Spoken Era

Overview | Spoken Era • Written Era • Imperial Era

The Spoken Era includes everything that predates modern written records. It spans the creation of the world itself, to the mythic years when the Gods themselves walked the earth, up until the first Castellan High Queens and Kings. The old races; Elves, Dwarves, and Humans, can trace their origins back to the Spoken Era.

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World Dawn

The World Dawn, also called the Dream and the Dawning Realm, is the beginning of the world and it's earliest days. It begins with Ae and Ea, creator-deities, and ends with the death of Ea.

• According to the dwarven creation myth the deities are lovers and co-creators. There is little meaningful distinction between the two. The Dream was a time of joy and celebration.
• Among the Elves, Ae is often presented as the personification of order and stasis, while Ea is the embodiment of chaos and change. According to Elven tradition, the Dream was a time of perfect stasis.
• In Human myth, Ae and Ea are opposing generals at war with eachother. Ae commands the armies of men, and Ea the armies of monsters.

Creation

• The dwarves believe Ae and Ea created everything together.
• The elves claim Ae created life, and at some point Ea wounded Ae's perfect creations, crushing the dwarves flat, cutting the ears and lifeforce of humans, and they were about to harm the elves too when Ae discovered their sabotage.
• The humans believe creation was done seperately by each of the deities, with Ae creating men, elves and dwarves for their armies, and Ea creating monsters for theirs.

Ea's Death

The death of Ea is known as the First Betrayal among men and elves, but there is no consensus on who exactly betrayed who.

• The dwarven creation myth describes Ea's death as a loving sacrifice, giving up their life to become the world and house their creations. Ae watches over Ea, and shapes the world further to protect them.
• Elven tradition however, says that Ea, motivated by deep regret or spite after the discovery of their sabotage, plunges themselves onto Ae's spear. Their death destabilizes the perfect statis thrusting the world into chaos and forcing Ae to create chronological time and watch over them.
• In human myth, Ae forms Ea into the world as a victory spoil for their armies.

Early Spoken Era

Much like the World Dawn, the Early Spoken Era is primarily based on myth and oral history rather than much archeological evidence.

• As Humans wander south, and Elves wander north, the Alltongue fractures and becomes the proto-languages.
• Druids learn to tap into natural magic, becoming the first mages.

Middle Spoken Era

The Middle Spoken Era is defined by the descent of the gods, who walk the realm alongside mortals during this period. The Middle Spoken Era is also the height of the Old Ones, a far more advanced culture who built the stone structures and settlements along the coast of the Siren Sea.
A giant sea swell and storm in the Siren Sea during the late Middle Spoken Era destroyed many Old Ones settlements on lower ground. Much of the knowledge about the Middle and Early Spoken Era comes from these Drowned Ruins, most famously the Chronicles.

• First domestication of grains and other plants, the start of agriculture.
• The Old Ones begin using logograms and carving the Chronicles.
• A destructive storm drowns the lower Old Ones settlements.
• The Walking Gods grant powers to their followers and favourites, creating the first thaumaturgists.
• Druids discover the Crossroads through Rootwork.

Late Spoken Era

The Late Spoken Era usually begins with the departure of the Gods.

The Old Ones

• The Old Ones create their Mirror-Gates, entering the Crossroads.
• The Old Ones create (or discover) Chthonic, the first alphabet.
• The last recorded sighting of an Old One is sometime around the unification of the Castellan Kingdoms.
• During the reign of High King Caspian, the more accessible Old Ones ruins and settlements are looted for valuables and fine marble. One of the expeditions uncovers the Chthonic alphabet. Most of the looters die to Curse of the Old Ones, the rest form the Order of Utterance

Castellan Kingdoms

• Nereida Castellan is blessed by the Twelve and ascends to become Castellan's avatar upon the realm.
• The Order of Two Words bend the knee to Nereida Castellan, and fall from grace, becoming the Blackguard.
• Nereida Castellan's army unify the petty kingdoms into the Castellan Kingdoms.
• Nereida becomes the first High Queen and reigns just shy of a century, she is preceded by her son Caspian Castellan.
• The Dwarves develop their own alphabet; see Dwarven Runes.

Spoken Era

Overview | Written Era ->

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Major Events

• World Dawn
• The Creation of All
• Ea becomes the World
• Ae creates the afterlife/linear time.
  
  
• Early Spoken Era
• The Alltongue splits into proto-human, proto-dwarven and proto-elven.
• Druids become the first mages
  
  
• Middle Spoken Era
• The Gods walk the realm
• The first Thaumaturges
• The first domesticated plants and animals.
• The Old Ones create the Chronicles
  
  
• Late Spoken Era
• The Old Ones disappear
• The Castellan Kingdoms are unified and Nereida Castellan becomes the first High Queen.
• The Dwarven script is created.

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Ea's Sacrifice

Falling Star by Witold Pruszkowski