The Age of the Verdant Breath

The Age of the Verdant Breath, denoted as VB, was a period in the history of Flauria when the world’s life was first introduced by the gods using the Vault of Hope, and it flourished. It was a time, generally speaking, of peace and prosperity, where many nations and civilizations rose. Advancements in knowledge followed, with magic and invention leading to the majority of the world’s population having a fairly decent standard of living.

Lasting nearly four thousand years, the age of the Verdant Breath ended in flames and ruin, with an event that would come to be known as the Shattering. The Primordial goddess, Kadarsis, had struck secret pacts with demons and devils alike, an irrevocable event known as the Treason of Sorrows. Kadarsis learned how to open small rifts to their planes. Letting them through slowly at first, eventually Flauria had been corrupted enough to fuel their power on the material plane and the devils shattered their rift's boundaries, pouring through. The demons, eternal rivals of the devils convinced the now corrupted yuan-ti of several regions to expand their rifts as well. Thus began the Shatterblight Wars.

Timeline
-0 VB

A group of demigods from across the cosmos arrive at Flauria, allying themselves with ancient Primordial beings. A deal had been struck between these Primordials and more powerful deities from the far away world, which allowed the demigods to come bringing the seeds of life with them.

-2 VB

The gods of Flauria, now consisting of both Migrant deities and Primordial deities, begin creating life using the Vault of Hope. The first races to be created were the dragons, elves, dwarves, and humans. These races begin building a massive capital city, Corathelia, branching out from the massive structure towering up into the sky known as the Cradle of Hope. These first races also begin to assist the gods in creating further sentient races, as well as all manner of beasts. As more races and species are created, the city expands and the world eventually begins to become filled as climates and locations are populated with compatible life.

-827 VB

The population of Flauria is complete and the gods leave the care of the world in the hands of the mortal races, retreating to the realms they created with the elevated power imbued by their new followers.

-1572 VB

Brythymmiir founds the Arcanoctrum.

-2294 VB

With a soaring population now worshiping them, many of the gods have grown in power. This leads to the seeds of jealously taking hold in some of the lesser gods, who assumed aspects that attracted less worship.

-3665 VB

One of the Primordial gods, Kadarsis, who had taken on the aspect of darkness and loss, pressed her sorrow against the very fabric of reality and breached into another plane, one mirroring Flauria in a dark, twisted farce. Here she made contact with something of an emissary, and two dark pacts were formed, one with demons and one with devils. In exchange for a promise of power for her, and the other lesser gods, the emissary brought two pacts, each involving her aid in opening the way for the fiends corruption to begin seeping into Flauria.

-3792 VB

After over a century of trial and error, all in secret from the other gods, Kadarsis finally finds the means to open small, sustained rifts into other planes, letting evil flow into Flauria, and its forces begin slowly corrupting it.

-4121 VB

Having found a foothold in the world, corrupting it from the shadows, the armies of the devils break through and invade followed closely by the demons, each begin their separate assaults, fighting each other as much as the Flaurians. The chromatic dragons, having heard corrupting whispers about their lineage for the past few centuries, strike as well in the mass chaos. This is even becomes known as the Shattering.

-4122 VB

Many lives are lost in the initial months, as the chaos confuses a world that enjoyed four thousand years of relative peace. Finally some form of organization emerges and the Flaurian races begin fighting back. The Shatterblight Wars begin.

-4139 VB - 0 BP

While the various city and regional armies slowed the destruction wrought by the three fronts, it was not enough to gain ground. The uncorrupted mortal races realized they must unite, forging the Burning Pact between themselves, the uncorrupted dragons, and seelie fey. Together they begin to drive back the three forces, slaying archdemons, and archdevils, as well as many dragons in the process.