The Seventh Age (2818 - 3333) - The Age of Exploration

The mood of the seventh age was the feeling that the empire was on the rise and could do no wrong. Exploration was all the rage, and they did indeed find many strange new lands and civilizations, reaping in benefits of trade, cultural and technological advancements because of it. Furthermore, this era saw the Empire finally cement a triumvirate alliance agreement with the Dwarves and their longstanding rivals the Elves. With peace for the Empire secured, and trade along all fronts running smoothly, The reign of the Golden Kings began.

Three lands figure especially in the stories and histories; this is was how they are depicted in the stories of the time:

• Ascolais: A land of decadent nobles and people convinced the world will soon end, so why bother working hard? Instead, they lie, cheat, and steal and have endless arguments over lore, religion, government, etc. The countryside is plagued by half-human, half-demon monsters who ambush travelers. They wanted all the luxuries the Empire had to offer and in return, they offered spices, wines, liquors, and dancing girls/boys/half-man,half-demons, etc.
• Fellgarden: The people of Fellgarden build their cities by taming living dungeons. Fellgarden is like Omen-it's a migration route for living dungeons, who slither up through shafts and faults from the underworld and spill out onto the surface. If the dungeon-smiths of Fellgarden are successful, they can shape the dungeon as it manifests, taming (castrating?) it and turning trap-filled, monster-haunted chambers into more of the city. If they fail, then that's more of the island turned into hellish dungeon. In Fellgarden, warehouses and mansions jostle for space with unholy demon-infested temples and monster lairs. Visitors are reminded to pay close attention to the street signs. They needed food and similar things with little room to farm.
• Masque: It is forbidden in Masque to show one's naked face, except in certain exceedingly rare circumstances. It is the custom of this land that everyone wears a mask, and through a complex system of symbolism and iconography, one's mask conveys one's station in society, profession, iconic alignments, religion, magical blessings and even one's beliefs and feelings. Masque is a land of mirrors and whispers, of subtle treacheries and poisonings. They wanted secrets, metals, and books; they offered secrets, books, magical masques, and cloth of exceptional fineness and porcelain of fine make.

Recent scholarship has established that:

• Masque was depicted entirely accurately.
• Fellgarden had a secret behind the 'taming' of dungeons, one that no outsiders know. And the nature of these living dungeons is also not quite what it seems. (cue ominous music)
• Ascolais was actually a land ruled by descendants of failed noble rebels, who escaped long ago and conquered an unfortunate land. they keep their origins secret and bide their time to strike back at the empire. their sloth and idiocy are a ruse... well.... mostly.... somewhat.... kind of a ruse.

Imperial Ships were able to reach other lands due to intense cooperation of Humans, Elves, and Dwarves, who combined human ingenuity, dwarven craftsmanship, and Elven affinity for nature and fine woods. The combined lore of the three was the only thing which made this possible.

Emperor Constantine the Third is considered the greatest of the Golden Emperors, as it was he who finalized The Great Alliance, and it was under his watch that the greatest amount of exploration fleets was launched.

As an age of exploration gets underway, the ending of the previous Age has left the powers of that which cannot die and cannot live stirred up. The raising of General Dead as an avatar of Undeath and the countless heroes, adventurers, and less scrupulous looters traipsing into catacombs, tombs and other long forgotten places best left unexplored, has stirred the Lich King's attention. After more than two millenia of restless sleep, he begins to awaken to the world of the living. And what he finds does not fill him with warmth and glee and other after-school-special emotions. The empire remains strong, maybe even grown stronger than it was when he was forced into torpor. It's his, and he wants it back. And these Alhoon are not of his, and not beholden to him.

However, he was slow to take action. Death is slow to stir, and the Lich King's anger has been banked against the cold for long indeed. He begins with rebinding of his servants of old, renewing pacts and geas and fealty. He's got forever, so he doesn't need to be hasty. But the dead stir more easily now. Necromancers in the world, the fallen members of the College of Black, the old cackling alchemists, the gravetouched and the mad find that binding corpses to their will takes less power and is more effective. Finding ancient tomes detailing unholy rites is far easier.

