History of the world

The term history of the world refers to the recorded history of sapient species on Avbaroy, from the ancient Flying Landfish empires to the United Nations of today. Nevertheless, it is important to consider the evolutionary history from which civilisation as developed, and as such it will be included in this article.

The history of the hominid civilisation is commonly divided into five categories:
 * the Six Ages of Humankind, from 5,000 BC to the Great Cataclysm
 * the Dark Ages, between 0 BC and 0 AC, spanning 1267 years
 * the Post-Cataclysm Era, from the 1st century to 1526 AC
 * the Enlightened Times, from 1526 AC to the present

Evolutionary history of sapient hominids
The genus homo emerged approximately 2.4 million years ago, when the ancestors of today's humans started using stone tools. Dwarves (Homo madidus) diverged from Homo sapiens about 200,000 years ago, when anatomically modern humans first appeared, while elves (Homo cuspisauris) became a separate species only 70,000 years ago. In this period, sapient hominids lived in nomadic hunter-gatherer societies.

Elves and dwarves
The elven settlements quickly won through Laurasia and the unfrozen areas of Eustaria. The southern zone of Percillia remained untouched by the sapient hominids, ferociously guarded by the ancient Flying Landfish empires. After their retreat to parts unknown, some 10,000 years ago, elfkind was installed in virtually all of the unfrozen areas of the world.

Dwarves, after permanently settling in the Underdark in order to evade their predators, were a very social species and easily formed large "proto-empires" by uniting their disparate tribes. When they began to overpopulate their tunnels, they started to emerge from the Underdark and soon encountered the elves. The two species, unable to communicate, soon fought for control of Laurasia.

Homo sapiens, once the least advanced sapient hominid, began to emerge with the advent of the Agricultural Revolution, which lasted from 7,500 to 6,000 BC. Societies far more advanced than those of the dwarves and the elves began to develop, and with the founding of Eternus, in 5,000 BC, mankind started to reach its full potential.

Ages of Mankind
The history of mankind before the Great Cataclysm is separated into five periods and countless sub portions.

First Age
The First Age (also called the Unassic by the Flying Landfish and the United Nations of Avbaroy) is a broad term mainly used for a long period of cultural history centred on the Eternal Valley, where several city-states known as the Eternal Cities developed, flourished, warred and united.

This period is conventionally taken to begin with the creation of one of the first human civilisations, Eternus, around 5000 BC, composed of rival city-states separated by harsh terrain. It came to a close in 4112 BC, when Theodosius of Eternus united a large portion of human states under the Church of the Eternal, including all of the Eternal Cities. The following period would be known as the Second Age (or Biassic).

Many human civilisations were created during the First Age, but none are still around. Those that survived the Mage Wars were destroyed by the Great Cataclysm.

Second Age
The Second Age of human history (also called the Biassic) was a period in history that lasted roughly seven hundred years, characterised by the increasing dominance of humans and the widespread extinction of other sapient hominids, aided in part by Flying Landfish vengeful of them taking their world from them. Nearly all dwarf subspecies save two were wiped out, three-quarters of the Elves died, with only three groups remaining (Forest Elves, Drow and Moon Elves), the orcish population was pushed to only one tiny plain and gnomes and hobbits were driven to the brink of extinction with only a few thousand individuals remaining (accouting for their rarity in modern days).

In Eternus began the period known as the Age of Religion, as the government was permenantly fused with the Church. It and the Second Age ended in 3452 BC when the people of the Eternal Empire revolted against the Church, then headed by the corrupt Father Dorian. Worship of Valk then mysteriously vanished forever.

Third Age
The Third Age (also called the Tripassic) refers to the five hundred years between the fall of the Church of the Eternal and the discovery of magic. Not much is known from this time, save that Eternus became much less powerful and was nearly reduced to one city-state. Other civilisations gained power and built large empires, such as the Barnacs of Amasia, the Lockus of Eustaria and the Serfians of what is now modern-day Nossor. Eternus was then rebuilt by powerful kings and became more important, although it would never regain its previous splendor.

Fourth Age
The Fourth Age (also called the Quadrassic) is probably the most important period in this section of humanity, second to the Fifth Age. The Fourth Age is characterised by the sudden invention of Magic, a discovery that shaped the societies of this period. It gave rise to powerful magocraties, states controlled by the most powerful magicians. However, this was not entirely beneficial for civilisation, as it sprouted tyrants, despots and dictators that could very easily fulfil their wishes of power, magically transporting their armies, creating creatures that could turn the tables on a losing battle and ruling cruelly over their subjects without any fear of being overthrown. This gave way to increased societal chaos, paving the way for the Mage Wars, the most devastating conflict in all history.

The Mage Wars were a massive conflict between the 2 major magocracies of Avbaroy that led to the end of the Fourth Age. The wars lasted only six years, but the destruction was so complete and horrific, that nearly all memory of the wars were erased by the time of the main events of the Fifth Age. Many islands were destroyed, and even the gods themselves were horrifically slaughtered.

In a sense, the Mage Wars can be compared to a nuclear holocaust, with powerful spells in place of bombs. The battle even reached the Afterlife, were entire regions were annihilated. In the end, a decision was made by the greatest powers in the Afterlife to never allow such quantity of Incarnum be used for such a purpose.

Fifth Age
The Fifth Age (also called the Quinassic) was a period of significant development in the fields of technology, science and politics. It ended with the Great Cataclysm, an event that destroyed the Eternal Valley and completely changed the geography of Avbaroy.

Dark Ages
See also: The Great Cataclysm

The Dark Ages were a period that lasted between 0 BC and 0 AC, spanning 1267 years. Named "dark" because of the very few information history have about most of this period, it comprises the Reign of the Dragons, from 19 - 845 D.A., the Flying Landfish Interregnum, from 846 - 1031, and the Return of Man, from 1031 to the end of this period.

The Empire of Mann
Developing out of the earlier Kingdom of Mann, the empire represents the full-fledged return of hominid civilisation with the creation of a Great Cataclysm-based calendar, a new writing system, and a well-developed system of government.