll only hurt themselves and others. What humanity needed was essentially a mother. A form hand to guide them in the correct direction. An unbiased being that can dictate safety and happiness upon them from up on high. When she suggested this to others, she was refused outright, the respected elders of the Great Kingdom placing value on freedom above all else. But Anum would not be deterred. She was certain that taking control away from mortals was the truly best way to improve society. So she gathered up several powerful individuals whose goals aligned with hers and launched a coup against the Great Kingdom.   The war waged on for years until at last Anum gained the upper hand. Through unknown means, she gained the same power as the Island Mover and used it to send the floating isle of Cyron Bardh hurtling into the ocean right at the centre of the New World. The immense shockwave annihilated the majority of the elves, and the resulting cataclysmic tsunami and earthquakes caused by the impact created an enormous flood that destroyed the majority of both the Old and New World, ending the war. The impact also created the trenches, opening rifts to the Abyss. Anum then erected a wall of islands out of the pieces of Cyron Bardh, creating the Spine of the World to extend her influence as far as possible.   From there, Anum and her allies built a fortress with which to control the world, ruling with an iron fist. But things didn't go according to plan. Although people were safer under her control, they chafed under it, sparking countless rebellions and resistance movements. Anum came to the conclusion that whilst mortals are better off being controlled, they hate the knowledge of being controlled, and prefer the illusion of free will over the real thing. So with that, Anum made the choice to fade away, ruling the world from the shadows. She enacted a powerful act of magic, rending the memory of the Great Kingdom and its culture from the minds of all.    From the shadows she lurked, created the NWTC to act in her stead, slowly gaining power and control. The New World itself hated this deep transgression and attempt to tame it, and in time this unceasing fury awoke the Kraken, a long-dead Titan from the Age of Ancients, which to this day thrashes in blind anger at any who attempt to sail or live upon it.