Despite the irritation of the Alhoon, The Emperor remains the greatest obstacle to the former Wizard King reclaiming the empire that should be his. Doubly so in an Age where the empire is strong and looking outward.

Further, the Archmage holds the phylactry of not one, but three of the Lich King's most loyal followers. Not necessarily his most powerful, but the ones whose devotion to him is strongest. It's only a matter of time before one of the Black College can be corrupted and guided into reclaiming those phylactery.

It's the age when the Queen finally claims the Green as her own. Ever since the time it first looked in on the Elven Court, and saw the revels and hear the music, tasted the food, it started to desire them. (The idea that the Queen laced its food with Dragon-nip is a scurrilous rumor; just ask her, she'll tell you. You might even survive the question.) The Queen was always careful to be courteous and show it favor in its appearances at Court, especially after the fight with the Great Golden Wyrm had left it feeling uncertain in itself and its fellows. It was an honored guest at the dedication of the Twine of the Three.

In the end, no one was ever quite sure what the breaking point was. Perhaps it was an especially notable feast. Perhaps it was the offers of personal servants. Perhaps it was tired of the Black looking at it funny. It certainly wasn't a... personal appeal from the Queen herself, as she'll be happy to inform any querants who survive. But one day, the Green showed up at Court, bowed, and pledged itself to her. And while the relationship has often been uncertain, it has remained a steadfast ally.

The Elf Queen gave the Green a neck-band, wrought by the finest Elven crafters; carved emeralds set in orichalcum, telling the tales of its skills and deeds. (She originally wanted to give it a deeply meaningful and symbolic gift, as she'd given the three Shards when they re-unified; but listened when the Green said no, thanks for the thought, but jewels are a dragon's best friend.

The Blue preferred to pretend it never happened; it's all so beneath us, you know, and why should we care about an upstart who never really existed? The Black... well, the Black didn't like it at all, but didn't think it was worth going to war over. (And deep down, maybe wasn't sure they could win.) The Red was angry, and was ready to go to war, but without support from the others couldn't bring enough chromatics to bear. (And was heard muttering, years after the fact, about the stupid draconic researchers who had respect - RESPECT!! - for those stupid silly High Elves, who didn't help them experiment at all, no matter what anyone else said.)

During this age, the ambassador from Fellguard offered her a travelling palace; a living dungeon tamed but not castrated, not tied down to one city, but free to journey wherever the Queen chose, interior tamed and shaped to fulfil Elven desires. She was very appreciative, and thanked them graciously, but didn't end up using it much; she was always careful to point out that no, really, it wasn't a lack of trust, it's just that it moves so slowly, and she needed to get places fast far too much of the time! These days, it has its own preserve of sculpted grass and mown bushes, tailored to its desires and meant to make it happy, while it waits for the next time the Queen needs to travel in style. Tours are occasionally available.

Icon Notes

• The Captain of Corsairs was the great rival of the Emperor in this age. There were many different Captains—some were bloodthirsty, brutal thieves, but others were clever diplomats and wise rulers. The Captains ruled from the great port city of the Harbor of Gulls, hidden on an island somewhere on the coast of the Iron Sea.
• The Explorer was a famed adventurer who traveled the world. She would vanish from the Empire for many years at a time, then return with fabulous treasures and tales of distant lands. Sometimes, she traveled by ship; on other occasions, she set off on foot or went through one of the Archmage’s experimental portals. (Other modes of transport employed by the Explorer on occasion: kidnapped by derro, tied to a roc, flung by a catapult, flung by a giant, flung by a giant catapult [along with her twenty companions and their horses], stowed away on a flying castle, eaten by the Stone Thief). She was active in the Seventh and Eighth Age.
• The Golden Emperors were exceptionally potent rulers of the Empire, who until their overthrow by the Gods came to wield even more power than a normal icon, though they lived only a normal lifespan, if augmented somewhat by magic.
• The Serpent was not a true icon in the Seventh Age; rather, she was a Green Dragon who sought to take the place of the Green. While she built a huge hoard, this goal did not come to pass in the Seventh Age.

