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.
Here's a link to the server!
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” is used both to refer to 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 Fire and Light, synonymous with the reign of Immotian the Over-God, and has been running for a little over fifteen 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 Immotian and his Overgods know of its location.
Little is known about the state of the Roll before the ascendence of Immotian. His chief rival - the god Xel - is certainly older, that is known for certain; and beings which dwell beneath the earth trace histories from before the beginning of the current age. They claim that, before descending beneath the earth, the world looked much different; some claim the land was swathed in darkness, while others hold that the entire world was made of eyes (some still believe this to be true, but the theory has been firmly debunked by modern micro-ocular physicists).
Ultimately, it is impossible to distinguish what is false mythology from what is true pre-history. What the roll looked like before the current age is cloaked in mystery; and even if that mystery was uncovered, there is always the question of the age before that, and the age before that…
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 Fire and Light begins, starting with the Era of Creation. Immotian 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.
c. 500 years ago, most cultures are entering the Medieval era - though the nations of the Far East are ahead by a couple hundred years. Structured Feudalism becomes predominant. The longsword, crossbow, and plate armor are invented. Later comes the golden age of medieval warfare, where many weapons were invented. It is easier to list the weapons that existed before this point than the ones invented thereafter (this listing excludes non-Human cultures and centers on Common-speaking lands): the Dagger, Sickle, Club (all varieties), Spear (all varieties), Javelin, Sling, Handaxe, Shortsword, Battleaxe, Trident, Lance, Shortbow, Whip, Bolas, and Net. Bards, Paladins, and Rangers begin to grow more popular during this time.
The regions directly abutting the Ohm Basin are still undergoing a Renaissance. Rapiers, muskets, and pistols have been invented within the living memory of a human. The ideas of political absolutism, centralized states, and democracy are becoming more prevalent.