The Younger Peoples

Approximate span: c. 11,000–5,000 years before AF 1.

The fragmentation of the elder interior opens new territory, breaks old systems of tribute and control, and forces populations throughout central and northern Vareth to reorganize.

During this long period, the ancestral population that produces humans, dwarves, and elves becomes increasingly divided into distinct regional communities.

The Ancestral Population

The younger ancestral population is concentrated across a broad central-northern belt around the northern Mereth hinterland, wooded valleys, foothills, and the southern approaches to the northern mountains.

Its communities exist among much older peoples. Some remain independent. Others pay tribute, serve elder rulers, live in mixed settlements, or occupy land abandoned during earlier wars.

The population is already culturally varied before the major regional divisions become pronounced.

Human Populations

Large parts of the ancestral population remain around Mereth and the more open central country.

These communities spread along rivers, plains, lakeshores, roads, and western routes. They experience repeated conquest, migration, enslavement, settlement, and political reorganization, while maintaining more contact with neighboring populations than the groups moving into the mountains or eastern forests.

Over many generations, these populations become recognizably human.

Dwarven Populations

Other communities move deeper into the northern uplands and mountains.

Temporary refuges become permanent settlements. Caves are enlarged, high valleys fortified, and increasingly ambitious underground communities established.

Conflict with existing populations is frequent. Orc and ogre communities already control some valleys, passes, hunting grounds, and settlements, while goblin populations are widespread through many mountain regions.

Some encounters produce trade or alliances. Others end in expulsions, sieges, and the destruction of settlements.

Growing isolation and adaptation to northern mountain life eventually produce populations recognizably distinct as dwarves.

Elven Populations

Other communities move east through wooded uplands, headwaters, and extensive forest country.

The movement follows several routes and unfolds over many generations.

These populations encounter established troll, goblin, tsekesh, gnoll, and other communities as well as ancient dragon domains.

Some settlements survive through agreements and negotiated boundaries. Others seize territory by force. Local wars, retaliatory raids, expulsions, and massacres accompany the expansion.

Increasing isolation and long settlement in the eastern forests and uplands eventually produce populations recognizably distinct as elves.

The Separation of the Three Peoples

The division is gradual.

For generations, communities exist that do not fit cleanly into the later distinctions between human, dwarf, and elf. Movement and intermarriage continue between neighboring populations while language, appearance, custom, and geography increasingly separate them.

Eventually the differences become large enough that the three are widely recognized as distinct peoples.

Their visible similarity remains obvious and contributes to recurring ideas of shared kinship, even as prejudice and warfare develop among them and between them and the elder peoples.

Early Magical Development

Magical practice also diverges as the three peoples separate.

Human communities develop a wide range of local traditions and readily borrow techniques from neighboring peoples.

Dwarven communities increasingly bind magical practice to craft, stone, metal, structures, wards, and other durable applications.

Elven communities develop stronger traditions centered on living systems, druidism, and increasingly systematic study of the Wyre.

These traditions remain regional rather than standardized.

Writing and Records

Written records become increasingly common across the younger societies.

Human states preserve rulers’ lists, temple records, contracts, taxes, military accounts, laws, and trade records.

Dwarven communities preserve claims, construction records, lineages, debts, and agreements in durable forms.

Elven settlements develop extensive records of genealogy, territory, natural observation, agreements, and magical study.

Different calendars, dynastic reckonings, and local dating systems make these records difficult to combine into a single chronology.

Growing States

As populations expand, human towns and states spread rapidly around Mereth and along western routes.

Dwarven holds strengthen their control of mountain settlements, valleys, and passes.

Elven settlements and alliances expand across the eastern forests and uplands.

Their growth brings them into increasingly direct competition with surviving elder powers and leads into the formation of the old kingdoms.