Emperors of Note

• Constantine I (2818-2841): He rebuilt the empire in the wake of the war with General Dead; he is considered a good king, but not one of the Golden Emperors.
• Constantine III (2898 - 2948): This long reigning Emperor is the first of the Golden Emperors, who finalized the Triple Alliance, launched the first great exploration fleets, and became fantastically rich.
• Julio the Apostate (3108 - 3122): Julio was not expected to inherit and spent his youth with his father in the Imperial embassy in Masque; he returned having become one of the Masquers in spirit and covertly, he was part of a secret cult which was very decadent. He introduced The Ivory Mask of Purity to the Empire and corrupted a fair number of nobles before he was exposed for doing terrible things like keeping orphans in a hidden fortress, the Schoolyard, to molest. The cult turned out to be 'purifying themselves' by periodically 'purging their dark emotions' through hideous crimes. The Great Gold Wyrm's Paladin stormed the Schoolyard, allegedly a school for orphans, and freed the children, and the Great Gold Wyrm confronted Julio, exposed his crimes and slew him and his Masquer Bard companion, whose name has been erased from history for his crimes. Rule passed to his second cousin, Basil I (3122-3154).
• Basillia II Bugbear Slayer (3218-3248): Baisillia the Bugbear Slayer, faced with a seemingly endless tide of Bugbears, activated the Golden Carapace and led her armies against the Bugbears, who died by the thousands. One army of 20,000, she blinded 99 of every 100 and sent the last 1 back with one eye to lead the first 99 home. When humanoids invade the empire, the peasants pray to her to come and save them, along with General Lead.

Other Lands of Note

These were harder to reach, yet still played a role in the sagas of the Seventh Age.

