Archaeori

The Archaeori were a mythical race of humans that inhabited Wendos prior to the Age of Fire. Legend has it was the Archaeori that built the ancient cities of Tor, Hask, Vun and Thel. Little is known about the Archaeori, as almost no records of their existence have survived the ages. What little information exists comes from elvish oral tradition and various art works found in the free cities. 
== History ==
Almost no evidence of the Archaeori remains in Palurin. The most widely accepted sources come from the elvish histories of Wendos, which are of dubious value themselves. The Archaeori did have a written language, but almost none of their writings remain. 
=== Elvish Tradition ===
The elves of the Wendosi heartland tell of a human-like civilisation that built great cities throughout the continent. These stories do not go into great detail about the humans themselves, but rather are tales of interactions between the peoples. It is believed that these humans were peaceful, as very few of these legends talk of war. 
=== Art History ===
Most of the known culture of the Archaeori has been been gleamed from the great art works that survived in the free cities. Each of the cities contained great frescoes and murals that depicted various aspects of daily life as well as images of great leaders and other notable events. 
=== The Age of Fire ===
During the cataclysm of the Age of Fire, the Archaeori were almost completely wiped out. According to the Toric Tablets, the Archaeori predicted the disaster and had a choice before them. They had the power to either save the lives of their people, or to preserve all that they had built. The great leaders gathered together and decided that their culture was more important than their lives and so used their magic to ensure the great cities survived. The irony was that, although their books and scrolls survived, none lived that could read them. When the the cities were discovered millennia later, the humans had no idea what these strange artefacts were and burnt almost all the records for kindling. The only books that survived were the magic books in the vaults of Tor. These became the basis for all studied magic in the human world. 
=== The Rothelians ===
A small group of the Archaeori survived the Age of Fire. They took refuge in the caves surrounding Thel, survivng the great fire storms of the age. After the dragons were defeated, they left the mountains and reinhabited the city of Thel, eventually spreading out and forming the Rothelian Empire.
Although the Rothelians retained the language of the Archaeori, they lost the ability to read and so were unable to translate the records found in Thel.