The Second Age (452 - 1028) - The Age of Cogs

In the Second Age, the Empire was at one of its territorial peaks, but over time, the rise of Dwarven influence first strengthened the Empire, then brought it low. Dwarves helped rebuild the ruined cities, starting with Axis, and within two centuries, the Empire was bustling again. The Princess of Cogs and Wheels became the Lady of Forge, controlling it in vassalage to the Dwarf King. She created the Wonder Engines, which could do the work of hundreds or thousands and produce goods cheaply and efficiently... so long as the needed rare metals and fuels kept coming from Underhome, the land of the Dwarves. She did this so she could continue her experiments, which could not go on without his aid.

The Empire grew a great taste for the gadgetry of the Dwarves! This leads humans to the fledgling awkward steps of industrialization, tho hindered by superstition, demonic sabotoge and a somewhat litigous trigger finger from the Dwarves. These engines transformed the Empire, making it a land of automatons and mechanized production; some found work tending the Wonder Engines, while others were freed up for further education and a variety of service jobs, including magical ones. But not everyone could adapt and some people fled the Empire to try to carve out new homes in the wilderness. Some succeeded, but many were enslaved by humanoids or monsters or got eaten. But people are stubborn and they endured.

Dwarven aid also created the Imperial road network, replacing older roads built by the Wizard King which now were crumbling and in some cases led to cities which no longer existed, or dangerous places like the ruins of Karzig, which were ringed by warning monuments. The great roadway system connected the capital to major strategic and economic locations, greatly speeding up travel by wagon and other transport automata. boosting their military mobility and their economy.

However, competition in the Underdark for rare materials ignited a war between the Shadow Elves and the Dwarves; The Dark Elves tried to wipe out the whole royal family. Instead, they just enraged the Dwarves, though they did kill two kids and the Dwarf King. But his eldest son simply took over and was kind of sloppy about the whole 'there are different kinds of Elves' thing. It went badly for the Shadow Elves, who couldn't get the other Elves to aid them and after their defeat, many laws were aimed at them by the Empire, if often not well enforced, like the laws which required that Elves could go no deeper than twenty feet underground. The Dwarves denied all responsibility but it was clear they were behind some of them if not all.

The Prince of Shadows was almost certainly active as an Icon for decades before his biggest, splashiest exploits. Or maybe he just took credit for them. He stole an opal from the Elf-Queen's Crown the very night she signed the treaty ending the war with the dwarves. He stole a cog from the braincase of the Princess of Cogs and Gears. His biggest con was acquiring, quite legally, absolute title to his oldest and greatest demesne; Shadow Port.

The Imperial Revenue Service had been crippled by its corruption processes. The Empire relied largely on income from its estates and from an automata tax. The Empire was fat with wealth, which made it vulnerable to crime. Dwarven wealth poured into the empire and the rise of the Wonder Engines and automata generated vast wealth. Crime fed hungrily upon this wealth; in 611 IY, many gangs united into the Thieves' Guild. In their greatest haul, they stole a scale from the Great Gold Wyrm, and simultaneously sold it to the Black, the Green, the Blue, and the Red. When the Four found out about this, none of them would refuse, as a point of pride, to relinquish their claim on it. The Thieves Guild then ransomed it back to the Great Gold Wyrm... but even to this day, one of the chromatic dragons can claim one of his scales, if only they can get all their brothers to quit their claims to it.

The Assassins' Guild was created in 688 to put an end to rival assassination groups. The Dwarf King hired them to eliminate the Prince of Shadows, who causing the Dwarf King endless trouble. They sent their best man, who succeeded in slaying the Prince of Shadows. Unfortunately, he then inherited the job of Prince of Shadows. This is why the Dwarves rarely bother to hire the Guild any more, feeling that while the letter of the contract had been met, its spirit had been broken.