• The Archipelago: Like the Dragon Empire, the lands of the Archipelago have their own icons. Here, there are a hundred minor icons, each one ruling a different island. Over time, the islands have come to reflect the nature and desires of their rulers, so each one is radically different to its neighbors across the straits. They provided sugar, pineapples, avocadoes, breadfruit, magical tattoos and their long-roving outrigger ships. Some of the islands produced many explorers of their own who had explored the Sea of Peace, but could not get past the Cape of Storms, though some would come to the Empire during this age.
• Balazar: This cold and rocky land was inhabited by very broadly-built humans with large foreheads they deliberately shape during childhood by wearing special stone hats. This creates a ridge on the forehead with your clan symbol. The Balazar are caught up in a web of customs which dictate much of life but also seem to grant them vastly extended lifespans if they break no taboos and obey the rules; Imperial wizards think their society is controlled by the nature spirits of the land. The Balazar are trapped in the Stone Age as hunters and gatherers and pastoralists. Trade was minimal because they could not accept most things without suffering taboos. However, those Imperials willing to make the expense of shipping beef, mutton, fruit, and vegetables across the ocean could hire the Balazar to use their stone magics to do things like shape temples with their bare hands. A few renegade clans defected to the Empire, abandoned their customs, but also lost their strength and magical abilities. Their descendants live in the Empire today.
• Cape of Storms: Thousands of miles south of the Empire, the coast turns west but you must pass the eternally storm shrouded Cape of Storms, where lightning elementals, storm giants, blue dragons, behirs, and other such creatures roam and rule. Beyond this land, you enter the easy to travel Sea of Peace, where you can reach the Honey Trap and the Archipelago and other lands besides.
• Fortuna: In Fortuna, magic items rule. Humans are seen as soulless meat golems unless ensouled by the vibrant spirits of magic, and are only considered really alive when loaded down with enough items to have their ‘animal instincts’ overridden (in other words, more magic items than one’s level allows). Fortuna’s awash with magic items, but they’re not for sale—taking them is a crime tantamount to kidnapping. They attempted to demand an annual tribute of magical items they intended to 'liberate', but instead, Constantine IV crushed them and carried off many of them back to serve the Empire under strict control.
• Honey Trap: Far south and west of the Empire, beyond the Cape of Storms far to the south, this beautiful land seems to somehow kill everyone who lands on it; the Explorer observed it from off-shore during a series of storms and reported the folk looked like normal humans and halflings, the land was beautiful, the cities grand. But subsequent expeditions never returned.
• Misarkan: In the land of Misarkan, all arcane magic is forbidden. Visitors from abroad who are capable of casting spells must register, and illegal spellcasting is punishable with imprisonment. In a past age, Misarkan was almost destroyed by a magical catastrophe, and now potent but delicate wards keep this disaster frozen. The land is on an arcane knife-edge; the wrong spell could inadvertently disrupt the wards and doom Misarkan (or so its rulers say; gossip on the docks insists that the rulers are secret wizards, who want to keep all magic for themselves). This hampered trade with the Empire, though they wanted Elven and Dwarven goods, especially Dwarven, and offered various magical artifacts (which they wanted OUT of the country), spices, tropical fruit, ivory, and silk.
• Sea of Chaos: It proved impossible to sail straight across the ocean, even in this age; you had to head southeast on a current which lead you to the mouth of the Wine Sea, a fair sized sea which was effectively a bay a thousand miles long and four hundred wide. Fellgarden was on a large island in the middle roughly shaped like a cigar, while Ascolais, Excilic, Fortuna were found on the northern shore and Misarkan and many small city states on the narrow arable strip of the southern shore, beyond which lay desert. If ran south down the coast, you came to many tribal lands and to Masque, and far south, to Balazar. Beyond Balazar was the Sea of Chaos, ruled by Slaad and other creatures of Chaos, a twisting, warping land where some ancient apocalypse had left it ruined. The menace of the Fleet of Elsewhere Beings, a collection of invaders from other universes led by a pale albino who had a soul-eating black blade, emerged from here and was finally defeated by The Invincible Fleet of Admiral Orland, but at the cost of both. Rumor has it you can sail into other universes here.

How The Age Ended

To the shock of all, the Gods themselves appeared in the sky over Axis, declared the Emperor a Usurper and began a new dynasty by raising a peasant girl named Ursula to the throne, saying she was the true heir of the First Emperor. In a burst of riots, the Emperor was overthrown and the new Empress took his place; later historians agreed this was the turning of an age! Historians continue to argue why they did this:

• Writing The Official History of the Eighth Age To Date in the second century of the Eighth Age, Court Historian Alexander Sevesky wrote that the last of the Golden Emperors had fallen into secret demon worship and planned to become The Demon Emperor, for he felt old age coming and wished to live forever.
• Writing in the Ninth Age, Rodimus Prime argued in The History of Religion, Volume Seven that the gods were jealous little bitches who felt neglected and wanted to make everything get wrecked. If so, they certainly succeeded, as only religious historians think Ursula I was anything but a disaster.
• Writing in the Ninth Age in a letter to the Emperor, the historian Livy Reborn argued that the gods were offended that the perfect Second Age's reputation was challenged by the Golden Emperors and thus broke them to prevent anything surpassing that peak of achievement.
• Writing in the Tenth Age, Suzuka's gloss on Rodimus Prime's history urged readers to "Murder the gods. Topple their thrones." Protected by the House of Belgalad, she continued to issue anti-religious literature until eventually dying in a duel of honor over how she had urged the wife of another noble to leave her husband because he was a 'shit-eating dog-fucking bitch'. Historians point out that there is no evidence Lord Sauer was a female dog.
• Writing in the Elventh age, Court Historian Jaybeaux glossed Suzuka's gloss with the words "COCAINE!" roughly 3,328 times. He is known to have been a victim of the 11th age Icon, the Pusher. This was typical of his eighty-five glosses all of which consisted of him scribbling drug names all over things. But this amused his Emperor, so sadly, all of these glosses survive, whereas we only have three surviving volumes of Livy's History of the Second Age out of the thirty-four he wrote, because the Golden Emperors disliked Livy (a Third Age historian) and burned most of his writing.
• Writing in the Twelfth Age, historian Joan Scott argued that the gods found the Imperial line had lapsed into being a sausage fest and that women were mistreated and the Gods sought to rectify this. This remains disputed.

