Post/Author/DateTime	Post
claypigeons 04-12-07, 02:23 AM	I don't mean how long you've been working on it. Not even when it was first created/formed (story-wise). But how "old" is it? How long have the races been keeping track of history?
hiryuu 04-12-07, 03:37 AM	4.5 billion years old. Sentience? About 64.5 million years before the human era, then those went extinct 65 million years before the first human era. This is recorded on magical ruin/plane in a canyon. Human history starts 3500 years ago, but it has been through several cycles before that.
WotC_Huscarl 04-12-07, 01:42 PM	In a previous campaign, the world was so old that much of history had been forgotten. There was simply too much of it, and the civilizations were in such decline and become so decadent that they didn't consider it important anymore. Finding a sage who could give you useful information about the past was a big thing. Steve
Return of the Flumph 04-12-07, 01:57 PM	12,500 years, divided into three ages. The Age of Harmony was from 0-6,000. The Age of Dualism was from 6,000-11,000. The modern Age of Growth is from 11,000 to the present.
daggeroflath 04-12-07, 02:51 PM	I ran a quirky epic game which came close to breaking the fourth wall. While probing into arcane mysteries the characters discovered the world was two weeks old and that it was a temporary anomaly in the universe. Without great deeds to distinguish it from other psuedo-worlds it couldn't continue to exist. In other words the PCs discovered it was a roleplaying game and that if their characters didn't make the game interesting we'd stop playing and the world would go away. I think that's the weirdest game I've ever done.
Lyinginbedmon 04-12-07, 03:14 PM	The age of the historical world on my primary planet varies depending on where you are. This is because one very large section of the planet, an entire group of islands infact and part of the planet's Northern pole, was subject to one very massive war against the creator gods themselves and effectively turned back time to end the war before it started. The result was a world lurched back through history to be reset, where immediately there was a civil war against Psions (Who were largely responsible for the technology being developed) and their near eradication. Afterwards, the surviving races began rebuilding their world (Though from their perspective it was the first time) and the surviving Psions were completely ostracised and forgotten about. The biggest physical reminder of the device's function is the circular barrier around the region, a temporal rift that manifests as a perpetually stormy, dilated, and physics-fiddling line that separates the affected region and the unaffected region outside. Because it's been around for the entire known history, most people don't think there's anything beyond the barrier, though recent surviving expeditions have disproved this theory. This was 2000 years ago, so the historical world in this affected region is 2000 less than that outside, which presently marks it as being around 3955. However, the device and it's compound survived the shift intact, so if it's not deactivated sometime in the next 45 years it'll be another 2000 years backward for the affected region.
Araes 04-12-07, 07:44 PM	Only thousands of years, not billions or millions, but that's mainly because its a constructed mega-engineering world for the remnants of a collapsed universe. Plus, most people will never know that, as there have been enough problems with the world, with waking people up, and with technology degredation that only a small subset really know what's actually going on. In terms of actual recorded history, depending on what layer / continent / country you are in, it might be as much as 1000 years for the common man, but in general, its probably only going to be several hundred or less with any accuracy.
Darth Syntax 04-12-07, 07:54 PM	The nine worlds of my setting are of unknown ages (although I would guess that several billion years have gone by sense they were formed). The historical record goes back between 3 and 6 thousand years depending on the particular world, and the people who inhabit it. Sentience is probably about 50-100,000 years old (again depending on the world), and there is ample evidence of pre-literate peoples scattered about. The standard calendar of the Nine worlds though gives a date that is roughly 10,000, and this is because that is the projected date when the "gods" (beings of great power who view mortals a little more than unpleasant parasites) seem to have exiled themselves from the day to day business of the cosmos.
Forgemaster 04-12-07, 08:24 PM	The world I'm slowly designing is a relatively young world. Early history is maybe a few thousand years (6ish?) where the "First Race" began to live and co-exist with the natural inhabitants.
Prator_the_Legendary 04-12-07, 08:44 PM	My entire "World" is a flying island that got picked up and moved into the air by an incredibly powerful wizard about 1000 years ago. Thus, recorded history only goes back 1000 years, but there are ancient legends, all but forgotten, of a time when the Flying Island of Mutnevda was attached to some kind of larger landmass far below...