The second age is considered the lowest age of Wizard history. The fall of the Wizard King had begun this decline and many wizards had died with him or been burned as Witches in the First Age or died in other ways. When the First Age ended in fire, one of the reasons the Empire survived at all was the wizards hurriedly performing joint rituals to shield what they could. This saved many cities and towns and also killed a lot of powerful wizards. So the wizards enter the second age diminished, few in number, and with poor leadership. Wizards do not sing of their own suffering because they tend to be too proud for this, but the phrase, "This is a real Second Age" is common in magical circles to describe a bad situation. The wizards, fearing their utter destruction, built a monastery out in Grey Harbor to house knowledge, and opened a calm sea corridor to and from it. None living now know how this was done. The other wonder lost was the spell of Greater Wish. It is said it was wished out of function and existance, but that may just be a story.

Despite victory over the Shadow Elves, the dwarves had under-estimated the cost of supporting the empire, and their demand for more dwarven support strained the relationship. the dwarves also felt threatened by how well the empire had managed to adapt some of their technology and feared encroachment on their technological advantages. and since those technological advances relied heavily on mined materials, they saw down the line if this kept up, the humans would become too covetous of their resources as well. a xenophobic Dwarves First mentality took root amongst the ruling parties that didn't destory the alliance, but put it under severe strain. Make Dwarves Great Again.

Icon Notes

General Lead: When the Imperial government is weak and the Emperors do not do their job, since the Second Age, General Lead has somehow returned from the grave to lead angry peasants to do what the government will not. Clad in platemail made of lead, he organized mobs of peasants into a crude army which stopped the Automata Rampage that ended the Second Age. He has appeared in other ages as well, always championing the defense of the common folk against oppression. He arms his followers with lead weapons which resist magic and he can never be scryed because of his armor. He may be a weird kind of Icon, but no one is sure.
The Green Bandit: The Green Bandit was a celebrated heroine of this age, robbing from the wealthy and giving to the poor. Most accounts describe her as a half-elf; others say that she was a full wood-elf, or some sort of fey, or even the Elf Queen in disguise. Her secret woodland hideout was somewhere near Old Town, and to this day she is celebrated in the folk-tales of halflings and gnomes.
The Great Gold Wyrm: The war fought by the Great Gold Wyrm and his paladins against a foe in the southlands is one of the great mysteries of Imperial history. The Golden Order either swore never to speak of it, or somehow lost the ability to tell the tale. Any records of the conflict have been lost to time and the destruction of the Golden Citadel. Sometimes, though, the shifting winds of the Red Wastes expose strange mummified insect-husks buried in the sands. Occasionally they clasp the symbol of a lost icon that historians refer to as the Scarab Master. Some of these corpses are bigger than dragons, and their age-old carapaces still bear the burn marks of dragonfire.
The Princess of Cogs and Wheels: The Princess of Cogs and Wheels was the viceroy of Forge in this age. As the Dwarf King, her nominal superior, still dwelt far away in deep Underhome, the ruthless and manipulative Princess was the effective ruler of the dwarves in the surface lands. She delighted in cunning machines and subtle sorcery of all kinds, favoring one human lord or merchant prince over another to further some long-planned scheme. To her credit, her schemes weren’t usually contrary to the interests of the Empire and its humans. She was a stalwart ally of the Emperor, and often advocated for humans and even half-elves in the court of the Dwarf King. Her murder in 1000 IY by a wizard marked the beginning of the collapse of the age.
The Prince of Shadows: The first and second Prince of Shadows lived in this age; the second slew the first and took his place.

Emperors of Note

All Second Age Emperors had some kind of nickname; sometimes this was applied posthumously.

