To understand the world of Deneb it is helpful to talk in very broad terms about the history of the world and the date system used. The lore and history for the game are primarily written as if the reader had access to the great library at the centre of Deneb. This not only contains a vast sum of human knowledge, but also books from pre-human civilisations, and as such is an excellent resource. However it is biased by the perceptions of those who have contributed to it, and it is certainly not infallible. All the same, it is a good start to understanding the world.
The history of the world is split into distinct eras
The 1st era: Before Life
Little is known of this time when the world was first formed. There are many theories and stories about, but little is known for sure.
The 2nd era: Dawn of Life
A period that lasted for around 270,000 years. It saw the rise of the first intelligence life, the Siblings. The true dragons were born, the Wyrms. The discovery of the aetheric world between worlds. The manipulation of which allowed feats that would seem like magic to many. The Draug tribes gradually conquered the frozen land of Nifl. The Khepri race rose to build an empire along the equator of the world, which would eventually conflict with the Dragons and the Siblings. The terrible war that ensued significantly reduced the Sibling population, but ultimately wiped every last Khepri from the face of the world. The Dragons returned to warring with each other, changing the mountains across the world as they sought larger lairs and tactical advantages against neighbouring families.
3rd era: Fury of Life
A period that lasted for around 140,000 years. It was early in this era the first humans evolved from ape-like creatures. These early hunter-gatherer tribes were recognisable to the Siblings as much like their ancient selves, though more warlike in nature. The Siblings sought to teach humanity, to guide them. This had dire consequences. Dragons and humans began to come into contact, often with the Dragons becoming objects of worship. Whether they were benevolent or tyrant gods, very much depended on the attitude of that particular lair of dragons. At least one dragon grew so large he travelled beyond the northern barrier mountains and triggered a sequence of event that would lead to the Draug ending their nomadic lifestyle and founding the city of Skiringssal. The pact that would end the true dragons as they had been since the 1st era was unleashed by humanity during this era. Eventually, Siblings and humans would work together to try and undo this curse, but the damage was done and dragons would never be the same again. This is also the era where the largest human civilisation in history, the primitive kingdom of Lyria is formed. Towards the end of this era, the Siblings ascended to what (from a human perspective) appeared to be god-like beings. This was not under ideal circumstances, and many Siblings disagreed on how to proceed at this point. One, however, The Obsidian Sulcata (or simply Sul), as it was known, was convinced that humanity was key to the future, and sought to correct past mistakes when it came to teaching humans. Sul travelled to the heart of the western continent of Xi (as the Siblings had named it). There was a burgeoning human settlement, one that Sul quite openly conquered and took governance of. That city was Deneb.
4th era: Civilised Life
The current era, many human calendars consider this to be the beginning of the modern time period and refer to dates as P.D. or Post Deneb. In part, because of the seemingly eternal and consistent nature of the city (at least from a human perspective). So 1 P.D. would be 1 year into this era (when Sul first took over Deneb, and when the construction of the great library first began). 1450 P.D. is 1,450 years after this era began, and is “present day” for the purpose of the core book. So all conflicts that would be played out now are likely to be set during the year 1450 P.D. for narrative purposes.
Find out more
History of the Tower College of Armand
History of the Black Oak Grove
On the map below you can explore in more detail certain areas and their history.