Age of Emergence

The First Age of Araea, shrouded in legend and suffering.

It was in the mythical Age of Emergence when mankind first came to settle the Inner Shell. Very little is known about the time but fragments of ancient relics and stories that have become more legend than historical fact. What is shared among almost every culture in Araea is that mankind once lived in the Far Deep as prey-animals, at the mercy of the monstrosities that live there. Whether created by loving gods, cruel overseers, or simple mistake, humanity suffered there, on the edge of extinction.

Some historicans and cults include the time before the Age of Emergence, as an Age of Suffering or bondage.

The exact time is varies between tales and are more poetic than anything, but after an appropriate amount of it, humanity left - one way or the other. Many cults in Araea have their origin here, with a divine figure or prophet leading their people out of the maws of monsters and into the relative safety of the Inner Shell. It is an age of ancient heroes and foundational myths, where the first stones were set to build a wall or fire conquered and forced to forge metal.

Not everyone escaped the Far Deep at the same time; some stragglers left the Far Deep even after the Age of Emergence had technically ended.

The Ages of Araea

Time-Keepers and bards measure the history of Araea through Ages, bookmarked by significant events where they begin or end. An Age is never counted in years, but rather by (sometimes arbitrary) narratives. When more exact numbers are required, it's usually in generations. Even then, no two city-states have the same Ages in their history, though there is enough overlap for a vague standard to manifest. Mankind have fled from extinction for seven Ages so far, now taking their first unsure steps into the Seventh.