Danarchy84 04-13-07, 10:04 AM	My world has at best about 50,000 history of sentient races. There was likely more history than that as well, but the living races don't have record of that. The first age was the age of elves and that lasted 10,000 or so years, then there was the age of legend (great human empires), the age of shadow, and the current age, each going on for 1,500 to 5,000 years each or so. The only real record of anything happening before the age of elves is stored away in elven vaults, though the dragons may remember a thing or two. Asking the gods wouldn't be much help either, since most of them weren't around until the Age of Shadow (the original pantheon was killed off, triggering said age).
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi 04-13-07, 11:30 AM	Maybe 5,000 years old at most. They're just beginning to settle into a steady rhythm, after having their world torn up to imprison a dark god and accidentally getting trapped. 5,000 years, and now they don't live in daily fear of the god's awakening.
mike_beavers 04-13-07, 11:48 AM	to the elves and dwarves over 7000 years, for humans about 4500 years. All the other races fall somewhere between those years
Arturius1 04-13-07, 01:03 PM	As the players know, only around 3,000 years. But it's closer to 50,000.
Kravell 04-13-07, 03:09 PM	5007 years, 18 days, and 8 hours old, give or take a few minutes.:D Records go back about 300 hundred years, before that it takes an expert sage (or maybe an old elf or dragon) to get accurate legends.
BeefotronX 04-13-07, 10:32 PM	Human civilization on Illiarth estimated at 9-15 thousand years old. Exact age of the world unknown. Two major calendars have marked the past 6040 years. Ancient Era: AE 1 - AE 3300 Illiarth was a humans-only high tech world before the Cataclysm in 3175 that tore up the fabric of reality, and eventually brought the migration of other intelligent races into the world. Before that, scholars argued over the exact age of the world and civilization, and never came to a complete consensus apart from that civilization preceded the Ancient Era calendar by at least 3500 years. Common Age: 1 CA - present (2741 CA) Any intelligent race other than humans has lived here only since shortly after the Cataclysm.
Anuvrix 04-13-07, 11:23 PM	On the world of Ciraldis, written history only goes back about 500 years, oral history (stories legends passed on verbally) goes back accurately over 1000 years, (awfully accurate for so long ago, the need for verbal history has been vital to the preservation of knowledge).
Holy_Beholder 04-14-07, 02:03 AM	Mine is a flat world, that is literally still being built. Each of the gods periodically adds a 9 square mile plate to the edge. As such, the age differs. The first plate was placed 4000 years ago. The second row was 3999 years ago. As it expands in all directions, currently it is a 24,000ft x 24,000ft square. You can tell which deity put what where too. Every year, on the first, it expands in every direction. However, I am going to start slowing down its growth. Some of the other planes are a little older, or younger. The astral plane is 10,000 years old(60,000ft x 60,000ft) , the elementals 8,000(48,000ft x 48,000ft) years old, the outer planes 6,000 years old(36,000 x 36,000 ft), the negative and positive energy planes 2,000 years old(12,000 x 12,000 ft), and the shadow plane and ethereal plane 3900 years old(23,400 ft x 23,400 ft), so the outer bit of the material plane has no contact with either. In each of the planes, on every ring, exists a tablet, with a clock on it(except mechanus, there are six on each ring there) These keep track of the time.
Glak 04-14-07, 02:11 PM	well on earth writing as we know it started around 2000 BC (pictographs around 3000 BC) and now it is about the year 2000 AD, so history is a mere 4000 years. Around the year 1000AD that would be about 3000, except that really they were only aware of stuff going back to maybe 1000 BC. So a medieval setting should logically have about 2000 years of history. I'm thinking that the setting that I will design soon will have about 500, since it is not that advanced.
Rewind 04-15-07, 11:22 PM	Well, in the universe at large of my setting, it would currently be 203,561 CE. It was 3561 when the first Human ship arrived in the Andromeda galaxy, and discovered the first portal to the specific world i'm developing now. It's been roughly 200,000 years since then, and civilization has been through cycles of technological and arcane progress, as I would think any human world would. Currently, it's 11,934 PD (Post Descent - a great world war that pitted the magical elves and humans against the magically-lacking catfolk and their nuclear-scale weapons). Right now, most countries are at a high point, starting to explore the other worlds of their solar system - with the help of magic. They are starting to learn about their true origins of the humans. Of course, the time is ripe for another disaster...;)
Dyne 04-16-07, 12:14 AM	Recorded history only goes back 1,457 years, though sentient life has been around for much longer than that. Just that history before that point has pretty much been wiped away by war and such, reduced to legends and folk tales.
