Raxia: An Abbreviated Timeline

BP = Before Present, i.e., the time period when the basic game is set. All dates approximate.

Primordial

(dates unknown)

  • The Three Swords of Genesis, Lumiere, Sword of Harmony, Ignis, Sword of Freedom, and Cardia, Sword of Wisdom, together create the world of Raxia. Whether they perform this act independently, or at the hand or behest of some other being or beings, is unknown. The Swords of Genesis are left alone in the barren world they created.
  • Longing to be useful again, the Swords of Genesis begin to seed the world with life: plants, animals, and eventually mythical beasts. Unfortunately, none of these beings have the combination of purpose, will, and desire to change the world that the swords require.
  • The Swords of Genesis create Humans.

Divine Civilization (Schnell Period)

(Unknown - 10,000? BP)

  • One Human touches Lumiere, the First Sword, and gains godlike power. This person becomes Lyphos, the Divine Ancestor.
  • Lyphos discovers that he can share his power with others, turning them into gods themselves. His closest friend becomes Tidan the Sun God, and many other gods and goddesses are created besides. Together they labor to improve life for the "Small People," or non-divine Humanoids, all over Raxia.
  • Asteria, Goddess of Fairies converts her Human followers into Elves.
  • Grendal, Blazing Emperor converts his Human followers into Dwarves.
  • A Humanoid finds Ignis, the Second Sword. His desire for power consumes his mind and he takes up the mantle of Dhalkrem, God of War.
  • Dhalkrem challenges the existing gods, beginning the War of the Gods.
  • According to their legends, Tabbits are created by an unknown god at some point during the Divine Era. This god dies in the war, which severs the Tabbits' ability to touch the divine.
  • Dhalkrem sways many Humanoids to his side, then scars and transforms them into the Barbarous. These creatures harass the Humanoids while the gods continue to fight.
  • For their valor in the God War, Lildraken are recognized as a Humanoid race by Lumiere and given a portion of its grace.
  • The Third Sword, Cardia, is discovered by a Humanoid who becomes Kilhia, God of Wisdom. Rather than allow itself to be wielded against its counterparts, Cardia shatters. Its magic flows into Raxia itself.
  • The War of the Gods slowly peters out without a decisive victory on either side. Lumiere and Ignis are both lost. The gods retreat to a far realm to rest and recuperate, though they still hear their supplicants' pleas and assist with what power they are able to spare.
  • A desperate dark millennium descends over Raxia, where Humanoids and Barbarous clash with the Astrayed, god-like beings left behind to continue the bloodshed.

Ancient Magic Civilization (Durandal Period)

(9,000 - 3,000 BP)

  • The first wizard-king, the Elf Durandal, masters techniques to manipulate the magic left behind in Raxia after Cardia shattered. He organizes the people and uses magic to hunt the Astrayed into extinction.
  • More magic empires rise, led by wizard-kings both great and terrible. As the era goes on, small fractured city-states are swallowed up by larger kingdoms, which consolidate into sprawling empires.
  • Magic experiments create many Constructs for labor or security. Many powerful magical artifacts are created during this period as well.
  • Explorers from other parts of Raxia colonize the Alframe continent, to the detriment of the indigenous Meria and Lykant communities.
  • Daemon summoning becomes a popular activity for wizard-kings who are looking for powerful trump cards to use on the battlefield.
  • Grassrunners appear in the historical record. Their sudden appearance in Raxia at the same time as daemons makes conspiracy theorists suspicious to this day.
  • Attempts to open a portal to the daemon realm tears open the Abyss in the far north of the Alframe continent. Hordes of daemons pour through.
  • Wizard-kings temporarily set aside their differences and begin building the Wall of the Abyss in northern Raxia. Wizards combine Humans with monsters to create the Tiens race, who are charged to defend the Wall.
  • Groups of knights, wizards, and other adventurous types band together to fight daemon incursions across the continent. This group, known as the "Wall Guardians," eventually evolves into the present-day Adventurer's Guild.
  • Betrayed by daemons and stretched to their breaking point in materials and magic, the wizard kingdoms collapse. Another dark age settles over the Humanoids across the world.

Magitech Civilization (Al Menas Period)

(2,000 - 300 BP)

  • Humanoid tinkerers discover Magitech, which allows any person to control magic through the use of a device known as a magisphere. This technology spreads rapidly.
  • Swords of Protection are developed. Their use allows Humanoids to push the Barbarous off the surface world completely. The Barbarous move underground and await their revenge.
  • In the absence of an existential threat, Humanoids build things larger and greater than ever before: trains, airships, and huge shining cities. Magitech devices serve Humanoids in many capacities. The standard of living increases enormously.
  • Leprechauns, though perhaps extant on Raxia for much longer, make their appearance in the records of this period. Most are lured from their secret lairs by curiosity about Magitech. Many become talented Artificers and Alchemists.
  • Well-off members of society commission the creation of Runefolk for a conscience-free servant underclass. As time goes on, Runefolk gain greater (and eventually equal) status in society, though many have an undercurrent of servility which they cannot completely shake.
  • The nigh-forgotten Barbarous hordes suddenly roar out of the underworld, trigger earthquakes which topple the great cities, and nearly wipe out the surface races in a single strike. This lightning attack becomes known as the Diabolic Triumph.
  • A small group of adventurers fights through the hordes, confronts the Beast King of the Barbarous, and slays him in face-to-face combat. The Barbarous invasion stalls. Rumors abound that the adventurers were either wielding Lumiere, the First Sword, or a formerly unknown fourth Sword of Genesis, possibly named Fortuna.

Current Era

  • In response to corruption and apathy within various Adventurer's Guild locations, vigilante groups loosely coalesce into a competing organization commonly known as Vagrants.

"The Diabolic Triumph is 300 years past. The Barbarous influence is still felt, and the nations that survived the onslaught are still recovering. Much of the transportation infrastructure remains in tatters, destroyed by the Barbarous.

"However, Humanoids were spared complete annihilation at the eleventh hour, and those left have begun restoration efforts. Seeking out and recovering remnants of the past is a viable career, as ancient relics, treasures, and literature can not only help with reconstruction but are valuable in their own right. In addition, there are still Barbarous to be dealt with, borderlands to be cleared, and Sword Shards to be found and claimed from the beastmen.

"Therefore, the presence of an adventurer who has no regard for danger, challenges, or sleep is reassuring to many who live in the cities. Those who have the power to fight the Barbarous head-on, who have a nose for treasure and a knack for disarming traps, and who see life not as a hardship but as a challenge - for such folk, this is truly an age of prosperity."

— CR I p. 323