Andreas II Rebuilder (456 - 486): The son of Christopher I Demonhammer, he inherited an empire which was in bad shape. Much of it had been laid waste; he approached the Dwarves and Elves for help; the Elves sent a little help but the Dwarves sent many craftsmen; by the end of his reign, all the Imperial Cities were at least a little bit functional, though much rebuilding remained to be done.
Christopher III Goblinhammer (488- 513): The grandson of Andreas II; his father, Christopher II Short-Lived, had been slain by the beginning of a series of waves of invasions by humanoids. Aided by the Dwarves, he defeated the biggest army at Forge in 503, ending the invasions.
Andreas V Highflyer(628-683): A long lived, vigorous Emperor who sent a series of expeditions into the Overworld and was fascinated by skyships. Unfortunately, this wasted the savings of his predecessors to little gain and the Empire became more dependent on gnomish and dwarven financiers.
Andreas VI Greedyhands (683-701): He has long been a watchword for greed, but to be fair, he was trying to repair the damage his father did to the Imperial Treasury. He revived ancient taxes, but his efforts to enforce them led to his horrible death in the Tax Riots of 701.
Gretel III Gentlehands (789-833): After decades of floundering, she put the Imperial fiances on steady ground by taking the treasures her father had acquired by adventuring (everyone had assumed one of his eight older brothers would inherit) and acquiring automata to work the Imperial estates instead of renting them out. This led to a huge increase in Imperial revenues, enabling her to establish a network of free hospitals for the poor and to strengthen central authority.
Jürgen III the Ill-Fated (988 - 1028): He was lazy and useless, but in his reign, the Wonder Engines went berserk and he blamed the Dwarves; they blamed him and the Empire was torn by riots and rampaging automata. His death marks the end of the Second Age; some boys were playing a ball game; a stray throw hit him in the forehead and he toppled from his balcony to his death. Most assume this an accident but the Imperial Guard had all the boys arrested, drawn, and quartered for regicide. He had outlived all his sons and the Imperial line now jumped to his cousin, Antonio I.

Automata of Note

Brightface the Golden: A humaniform golden automata who was a diplomat and magically adept in every language, even those of ants and honeybees. He was the constant companion of Princess Leah, daughter of Gretel III Gentlehands. He was notable for being extremely skilled at panicking at the slightest provocation.
General Lead: He may be an automata, ironically, though most people dismiss this.
Hacker: Hacker was in theory an automaton whose job it was to tend the Wonder Engines and adjust them as needed; this line of automatons were known as 'Minders'. Hacker, however, went mad for reasons unknown and would randomly murder people, generally by luring them into position to fall into the Wonder Engines and be consumed. He escaped an effort to destroy him and became part of a pirate crew. He is assumed dead, but some people claim he came to serve the Prince of Shadows and yet lives. Let's hope not. Hacker is known to have turned one of his repair tools into something like a Wand of Lightning. Only, he could use it over and over.
The Iron Legion: A series of invasions by sea monsters in the 900s led Emperor Andreas XI Sea-Smiter (924-62) to create the Iron Legion. By this point, the Dwarves were growing reluctant to further strengthen the Empire and the Iron Legion were notorious for being dumber than a bag of bricks. However, if competently lead, they could handle the weaker sea monsters. When the Princess of Cogs and Gears died, they went on a killing spree which destroyed the city of East Haven, located near modern Newport. They were defeated, but at the cost of crippling the XI and XIII legions in 1009 IY.
Self-Driving Wagons: These vehicles could drive themselves. They were popular with merchants, but the Teamsters' Union hated them; this triggered the Wagon Riots (888 IY). Afterwards, all SDW had to be 'monitored' by a Teamster. This turned the Teamsters into a very wealthy guild, resented by many for getting money for nothing. However, when the Princess of Cogs and Gears was murdered in 1000 IY, the Teamsters Guild was slaughtered by their own wagons and their leader, James of Hoffburg mysteriously vanished.

How Did The Age End?

The Wonder Engines were not autonomous creations. That was kinda-sorta a lie. The Wonder Engines were dependent upon the central gearshaft heartcore of the Princess of Cogs and Gears; it was her iconic power that kept them going. Right up until a wizard killed her and ripped it out of her. And they all went SUPER NUTS.

Automatons rampaged, engines created automatons which laid waste to areas trying to collect raw materials for the wonder engines, and humans and dwarves blamed each other for the whole affair.

The reign of Jürgen III the Ill-Fated (988 - 1028) became an abject catastrophe; he was lazy and weak and flailed helpless; the Imperial estates were overly dependent on automata and the Empire went broke. It was not he, but others, who brought down the out of control Wonder Engines, though many just ran out of their exotic materials and stopped working. Angry peasant mobs known as 'Leadites' from their use of lead weapons to smash magical machinery, led by the mysterious 'General Lead' played a huge role in defeating the Wonder Engines and rampaging automata. Thus ended the Second Age in the sound of lead striking metal.

