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====== Axe and Sickle: The Age of Fate ======

The Axe and Sickle is a DnD 3.5e West-Marches style Discord server for Socialists. The games are centered out of an adventurers' inn called the Axe and Sickle, in a region known as the Ohm Basin. \\  \\ [[https://discord.gg/7nP3rZStsE|Here's a link to the server!]]

====== The Roll of Ages ======

===== What is the Roll of Ages? =====

The "Roll of Ages" is the double-entendre used by scholars to refer to the world as it is known, highlighting the cyclical nature of its history, lateral circumnavigability, and immense age. Thus, the "Roll of Ages" refers to both the physical "world" beneath your feet, as well as the world in terms of history and time. An old farmer might lament, "Never in the Roll of Ages have things been so bad…", while an explorer might describe a newly-discovered species of plant as "Unlike anything I've seen elsewhere on the Roll!".

The name itself stems from the popular belief that the Roll of Ages is fundamentally defined by a cyclical series of "Ages", each one lasting somewhere between five and fifteen thousand years. The current age is the Age of Fate, synonymous with the reign of the North Star, a powerful Over-God, and has been running for a little over 13 thousand years. It is rumored that there exists a physical ledger - also called the Roll of Ages - which catalogues ages both past and to come, though if it does exist, it is not apparent if even the North Star or his fellow Overgods know of its location.

===== What came before the Age of Fate? =====

Before the Age of Fate was the [[:player_resources:age_of_fire_start|Age of Fire]], which has been partially cataloged in the wiki. Though the Age of Fire has come and gone, feel free to add to or explore the existing archive.

===== What's Happened Since? =====

There will be no discussion of the history of the Ohm Basin in particular here - that is up for the players to discover on their own and share with their fellows through conventional means.

What follows is a general history of the world, divided into Eras - segments of hundreds or thousands of years that give a general overview of worldwide technological progress.

c. 15,000 years ago, the Age of Fate begins, starting with the Era of Creation. The North Star appears, and he and the other overgods mold the Roll to suit their whims. This process takes approximately five thousand years, during which time the state of the world is too unstable for real societal progress.

c. 10,000 years ago are the first signs of the Era of Myth. The oldest races - Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Dragons, and Giants, among others - build the first great civilizations with the help of the gods. Not the overgods, who by this time are already distant, but the beings hereafter referred to as Pantheonic Gods. The first pantheonic gods were Outsiders from the outer planes, who adopted or were adopted by the mortal races; however, many are ascended mortals, and a great many mortals ascended to godhood during Mythic times.

The Mythic era was dominated by larger-than-life personalities and high magic, and was destroyed by the same; dragons the size of mountains and spells with the power to destroy them, gods dwelling on the Material and interfering with its politics and fighting in its wars. One by one, the great Mythic Empires fall to war and catastrophe.

c. 5,000 years ago the Ancient Era begins. The majority of Human cultures drag themselves out of the paleolithic by force of will during this period. Simple technology and written magic is developed. Horses are tamed as mounts. Shortswords are the weapon of choice, and shortbows - a weapon of the Elves - are adopted by some humans. Barbarians, Druids, and Sorcerers are the only PC classes to exist at the start of this era, and Clerics, Fighters, Rogues, and Wizards are all commonplace by its end.

Now, most cultures are entering the Medieval era. The world is overrun by the new weapons forged, castles constructed, and great powers formed.