Things Which Remain In Later Ages

The Serpent's Nest: The Serpent would perish in the Eighth Age, leaving behind a huge hoard of treasure protected by deadly traps, illusions, monsters, and clouds of poison gas, somewhere in the Wild Wood. It has yet to be fully plundered.

The Invincible Fleet of Admiral Orland: From The Age of Explorers came the legendary Invincible Fleet of Admiral Orland, said to possibly have been the strongest fleet ever. For decades they patrolled the seas, slaying monsters, thwarting pirates, and discovering new lands, until the threat of The Fleet of Elsewhere Beings emerged from nowhere to spread chaos and death on the high seas. This monsterous threat and The Invincible Fleet clashed many times, until their final battle at the Sea of Chaos. What happened there, nobody knows, for neither fleet ever emerged from that sea, and there are no survivors to tell how it ended. It is presumed that both sides fell in those infamously turbulent waters, but there is no way to know for sure.

The Lay of Sir Witgar: The Lay of Sir Witgar tells of a noble of the Empire, who sailed from the Middle Sea to the Iron Sea on one of the first of the Empire-Dwarven- Elven alliance cutters, exploring lands lost since the beginning of the ages. He plundered many ancient ruins with daring and panache, fought and killed many monsters with shining blade and fancy sword work, and wooed many a savage maiden with his sophisticated wit and cunning ways. Of course, to this day the bards and their audiences love most, the ending, a for-want-of-a-nail cascade of ever worsening disaster that saw him penniless, and eventually destroyed by those jealous of his success. But supposedly his journal could lead an appropriately skilled adventurer to the remains of his loot and lands of unfenced riches that no other civilized being has yet discovered.

Magic Items of Fortuna: Their numbers dwindle as they break or manage to escape home, but one source of modern magical items is items carried off after the Fortuna War. They seem normal; only Epic tier casters can see through their shrouded goals; if they gain control of someone, they try to find a way to return back to Fortuna. Those that escape never return.

The Sibling Palace: It was little known at the time - and only rarely known later - that the Queen's fabulous palace had an unhappy older sibling. A failed attempt to create a palace of wonder and art, this living dungeon moved, and its interior boasted wonders, but... warped. Not eyes that followed you around the room, but eyes that seemed to vanish whenever you looked directly at the painting. Statues that you could have sworn hadn't moved, but something in their posture was... off. In the end, after a failed attempt to subdue it, the dungeon escaped and is even now said to be wandering the world, looking for residents who could appreciate its glories.

Shove: Pronounced SHOO-vuh, this is a food from the Archipelago which Imperials developed a taste for in this age and still have in some parts of the Empire. You catch fish alive and store them in a fish pond until it's time to eat; you then extract them and stab them with a bone or metal rod through the eye, slaying them in seconds. Fish prepared this way do not have the 'fishy' taste of the bulk catches from the Midland sea. You then slice it thin and mix it with vinegar, honey, and pineapple juice (or just vinegar and honey for less wealthy Imperials), then add chunks of fruits and vegetables. In the Archepelago, this meant breadfruit, pineapple, oranges, and plums. In the Empire, it's more commonly carrots, radishes, broccoli, and cauliflower. Shove is most commonly eaten in spring time, when the fish run in droves and you may make it right on the beach or rivershore.