The Second Epoch

from 5000 BCB to 1700 BCB

 

The Silent Age

The Second Epoch is also known as the Silent Age. It begins immediately after the Dark Year, about 5000 years before the founding of Briunida. The Silent Age lasted for approximately 3300 years, ending with The Upheaval and the Ash Winter, a global-scale geological catastrophe that wiped away whatever limited progress was made by the scattered tribes of the time.

The Second Epoch is characterized by a sudden explosion of biodiversity. The Second Epoch seems to have begun with the collapse of the Gnomic and Giant Civilizations, and seems to have given rise to many nomadic tribes of diverse species that were not known to have existed previously.

It is generally accepted that the first appearance of Dwarves, Halflings and Tuckers in Golanicja and Tulosz combined with the diminishment in stature of Gnomes during this period, suggests that these three species may have diverged suddenly from a common Gnomic ancestor. Also during this period, Giants seem to have gotten a lot larger, even as their Civilization seems to have been extinguished.

At nearly the same time, Humans and Elves first appear on several Continents, including Tulosz, Senecia, and western Ayodesh, as well as probably on Jumira. Some speculate that both species diverged from Merfolk. Lizari appear in Inik, Sekhu and Jumira. Further Avian, Khat, Rodian, Canis, Porcine and Tauran species seem to appear in scattered nomadic tribes on all continents. Ursan appear in Obersch, Golanicja, and Kashdush

Finally, Spriggan assert that it is in this period that the first of their species ‘uprooted’ themselves, and diverged from the Eoten, who became one with the forests and faded into the physical memory of the land.

The first thousand years or so of the Second Epoch seems to have been very quiet - hence the Silent Age - but even as populations expanded and various tribes of different species began to range over most of the world, progress remained slow. There is no evidence of any these emerging nomadic peoples attempting to re-occupy Forsaken ruins, and those cities continued to fade into dust. At best, some of the larger tribes seemed to have established annual migratory patterns that would lead them to return to the same areas year after year, but even the largest and most sophisticated of these would not properly be considered a village. At best, there is evidence to suggest a few semi-permanent structures may have been created, such as piles of rocks to create eddies in rivers for washing or bathing, or cave mouths with fire pits that may have been used as temples, shrines or gathering places.

No meaningful agriculture seems to have developed during the Silent Age, even among the species that seemed to thrive during the agricultural renaissance of the Third Epoch. The Porcine had sharps tusks, and rooted for food, Taurans migrated huge distances to browse and graze in different regions, and even Halflings seem to have limited their work to fishing and gathering.

There is some slight evidence to suggest that in the very last years before the Upheaval, tool use became more sophisticated. The Human and Canis species’ may have developed a mutually beneficial arrangement that made their hunting more sophisticated. Elves and Avians may have developed some form of musical notation that acted as an early form of writing.

It is believed that continuous population growth and constant seasonal migration over centuries may have led to the beginnings of simple trade between some of the different species. It is possible that only a few of hundred more years might have led to the establishment of cities, but the long, quiet march of progress that was the Silent Age came to a sudden end with The Upheaval.

The Upheaval

Approximately 2000 years before the founding of Briunida a massive geological event took place along the length of the Senecian Archipelago. This event seems to have included huge landmasses disappearing into the sea, and new land masses being formed by huge chucks of the sea floor being thrust upward. A massive chain reaction of volcanism followed that fused many smaller islands together and created many others. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and a worldwide ash storm led to a minor glaciation, and a winter that lasted about three hundred years.

The Ash Winter

The Ash Winter is a short period that lasted from The Upheaval, until the ash clouds and the minor glaciation they caused began to subside about three hundred years later. The Ash Winter had a devastating effect on many emerging societies around the world, potentially disrupting cultural development for several hundred years. Many smaller tribes died out completely, and many larger ones were forced to fight for scarce resources.

Curiously, the Ash Winter is known to have led to the emergence of several interspecies tribes that might have allowed for the continued existence of some species that otherwise would have been wiped out. Halflings and Taurans working together were able to range over larger distances that Halflings could have alone, and to find and gather more food than Taurans would have without Halfling help. Humans and Canis tribes banded together into more successful hunting groups that could more efficiently share a kill.

Additionally, scholars in the Enlightenment also speculate that the sudden development and massive expansion of agriculture that began in the Third Epoch would not have been as successful if not for the thick layer of ash that enriched soil around the world, and the increase in precipitation caused by the subsiding glaciation.

So while the Ash Winter took a heavy toll, it also laid the foundations for the Third Epoch, which would totally transform the world.