Timeline and Major Events

-398: Beginning of the Mage Wars
-194: Start of the Great Mage War
-117: Conclusion of the Great Mage War. Beginning of the Desolation.
0: End of the Desolation. Re-emergence of magic. New beginning of Civilization.
481: Last time a regnal line looked to be nearing an end without an heir
482: Beginning of the Ebonstone Dynasty
1281: Start of the adventure

Nearly 1700 years ago, the world was filled with people, a dense population spreading over the entirety of Belmoor. It was an era of high magic, with nearly every person having some access to magic. Most civilized areas had mage towers and there was an active teleportation network all over the world. Today, in the Megacities, remnants of the teleportation circles can still be found.

Then came the rise of the Magelords. Incredibly powerful arcane spellcasters, these men and women wrought control over nations. Their feuds were violent, and devastating to those around them. They so badly abused the magical power of the world to fuel their battle arcanum that the leylines were forever weakened. At the height of their power, they managed to subjugate even the most ancient of dragons to use as flying mounts in their combat. Soaring high over their armies, they would lash out with magic and draconic force to lay waste to their enemies.

These wars lasted for almost 200 years, off and on. The Magelords would claim and lose land in turbulent arcane duels. Then came the Great Mage War. Lasting for over 50 years on its own, the four remaining Magelords each sought to eliminate the others, gaining total control over the land for themselves. Their battles leveled entire cities and broke nations. It was in the final battle, when the four of them met in one location, that the world was forever changed. A freak twist of arcane power interactions flared as they slung spell after spell after one another. It shattered the land, creating what is now known as the Wyrmfall Deeps. Unfortunately, this fracture interrupted the powerful leylines pouring out from that place, the heart of the world's arcane power. It flared and left a void, bereft of all magical power. The dragons, stripped of the magic that flowed through their veins found themselves unable to stay aloft. Plummeting to the ground, their bodies hit the waters below, shattering their draconic forms. As the Magelords sank beneath the waves, unable to save themselves without their magic, the dark days of the Desolation fell upon the world.

When the Great Mage War ended, the world of Belmoor was cast into a dark age that hadn't been seen in millennia. Magic was gone from the world in all but the most remote of locations. The few people that survived with magical ability were executed to prevent another resurgence of the Magelords.

This dark age lasted for almost 120 years, a period known as the Desolation. When the magical powers began to reknit, and leylines began to reform, civilizations sprang up from the wreckage. They formed the Megacities and carefully guarded magical knowledge for hundreds of years.