Age of the Elder Races

Thousands of years before humanity walked the earth Mythosa was ruled by the Elder Races. The Elder Races included the Root Races, people descended from them, and other races whose origins are unknown. The Age of the Elder Races was a time of reptilian empires, divine meddling, and ancient mysteries. Listed below are some of the better known events from this age, though they certainly are not the only significant things to happen. The order of the events given is believed to be accurate, but any measure of time is a guess at best. It is estimated that this age lasted about 5,000 years.

Construction of the Runegates
At some point during the Age of the Elder Races, the engimatic runegates were built. It is unknown who constructed them; the Root Races were not responsible, nor do they have record of who was. Whether they were actually used or not is another question. The runegates have survived the centuries and continue to remain a mystery.

Azakaal Empire
During this age the Azakaal Empire was established. The empire was ruled by the Viss’takh and the Sith’aal as warrior and the religous classes, respectively. The worker class consisted of other races enslaved by the reptilians. The empire encompassed the regions south of the Ambian Sea, much of the Varghani Desert, and the southern half of what is now known as the Emerald Coast. While there were other kingdoms during this age, the Azakaal Empire was the largest and longest lasting.

Massive Dragonflight Ravages Ryh’ardha
In the early half of the age the continent was ravaged by flights of thousands of dragons across the continent: white dragons in the north, blue dragons in the west, red dragons in the south, black dragons in the east, and green dragons in the center. The dragons ran amok across Ryh’ardha, reaping destruction and death in their wake. The cause of this behavior remains unknown, though it is speculated that draconic physiology periodically triggers destructive behavior in these creatures.

Larger kingdoms weathered this storm of dragons, but smaller ones did not fare so well. Many ancient ruins that resulted from this destruction may still be found today.

Second Divine Council
Throughout the elder years, all manner of new creations came to Mythosa: animals and monsters on land and sea, various plants and trees, even some new sentient races. Most of these were the results of experiments and meddling of various Myraphum. As a result, a number of the Myraphum believed that the laws of the original Divine Council needed to be revisited and strengthened. Most of the Myraphum of Elysia, Nexia, and Maledicium returned to Mydira for a new council where they agreed to strengthen the rules. Many Myraphum merged into single essences to have the power to enforce the will of the council; from this came the nine deities that people know today. Also, Dynera agreed to manifest itself in the material world to safeguard it from further interference.

Most of the remaining Myraphum swore their alliegance to one of the new deities; they became known as lesser gods. Those who did not were either destroyed or fled to places unknown.

The Nepharim and Shadrathu Return
Years after fleeing the destruction of Panthea, the Nepharim returned to Mythosa. They did not return alone – the Shadrathu had followed them. The Nepharim were unable to prevent the Shadrathu from coming into Mythosa with them, though they did manage to destroy two and imprison the rest. Unfortunately, just before they were bound, the Shadrathu unleashed a terrible curse of degeneration on the Nepharim. To prevent their knowledge and magical abilities from being lost forever, the Nepharim sought to pass them on to one of Mythosa’s indigenous races. Regrettably, these races were unable to fully grasp what the Nepharim tried to teach them. Thus began the Nepharim’s experimentation to create a new race to carry their legacy before they were destroyed by the Shadrathu’s curse.

Nepharim Create Humanity
The Nepharim tried for centuries to create a race that was capable of handling the powers they wished to preserve. Many of their failed experiments still inhabit the world today. However, after 800 years, the Nepharim finally created a race that was worthy to inherit their skills – humanity. Satisfied that their knowledge would live on, the Nepharim forever disappeared from the annals of history.