Eras of History

The history of Eclaryn is divided by scholars into five broad eras, each separated by events of such magnitude that they effectively ended one age and began another. The further back one looks, the less reliable the record — the earliest eras exist primarily as mythology, archaeological inference, and the fragmentary accounts of civilisations that no longer exist.

The Luminous Conclave maintains the most comprehensive historical archive on Eryndor and provides the dating system in common use today. All dates are rendered either in LE (Luminous Era, counting forward from 0) or BLE (Before Luminous Era, counting backward from 0).

The Luminous Era (LE)

Current year: 587 LE

The present era, beginning at the founding of the Luminous Conclave by Saint Aelar the Illuminator in 0 LE. It is by far the best-documented period in history — the Conclave has maintained continuous records since its founding, and its archives represent the most comprehensive account of recent centuries available anywhere on Eryndor.

The Luminous Era is renewed every hundred years through grand extension ceremonies. The next such ceremony is due at 600 LE — thirteen years from now. These ceremonies are both religious events and institutional milestones, reaffirming the Conclave's continued authority over the calendar itself.

The Age of Ascendancy (AA)

~5,000 BLE to 0 LE (approx. 5,000 years)

The era immediately preceding the Luminous Era, characterised by the rise of great leaders and civilisations, the construction of monumental works, and the formation of institutions that would endure into the present day. Major cities were established, magical practices were codified, and lasting political and religious orders were founded — including the early communities of Seraphel's faithful that Saint Aelar the Illuminator would later unify.

The Age of Ascendancy is reasonably well-documented, particularly its later centuries, which overlap with surviving written records. The Luminous Conclave's own history begins in this era.

The Dawn of Unity (DU)

~11,461 BLE to ~5,000 BLE (approx. 6,500 years)

A lengthy era of relative peace and early civilisation — the first period in which written languages developed, lasting architectural styles emerged, and the foundations of modern society were laid. Divine alliances were formed, and for the first time, different peoples began to organise themselves into something resembling stable communities rather than isolated or warring groups.

Documentation of the Dawn of Unity grows increasingly sparse the further back one looks. Its later centuries are partially preserved; its early period is reconstructed largely from ruins, oral tradition, and artefacts.

The Epoch of Discord (ED)

~53,142 BLE to ~11,461 BLE (approx. 41,700 years)

A vast and poorly understood era defined by catastrophic conflict. Deities rose and fell. Divine warfare reshaped the world. Civilisations were built and consumed. The planet itself was physically altered by forces that scholars can barely describe and certainly cannot fully explain.

Most information about the Epoch of Discord is lost, fragmentary, or actively contradictory. What survives comes from ruins, artefacts, and the occasional ancient text that managed to outlast the destruction of the civilisation that produced it. Scholars debate whether the accounts that do exist are accurate history or mythology.

The Age of Creation (AC)

~100,000 BLE to ~53,142 BLE (approx. 46,900 years — estimates vary enormously)

The earliest recorded era, and one that exists almost entirely in mythology. It encompasses the formation of Eclaryn itself and the cosmological events that shaped the world in its earliest state. Duration estimates vary enormously between cultures and traditions; some accounts suggest it may have lasted far longer than the figures above imply.

Academic consensus holds that no reliable written record survives from this period. Everything known about the Age of Creation is reconstructed from myth, theological tradition, and the physical evidence left behind by forces that operated on scales difficult to comprehend.

Dating Systems

Three dating systems are in common use:

• LE dating — the academic standard for the present era: 587 LE, 12 LE, and so on.
• BLE dating — used for pre-Luminous events, counting backwards from 0: 5,000 BLE, 11,461 BLE.
• Religious dating — used informally by the faithful: the 587th Year of Seraphel's Light, or Year of the Radiant Dawn + 587.

Era-internal dating (3200 AA, 4500 DU) is used primarily in academic contexts and is less common in everyday speech.