Things Which Remain in Later Ages

The Bronze Woodsman: Certain people in this period replaced missing limbs with automata; this enabled many to live better lives. Until their artificial limbs murdered them at the end of the Age, anyway. But the Bronze Woodsman, born 'Nick Chopper', went far beyond. If the records are true, he kept losing body parts, and replacing them until his entire body had been replaced by such artifacts; somehow the resulting artificial person still had his mind and memories. His fate is unknown, but the 'Saga of the Bronze Woodsman' claims that his body did not go berserk and he is still out there, chopping trees. Some rumors claim he is now a captive of the High Druid, who is trying to find some way to return him to flesh. Other rumors claim Galen Two-Spell somehow got all the bits of him and assembled them into a special sex golem. Let us hope not.
Galen's Sex Golems: They say Galen Two-Spell was desperate in many senses of the word, and one of them was for money, and one of them was for women. That was why he partnered with the dwarven automatist Thorgrim. They built themselves a magical-gearworked factorum to build sex golems. They were going to make a fortune. But on the eve of opening, the Empire shut them down. Broke, furious, Galen placed the factory in a dimensional bubble with one exit... somewhere. Then he went to make a suicide run on a Wonder Engine. You still find his golems turning up, brand new, even now.
The Night Maze: Rumored to be a byproduct of wizardly tinkering gone wrong and left to rot because, well, sometimes wizards are lazy, the night maze has a unique feature: absolutely no light can be shone there. Torches will not light. magical lights will not ignite. glowing plants will die. It is entirely unknowh what the point of this was. You'd need to create some sort of spell or gizmo that could see without light to even begin exploring. There are a lot of uniquely evolved creatures in there.
Surviving Wonder Engines: The vast majority were destroyed in the Second Age and most of the others were scavenged for parts in later ages. But there are constant rumors of surviving Wonder Engines. If rumors are true, the Prince of Shadows has one, the Imperial Government has one hidden on an island in the Midland Sea, and the Dwarf King has one. The City of Madzimbabwe in what is now the Red Waste had a functional Wonder Engine, many believe, but the Stone Thief ate the city, destroying the Engine... or the Stone Thief has a functional Wonder Engine, though if he does, he doesn't seem to be doing anything with it.
The Terror Engine: It is what happens if a bitter, angry wizard tries to destroy a Wonder Engine but instead accidentally inverts it, then turns it inside out. It's... somewhere... on the Undermarch between Anvil and Forge. It's a lair of every terrible thing you can do with dwarven automata and then some. Legends say the worst gearforged criminals and monsters are whelped here.
Willhelm Shickelgruber's Sweets Emporium: In the middle of the Second Age, Willhelm Shickelgruber was the premier candymaker of the Empire. He faced increasing competition, however, from rivals who used Wonder Engines instead of expert gnomes. He held a giant contest, in which five of his candies had a special 'Golden Token', which allowed the holder to come into his factory, normally closed to outsiders, and see all his secrets of candymaking; by careful effort, his rivals managed to bribe four of the five children to leak the secrets to them. Only it turned out that Willhelm Shickelgruber had developed an elaborate rite to elevate himself to Iconhood, so he could then in some poorly explained way destroy his candy-rivals. One by one, the Children broke his 'rules' as children are prone to do and died horribly. Karl von Braun, scion of a family of fallen nobles, had not been bribed as he'd only gotten his ticket the very morning of the tour. He kept not getting himself killed and Shickelgruber lost patience and tried to shove him into a vat of hot chocolate. Braun's dog attacked Shickelgruber, who fell into the vat and died; his gnomes rioted and the city of Schokoladenstadt burned. The gnomes became an avenging cult and parents still warn their children that if they are naughty, the Rhyming Gnomes will get them. And by 'get them', they mean the naughty children will be lectured in rhyme, then eaten.

Scarabs:

These items fill the necklace slot; they add +1 to saves per tier and have some additional power. Note: Servants of the Great Gold Wyrm tend to regard you as a threat to be investigated, possibly slain if you wear one of these. The Champion, on the other hand, collects all the old artifacts of the Scarab Lord that he can.