Appendix: The Four Eras of the World

Tranith Argan

The First Era was the time of the Laráin. They inhabited the entire world, from what later became known as Long Bay in the far west, to what the Dwarves later called Khrea in the extreme east. This Era lasted thousands of years during which time the elves lived alone with the animals. It is they who named this time as being the First Era when it came to an end.

When the Laráin branched out into the Laráin Findára (wood elves) and the Laráin Erenár (water elves), it was such a significant split among the elves that it was said that the First Era came to an end and the Second Era began. The elves still lived alone in the land, but their ways began to separate and their influence lessened. By dividing among themselves, their power was reduced to the extent that other peoples eventually found their way to the lands and settled without being prevented by the elves from doing so. With the coming of the first new group of settlers, the Dwarves, it was said the Second Era ended and the Third Era began, the time of the dwarves.

Elves and dwarves lived mostly in harmony for many centuries. Dwarves had a love of mountains and all things mined, and this was the part of the world the elves loved least, preferring the green hills and waterways. So the Dwarves came to settle mostly in the east, in the mountains of what they called in their language Khrea as well as what was later to be called by men the land of Arenar.

Mines were developed throughout the mountains, and great riches were found. The golden age of the dwarves was one of untold wealth and splendor. It was said that those sailing into the Cove of the Dwarves never got over their first sight of the golden halls of the dwarves.

Such wealth eventually reached the ears of other peoples, and soon Men arrived up from the South and from the extreme West. The western men and the elves had no love for each other and war developed in the Great Plain. The power of the elves was too much for the men who had never known such creatures before. Yet the number of the men was unending, for their life span was short and they bred rapidly. For the elves, who had lifespans extending thousand of years, there had been no need of great numbers, and they lived quietly to themselves.

Instead of striving to utterly defeat men, the elves decided a truce of sorts was needed. The western men could have the land west of the River Arenton, north of Mount Majestic. To the east, as far as the Straits of Doom, belonged the land of the elves, and no man could cross the Elven Plain and live. Elaria in particular became the dwelling place of elves as they gradually pulled back from the Elven Plain. But even mostly uninhabited, the Elven Plain was claimed and patrolled by the elves.

In the eastern lands, there was some animosity between men and dwarves, for dwarves do not lightly share their treasure. However, men, though initially drawn by tales of dwarven riches, increasingly wanted nothing more than fine land and a place to settle that was good and rich for farming. The dwarves cared little for the plains and valleys, and so a peace was established in the east. The dwarves continued to mine the mountains, and the men took the lowlands of Arenar and Talenar.

Men grew rapidly in number and spread throughout the lands. In time a ruler was needed to rule over the vast population. By agreement with the dwarves, the Tranith cities were established and the dwarves mostly settled back to Khrea, forever named the home of the dwarves. A kingship was established at Tranith Argan and with the crowing of Kal-Alorim it was said that the era of the dwarves had ended and the Fourth Era, the era of Man, had begun.