The Ages of Raios

1st Age: The Age of Creation

  This age extends so far back in time that no one knows anything about it except through ancient creation legends passed down by the elves.   The first part of this age begins at the creation of the cosmos and the primal deities. Stars come into being from dust and the first galaxies begin to form. This transpires over untold eons of time that cannot be measured or guessed at.   The second part of this age begins with the formation of the planet Raios. For an unmeasurable eon, the planet Raios slowly transforms, readying itself for life.   The third part of this age begins when the first life begins on Raios. This simple life evolves to ever more complex forms slowly over an eon as both plants and animals begin to spread throughout the world.
 

2nd Age: The Age of the Old Ones

  Little is known about this age but through ancient elven legends that cannot be dated.   The age begins with the arrival of the Inu’adadin race. The legends claim that the Inu’adadin came from another world in very small numbers. Over time several additional waves of Inu’adadin arrived. No information exists in the legends about their place of origin, how they got to Raios, or the year they arrived.   The Inu’adadin slowly increase in numbers and create the first civilization on Raios. They possess advanced knowledge of technology and magic and go on to build fabulous cities, some of which floated on the seas or soared in the skies.   During the latter part of this age, the elves first appear. They have some contact with the Inu’adadin and learn from a few of their teachers.   Near the end of this age, the Inu’adadin become involved in a great war against some type of great evil. The war proved so devastating that it led to the downfall of their advanced civilization.  

3rd Age: The Age of Wonder

  Years 88,026-6,288 BC of the human calendar
Years 0-81,738 of the Valmyrrian Calendar   The elves prosper and increase in number. Slowly they grow in knowledge and wisdom forming the first elf settlements.   The elf kingdoms flourish and establish all the elven kingdoms that exist today.   During the second half of this age, other humanoid races emerge and begin to grow in number.
 

4th Age: The Age of Empires

  Years 6,288-0 BC of the human calendar
Years 81,738-88,026 of the Valmyrrian Calendar   The first humanoid civilizations form and begin to rapidly grow. This includes humans, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, etc.   These new races of humanoids flourish at the expense of the elves.   The first humanoid kingdoms form and soon become powerful. Eventually this leads to the creation of multiple human empires.   The Movorian Empire emerges as the most powerful of the human empires and challenges the Valmyrrian Empire for its mastery of magic.   At the very end of the age a world war breaks out that involves all the great human empires. The elves try to remain neutral but get drawn into it near the end. These events culminate in the sudden onset of the Great Cataclysm bringing a sudden close to this age.

The Great Cataclysm

  Year 0 of the human calendar
Year 88,026 of the Valmyrrian Calendar   A widespread apocalyptic disaster strikes large parts of Raios without warning.   The catastrophic release of titanic magical forces shatters Raios, causing enormous areas of land to sink beneath the sea while in other areas, areas of seabed rise to become dry land. Colossal earthquakes devastate civilized areas while massive tsunamis inundate coastal areas. Large numbers of volcanoes suddenly begin to erupt, sending massive amounts of ash into the skies. A year of darkness ensues bringing cold temperatures far south. Mighty chaos storms begin tearing through the land, killing or corrupting all that they come into contact with.   Most of the world’s great human empires fall apart or are greatly weakened.    

5th Age: After the Cataclysm

  Year 0-1252 AC of the human calendar
Year 88,026-89,278 of the Valmyrrian Calendar   The world recovers slowly from the disaster. Land subsidence ends after about 6 to 8 months. Earthquakes and tsunamis begin to taper off after about 10 months and decline to near normal levels after about 7 years. The frequency of chaos storms slowly decreases but remains a hazard in some areas.   The climate finds itself greatly altered from the pre-cataclysmic days. On the whole, temperatures consistently remain higher than they were, while in many areas, annual rainfall has decreased. New deserts where it never rains develop in the area of the old Movorian Empire.   The land slowly heals from this great upheaval, while the land’s ecosystems readjust to a changed climate.   Migrations of humanoids lead to the emergence of new civilizations, while try to adapt to adapt to a changed world.