Dawn of Humanity

The First Age of Man began roughly 6,700 years ago, shortly after humanity’s creation. The Elder Races were still dominant at the start of the First Age, but their role would diminish over time as mankind expanded and matured. As with earlier ages, the timeframe here is not accurate and years given are estimates. The First Age of Man is believed to have lasted about 4,000 years.

Tribal Migration Begins
c. 6000 BAR

About 6,700 years ago, humanity outgrew its birthplace. Various tribes, divided by different ideals and philosophies, began to migrate to other lands. Most traveled in various directions to the rest of Ryh’ardha. There were nine major tribes at the time – five became the basis for the modern cultures of the Varghani, the Marrshites, the Hassites, the Khazrani, and the Skalnir. Of the remainder, one traveled far to the southwest, beyond the desert, another to the lands west of the desert, and yet another built boats and sailed east, across the horizon. Little is known of the fate of the first two; nothing is known of the last.

The ninth tribe that remained was quite different from the others, for they were the Magicians: humans instructed in the use of sorcery. It had been the intention of the Nepharim for all humans to learn magic, but their time was limited due to the Shadrathu curse and the time it took them to create a suitable vessel for their powers; they counted on those they taught to in turn teach their brethren. However, the Magicians greedily kept their knowledge of magic secret.

Tarrasque Ravages Azakaal
c. 5500 BAR

Though it had diminished over time, the reptilian Azakaal Empire still remained over 4,000 years since its inception. However, around 5500 BAR, the remnants of the empire – from the southern Varghani Desert to the Sidra Peaks – were ravaged by the dreaded Tarrasque. The Viss’takh and Sith’aal were unable to kill the creature but they eventually managed to drive it out of the empire. However, the substantial losses suffered by the reptilians gutted their army. In only a handful of years, outside invaders coupled with uncontrollable slave revolts ended up bringing down the empire.

Second Devastating Dragonflight
c. 4500 BAR

Around 4500 BAR, the dragons of Ryh’ardha ranged across the continent sowing destruction in their wake. This event mirrored that which happened millenia ago during the Age of the Elder Races. As before, the cause was unknown but the damage was quite extensive. Sylvari sages pondered whether this event would be a regular occurence and began to make contingency plans for the future to minimize the damage it might cause.

Fall of the Ari Sky Cities
c. 4000 BAR

Ever since their creation, human Magicians had been refining their knowledge of magic. This involved a great deal of experimentation which ended in failure the majority of the time. Fortunately, most of the time these failures were relatively harmless. One that occured in 4000 BAR, however, was quite cataclysmic – it resulted in the fall of the sky-cities of the Ari.

Most of the cities were destroyed when they crashed into the earth, but a few survived fairly intact. The Ari were avian, but not enough to survive on their own among the clouds, and thus became earthbound, clustered around the surviving cities. The Ari who fell to Ryh’ardha became the Sylvari, while the Ari that landed on Az’gotha become the Quanyari.

Disappearance of the Runir
c. 3500 BAR

Three and a half centuries before the start of the Ambian calendar, the dwarven Runir unexplainably disappeared from Mythosa. It was believed that some external threat caused the Runir to abandon their subterranean homes and migrate elsewhere. Shortly after their disappearance, the first encounters with the duergar (“grey dwarves”) took place. Many believed the events were connected but the truth would not be known for over four millenia.

Sylvari/Drakari War
c. 2500 BAR

Civil war tore the elves asunder in 2500 BAR. Large numbers of Sylvari were seduced by the promises of dark powers and turned from the principles that had guided their people for countless ages. The war was long and bloody with many elves slain on both sides of the conflict. Eventually, the Sylvari were victorious and their evil counterparts, now known as the Drakari, fled to the Underworld.

Magicians Build the City of Aan
c. 2000 BAR

Due to their command of magic, the Magicians were able to advance in a number of fields much more quickly the other human tribes. In 2000 BAR, while most of their fellows were still hunter-gatherers, the Magicians built Aan, the first great human city. It was an architectural marvel (unrivalled to this day), and stood for years as the de facto “capital” of magic.

Despite the wonder it was, Aan was virtually abandoned when the sorcerer-kings split into various factions. Its original location has been lost, though it is believed that any maps or records detailing where Aan was located were intentionally destroyed during the Second Age.