The
First Age, also referred to as the
Age of Dragons, was a time period of the history of
Erthas, starting from the first year in which the
Ryūshu created the first High Elves. Lasting just over seventeen centuries, it was the longest of the Ages of the Annals of Erthas.
Background
Prior to the arrival of the Ryūshu from the heavens, humans had spread to nearly every corner of the planet, but were few in number, living as hunter-gathers and fishers using a variety of stone-age technologies and having few to no domestic animals. They lived in temporary settlements near the sea or inland waterways.
The Beginning
The Ryūshu came to Erthas and, after exploring the planet, charting its lands, divided the continents between the most powerful of their number. They came among men, some as gods, others as friends. Of the peoples they found first the Elves and took the fittest of the them to turn into their servants to carry out their will, and a great number of the rest were sacrificed as the power source in the ritual that created the
Kōbyakushu, the High Elves.
The Kōbyakushu would be taught various technologies, especially that of farming suitable to different regions and how to identify wild plants to domesticate, as well as architecture and statecraft, science and warfare. After the first two centuries of the Age, the High Elves were transplanted across all the lands of Erthas, far beyond their home in Daitō, to conquer the lands for their Ryūshu masters and disseminate their new technologies to better aid the worship of the new gods.
War in Daitō & the Five Dragon Accord
By the end of the first millennium of the FIrst Age, the sixty or so lords of Ryūshu in Daitō had coalesced into a dozen who were locked in bitter war with each other. The growth of their subject peoples had stopped and the numbers of their servants dwindled. Recognizing this, a Ryūjin named Shōryū, the lord of a large country in the north of Daitō, devised a strategy that would assuredly see him unite the continent under his rule.
Shōryū sent a challenge to all the major independent lords of the continent to participate in a grand tournament. All of the other lords accepted. A location in the vast tundra of Shōryū's realm was chosen to host the bout. However, after all the contenders had arrived, they fell into squabbling as to the rules of the fights and began a titanic battle with each other. Many were slain until only five remained, Shōryū included. The remaining five made an agreement to divide Daitō between them and to keep out of the others' realms. Central Daitō was left empty and could not be entered unless all five agreed.
Starfall
In circa 1500 of the First Age, a star fell to Erthas in the region of
Fēritai, in the realm of Yukyo, on the day that Mabyaku, Yukyo's highest ranking lieutenant, a powerful and ancient High Elf warrior, had come to take over rulership of the area. At the crater, two ill young men were discovered along with a pair of powerful artifacts in the shape of weapons, a sword and a spear. Mabyaku left at once with the weapons to bring them to his overlord. However, upon arriving, Yukyo chastised him and sent him to bring the young men.
Mabyaku sent a runner ahead of him to inform the chief of Fēritai to prepare the young men for travel. However,
Byakurō Yuka, the daughter of the Chief and her brother Rōshi refused to do so and escaped into the wilderness with the young men, who were now awake though amnesic, going by the names Theng and Dīl. After eluding Mabyaku for some time, they are apprehended by Mabyaku who brings them before Yukyo who reveals their true nature as the
Tíwos and intends to sacrifice them to his own power before they fully awaken. However, Mabyaku, Yuka, and Rōshi are able to stop Yukyo, and return to the Tíwos their weapons, who then slay Yukyo.
Chūin falls into chaos in aftermath of Yukyo's death, Theng and Dīl, now going by the names
Teos and Thun, lead the refugees into
Konchū and establish numerous hideaways and strongholds, breeding horses to aid their travels throughout Ausalon as they undermined the Ryūshu, slayed them and their servants, and brought more refugees into their realm for over two centuries.
The Crowns & The End of the Age
After having killed many of the Ryūshu, Teos and Thun devised a pair of crowns to be created from the bones of their slain Ryūjin foes that would harness this power and help restore their divine strength. Thun's physical prowess increased a thousand fold and Teos gained an incredible foresight. However, the remaining members of the Five Continental Kings had finally and decided it was time to destroy the Tíwos and their realm between the realms and enlisted help from beyond Ausalon.
Teos, aware of their plan and seeing the future to come, prepared his entire people to migrate into
West Auaslon and waged war on the people there until the forces of the Ryūshu had marshalled in
Oher. Then, Teos handed his Crown to his youngest adult son, Arric, and rode to meet the host of the Ryūshu with a thousand of his chosen companions and Thun.
Of the battle, very little has survived, as in its aftermath, a great firestorm swept over all of Erthas and all the touched the sky burned and only a fraction of what was before had survived. The sun was shut behind ashen clouds for a generation. The Ryūshu that had not been in the Battle, became feral, taking monstrous forms and behaving as great beasts, ravaging the land further.
Those remaining of the High Elves and the people of Arric, now reckoned a new Age, the Second Age.
