The humans own prolific nature brought increasing conflict as their competition for the world’s finite land and resources became increasingly fierce. Historians generally agree that this age officially began with the Tanious War, an initially small but rapidly escalating conflict between many kingdoms. Though the war lasted for years and claimed many lives, it was but the first act in what would become an era of tragedy. As the Age of Shadows progressed, calamity upon calamity rocked TerVarus, decimating the human population. The tragedy of the age reaches new heights with the sudden appearance of endless legions of a previously unknown species – the raknar. Humankind had no choice but to put their differences aside and band together to fight this onslaught or face certain extinction. Though successful in defeating the raknar, millions of lives were lost and much of what had been achieved in the previous age was destroyed.
7418
The Dark War marks the turning of the age. What begins as a small
dispute of territory between the kingdoms of Tanious and Falonore
quickly escalates to a war with sides being chosen all across TerVarus.
The resentment that’s generated by the war remains a telling feature of
the rest of the age, and eggs on many of the later conflicts.
7440
Several groups of organized crime pop up. Though they are all run
separately, they all seem to work under one banner: The Silent.
7442
Famine sweeps across TerVarus killing many and weakening the power of
most kingdoms. Mobs of the starving roam less strictly-policed areas,
pillaging what little food is available.
7443
A small band of self-proclaimed knights led by the seasoned warrior Merr
Kavesh form the Champions of the Shield with the sole purpose of
protecting the weak and vulnerable.
7488
The merchant Garnek disappears, and with him vanishes his belt, a rumored item of great magical power.
7507
An adventuring group finds an unhatched dragon egg—the first ever to be
found. They are sought after by nearly every kingdom and go into hiding
but are found and slain. The egg is not found with the adventurer’s
bodies.
7526
The tale of the Ghost of the Pickthorn Wood begins to circulate. Though
unsubstantiated, common wisdom holds that the woman who became the ghost
ventured into the forest one night in an attempt to follow her fiancee
to a neighboring town, became lost, and met her end somewhere in its
darkened depths.
7589
Rath Koranth, a high standing diplomat of the Highgrove region, and his
wife Lania are assassinated. The locals believe it to be the work of a
nearby warring settlement.
7648
A group of miners accidentally uncover, and ignite, what is estimated to
be the largest gas pocket in history while mining under the Grizzleback
region. The gas pocket is so large and the explosion so massive, it
creates a crater some 200 meters across.
7717
The jungle volcano Iruuqu erupts, devastating the region and killing nearly everyone within.
7761
Massive flooding in Shadowmoor displaces the inhabitants to the surrounding areas
7836
A series of minor earthquakes are felt in the regions near Blisterfoot Desert.
7864
Hordes of Raknar, a species previously unheard of in TerVarus, suddenly
erupt from an underground hive in Blisterfoot Desert. They first strike
against the kingdom of Sandsun in the same region, killing all
inhabitants with their furious attacks. Then they begin to sweep across
TerVarus, causing widespread destruction and mayhem. Only scattered
resistance is offered at first due mostly to all the infighting the
humans have endured. Faced with a choice between unity or destruction,
they begin to come together to fight for what seems to be their very
survival.
7865
A second hive is discovered under Sehdegere Steppes.
7867
The humans eradicate the raknar under Blisterfoot Desert and collapse their hive but at the cost of thousands of lives.
7869
Humans assault and destroy the hive under Sehdegere Steppes. During the
battle the body of a dead soldier is found that was thought to have been
killed during the battle under Blisterfoot Desert.
7871
A mega-hive is discovered under Thornvine. Humans from all corners of
TerVarus rally and descend into its depths for a final battle that many
predict will determine their fate as a species. The battle pitches back
and forth for days but the raknar eventually gain the upper-hand and
force the humans into an all-out retreat. To stop the genocide of his
species, Salinn Otias, a mage of great renown, casts a spell that
collapses the caverns entombing the remaining raknar and an estimated
one thousand humans.