Age Zero

With the giants exiled, and the Outsiders preoccupied with maintaining the Skein, the Azlan maedi are left the most powerful force in Vala. The mighty dwarven empire of Tir Urdun had been ravaged by Nyx, who was finally defeated on the Plains of Brax, very close to the dwarven capital of Talamon. With the dwarves exhausted and divided, Yekkat, lord of the elves, leads a sudden attack on Talamon and destroys Kanlin, ancestor of the dwarves. The dwarves are scattered and Talamon is seized by the Azlans, who rename the city Vathram. The gnolls are almost exterminated, many fleeing into lonely places, eventually diverging into the various canae tribes, whereas the gnolls themselves grow increasingly savage and feral as their father Ukhraj rages at the loss of his mother. The elves spread across the north, conquering human tribes and seeking out pieces of Asur. 
The fall of Nyx disturbs all the dragons, particularly her children. On the continent of Alba, Rasvin, mother of the orcs, descends into the Void to seek out the shade of her mother and attempt to redeem her. She finds Nyx has been fused to Beraz, part of the Beast. Rasvin tries to tear her mother free of the Beast but is slain. The shock of Rasvin's death echoes through Vala, and Ymogh, realm-dragon of winter, falls into a brooding sleep. The land begins to freeze, and the orc druids receive messages from the ‘Ghost Mother,’ the fallen Rasvin. She urges her children to flee the doomed continent, and the orcs therefore begin a great migration, pushing out of Alba and traveling across the Grey Sea to Heide. Other beings travel with the orcs, and the Great Passage causes much disruption and chaos. 
Meanwhile, the elves, searching the dragon vaults of Erebus, find the Hand of Asur, which the dwarves had been tapping for magical power. The dwarves are slain and the hand brought back to Vathram. The maedi sorcerer Yatavo convinces the Azlans to construct a great ‘Astral Gate’ which will bring the elves back to Anratha. Many humans are sacrificed to attune the gate. During this time, a human slave named Irud, said to be a son of Rukh descended from the skies, claims to receive a vision of Sol, who commands him to throw down the worshippers of the ‘Dead Sun.’ Irud gathers the enslaved northern tribes and a great rebellion ensues. The Azlans create a champion, Sivar, to hunt down and destroy Irud, but Sivar ultimately fails and Yekkat himself rouses himself to confront Irud. The lord of the Azlans is slain at Asphodel Fields and in desperation the elves, led by Queen Akhei-Bel, attempt a ritual that will eradicate all humans from Altea. Something goes wrong and the spell backfires, banishing or destroying most maedi. The last queen of the Azlans curses Irud, proclaiming that his kind shall rule Altea for five ages, but at the end the Beast shall consume all that Man had built. 
With the Maedi defeated, Irud becomes the first king of Aldan and with him begins the First Age, the Era of Man.
Category:History