Third Age

The Third Age of Binaka was the age of bioengineering. The gods continued to keep themselves out of the affairs of humans. Civilization evolved much as it has on Earth, but rather than pursue technology and eventually weapons of war in the form of hardware (metal and silicon), humans pursued the sciences of bioengineering and biotechnology. Rather than developing internal combustion engines, they engineered beast of burden to large, rapid moving creatures dedicated to the transportation of humans and their goods. Rather than build steel and glass skyscrapers, the pushed the evolution of trees and other plants to create living homes, sometimes stretching hundreds of feet into the sky.
Eventually the bioengineers started creating fantasy creatures. Many of the creatures that we on Earth consider the stuff of legends and fantasy were made real by the bioenginners of Binaka.
Towards the end of the Third Age, humans began creating new intelligent species. First, they made minor modifications to themselves, creating elfs and dwarfs, among others. Then, a great war started.
The various competing factions created ever more dangerous beasts, based on carnivorous animals with intelligence coming from humans. Monsters such as the minotaur and the troll, among many others, were created. And many, many beings fought and died.
The Third Age ended when a scientist, sick of the fighting, created a virus intended to wipe out all beings with derivations of human DNA. Word got out about the existence of the virus, but it did not stop the fighting. In a fit of anger, the scientist released the virus. He was the first to die, although a small group of scientists at the same facility survived. As with any virus, some beings were immune. In addition, the gods Ŗažu, Blodä, Koďö, and Shönäl joined together to modify the virus and use it as a vehicle for bringing about the return of magic. These four and the other eight gods then began to walk the world freely, ushering in the Fourth Age.