The First Reckoning

Very little is known about the First Reckoning. Some believe it is just a myth, as the only evidence for it appears in old stories. The stories generally go like this:

A long time ago, when the world was young, mankind was ruled by the greatest among us who were blessed with splendid wings covered in feathers. On their wings, they soared through the air like bats.

With the winged ones leading the way, society flourished. They build great cities that twinkled with diamonds, where the streets were filled with colour and laughter, and the tables were never empty. But they grew too proud of their accomplishments. They believed that with all their power, they could reach Spiritrest and add the power of the Spirits themselves to their glittering kingdoms. They flew to the top of the world and tried to reach the Spirits, but the Spirits were angry at their intrusion.

The Spirits struck the intruders back to earth and punished the world with a cataclysm. The ground shook and mighty waves rushed across the world. The great cities that had twinkled with diamond were in ruin, the shattered streets held nothing but grief and fear, and tables throughout the world sat barren. Humans had tried to reach the Spirits, and in return, the Spirits had brought down a reckoning. But there was something more - the Spirits had ripped the wings from humans' backs, and all across the kingdom of birds. Every bird that had ever taken to the air vanished, and humans have remained firmly on the ground ever since.

The stories vary by culture. Some blame a specific god or goddess in place of Spirits, but the general theme of the stories remain true: Once, humans had wings, but they grew arrogant and a divine being punished them.
Ancient engravings found across the world depicted winged humanoids suggest that part of the story might be true. Paleontologists in the fourth age found evidence of ancient birds capable of flight, suggesting that that part is true as well. Crumbling ruins, some found in locations that have been flooded for thousands of years, lead scholars to believe that there was indeed some ancient civilization in the distant past.