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General History of Arcadia

Before the Cataclysm

Only scholars know much about the history of Arcadia before the cataclysm. There was a great human Empire called Manoria but about it little is known. However, some stories and Mythology persist. The gods were travelers who came to Arcadia long ago and found it to be a place of great beauty and life. Animals and plants were here always, but the gods created the sentient folk.

Elves came first, and were created in the image of the gods in the universe: Elves were eternal like the gods, and were cautious explorers. They studied the world but did not give it shape. Dwarves came next, and were created in the image of the gods in Arcadia. Dwarves were studious masters of craft; creators of much that was useful and beautiful. Humankind, it is said, were not created but called. Like the gods, they were travelers and came to Arcadia to fulfill a great purpose. It is not said what that great purpose was, and there are many interpretations of this myth. A dark god who desired servants created the barely sentient Saurians.

The Cataclysm

The Cataclysm was a catastrophic event that occurred several centuries ago causing massive seismic damage and changing the world in many ways - even changing the length of the year. Historians speak of a "heavenly wanderer" colliding with the world and pushing it closer to the sun. There are many different stories which people tell to explain the cataclysm. Some say that Elves saw the wanderer in the heavens and said nothing. Others say that Elves called the wanderer to Arcadia and caused the cataclysm. Still others say that the cataclysm was a result of a deal made by the gods, the "corrupt bargain" and that Augustus allowed the cataclysm in exchange for a more ordered world -- after the cataclysm there are no seasons, the day is of fixed length, and the year is a perfect 360 days long. The modern calendar counts years from the year of the cataclysm (y.c.) but the exact date is not known.

After the Cataclysm

The changes in climate and geography had the effect of driving many people to the North, and forced many distinct cultures to interact. Elves, a nautical people previously aloof from humankind found the world remade with only a single sea surrounded by land. The Dwarves found themselves less isolated, and have over the centuries grown wealthy through trade. Three culturally diverse groups of humans were driven together beside the coastline of the Central Sea: Southrons , who migrated North after the Cataclysm, Northrons, who were not forced to move to new lands, and Marchers, who came from the far West. In modern terms, the Southron folk now make up the lands of the Coastal Kingdoms, the Northron folk have come together in the vast Empire of Meldania, and the Marcher folk are found in the Republic of the March.