First Age

The First Age followed after the Age of Myth, and is largely considered the beginning of recorded history. The First Age began with the birth of the Divine, and is marked by the rise and fall of elven civilization. The First Age ended on its 3321st year with the Magical Collapse, and was followed by the Second Age.

Early First Age
The First Age began with the birth of the Divines, who created the civilized races, imprisoned the Prime Elementals and the Dragon Gods, and greatly weakened the force of their servants to allow their own children to spread across the world safely.

Many of the mortal civilizations that existed during the Age of Myth were already brought to ruin by the rampaging dragons and elementals, leaving a vacuum of power for the civilized races to take over.

The elves in particular found themselves at an advantage, as magic was far more potent during this time, and a the intelligent elves were able to begin spreading across the Surface World.

Middle First Age
Much of the history of the First Age during this time is lost, but elven myths and surviving records paint an impressive picture of elven civilization at this time. The elven kings of this time claimed only what territory was needed for their people, and generally kept good relations with their neighbouring kingdoms.

Great cities were built using magic, that would dwarf even Grand Nova in their splendour, and the use of advanced magic meant disease and famine were almost unheard of.

The fate of other civilized races during this period was, unfortunately, not as flowery. Many began to see the elves as godlike beings, and unfortunately, quite a few of them took this superior attitude to heart. It was not uncommon for humans, halflings and gnomes to be enslaved by the elves, and treated little better than cattle. Only dwarves, little more than disparate mountain clans at the time, tended to be disillusioned by the might of the elves and rarely let themselves be subjugated.

Using magical mirrors and portals, distant elven kingdoms were able to communicate with one another, allowing the elves to maintain a singular culture, despite never being united under a single banner.

The art of magic was also kept from these "inferior" races, and so they could do little to reap the benefits of the great power running through the world at the time for themselves. It sometimes went so far that when an elven king heard of a non-elven shaman practicing simple magic in the wilds, he would have his soldiers brutally hunt down and murder anyone in the tribe, so as to stop the knowledge from spreading.

Late First Age
In the late First Age, conflicts between the elven kingdoms became more and more frequent, and a cultural divide was beginning to form. Firstly, some elves began to protest against the treatment of non-elves, while the more conservative and brutal began to follow the teachings of Phane under Queen Phreonda of Akaz'Anil, arguing that it was the elves birthright to dominate the other races. These elves would become the ancestors of modern drow.

Others argued against the splendor and vanity of the elven kings, and began to pursue a more simple lifestyle in the wilds. These elves would become the ancestors of wood elves.

This eventually led to a war between the three factions, which was ended by the Magical Collapse. No one truly knows what started the calamity, but the result was the dilution of magic in the Surface World, and the collapse of elven civilization.