The Age of the Arcane
The Mortal Plane, or Realm, is almost at the center of all of the planes and was originally seen as a neutral territory, as it didn't naturally have magic flowing through it. Magic only exists in the mortal plane because of the portals and thin veils from the other planes that allowed magic to flow in. The magic that flowed in gave those without magic, mostly humans, the ability to draw on it. Over the years, many beings were able to find ways to harness the power within themselves and pass it down through their bloodlines, while others had to find other ways to draw on the magic.
With the Gods having cast Auria and Etera to the skies, and taking a step back to let nature take its course, they didn't realize what would happen as the Realms began to interact more without them intervening. Many minor deities saw opportunities to persuade humans into making deals with them for power, and even that they were Gods. Fae also began leaving the FeyWild, bringing the magic of the Realm with them. At first, things were relatively peaceful and the Realms were able to live in harmony with open portals and veils. The Gods watched as humans even mated with other races from other Realms, making new and interesting, but sometimes terrifying, races. Over time the Realms became restless and unsatisfied with having the ability to use the Mortal Realm to their advantage. Humans also started to become more power hungry. Wars began to break out, between humans and the Realms. In order to stop a potential collapse of the entire universe, the Gods worked together to close off the portals and veils between the Realms. While the Gods weren't able to close every portal and veil, they were able to close almost all of them. However, in doing so they trapped any beings that remained in the Realm they were in before the portals and veils closed. With the sources of free magic being limited, most that relied on that free flow either went insane or began to work on new ways to find power. This search for power would end the Age of the Arcane and begin the Warring Era.