CryoSilver 04-16-07, 12:53 AM	Recorded history in Iliga begins with the founding of the 12 Great Cities of Man, 4319 years before the setting opens.
MareltEkiran 04-16-07, 01:23 AM	Any recollection and history of the world of Lotrim goes back about 6000 years, when the world was reborn. However, the PC's recently found out that those were the survivors of a civilization that existed before the remaking of the world. The Eles-Perdnans, who are colonists from that ancient civilization on that other plane know that Lotrim is older than 6000 years, but barely remember anything from the time they still lived on that plane (in fact, it has been so long that a lot of them now think that Lotrim is just a myth). In truth, Lotrim (and the entire universe for that matter) were created about 10,000 years ago.
Alex_Belinsky 04-16-07, 03:04 PM	In my second setting: history available to all PC - up to 800 years, available to historians - about 2000 years (first 300 years of history mostly legendary), available to really inquisitive archaeologists - 5508 (when the gods botched up some rituals and begin to civilize ordinary folk). In my last setting: in starting region available for humans - about 700 years, available for dwarves and elves - more than 1800, available for dragons (and their associates) - 3200, in current region (8-11th lvl. party) available for natives - several decades (oral history), if archaeologists uncover some old tablette archives - about 2100 years. Both settings are fantasy, up to medieval tech level, magic-rich and somewhat high-powered.
obrysii 04-16-07, 03:12 PM	Landir follows a pattern of every six thousand years the world is "destroyed" and begins anew. The campaign took place at the end of the 4th cycle, making the world ~24,000 years old.
Darth Syntax 04-16-07, 08:51 PM	I like the cyclical nature of your time scheme, obrysii. Might I ask what causes the world to be destroyed every 6,000 years? -- One pattern I have noticed in this thread is that everyone's world has at least some history to it. For some this is a a few thousand years, for others it is aeons. More as a thought experiment than anything else, I have been considering making a world which began a very short time ago (perhaps a few days) but in which all the people have false memories of a past. There would be strange "gaps" in these memories and in the history that has been created for the people, perhaps they remember having parents, but cannot now recall their names, or their faces. The adventure plot would invovle the PC's attempting to figure out what is going on and why. Has anyone tried this sort of thing?
Anuvrix 04-16-07, 08:53 PM	Actually, that sounds kinda cool, nice campaign idea.
RevIron 04-17-07, 09:51 AM	My next campaign is due to open on New Years Day 70,001 - the first day of the 101st age, as they start every 700 years (due to a plot hook from the free downloads I want to use) - although the quantity was dictated by the number of generations a particular NPC could trace their ancestry back - it was 200 generations, they were an Elf and I based it on the premise an Elven Generation is 350 years. As for that thing about false history - that's offically part of Ravenloft canon.
DonThelonious 04-19-07, 07:47 AM	I have 3 worlds which I will lay before you: Acrete- Modern historians can trace written history back 5000 years, to the eradication and/or intefration of all evil races into normal socioty following a cataclysmic war between the forces of Good and Evil. The evil gods were all destroyed/banished leaving thier mortal followers bereft of guidance. One of my PCs was a tinker gnome named 'Tink', then there was the ogremage 'Phoenix', and finally a dark elf named 'Damaenon'. Damaenon gave tink some stimulants, Coke I think, and tink went nuts and built a perfect perpetual motion device. Phoenix broke it, Tink went nuts and tried to build another then endded up opening a rift that sucked them all back 5000 years. Made a great campaign because the fall of evil upset the balance of the universe. Some gods died and the PC's were the replacements. Darkworld- 10'000 years have passed since the undead covered the world in night and went genocidal on the elves. 3000 years before that the undead were made. Dragons are the only ones with any knowledge of pre-undead history, though they usually make sure to eat anyone after telling them (they have a deal with the undead, die or keep your mouths shut). Certain elven ruins that are forbidden still have libraries holding their history, but these places are guarded by very high caliber undead and several thousand minions. Fellerth- Super futer earth decimated by apocolyptic war. Roughly 12,257 AD give or take a decade. Elven history goes back about 7,000 years, same with dragons. Human history is good for about 1,500 years. Dwarves only know dwarf history back about 8,500 years. The most accurate historians are the gnomes, but they only care about technological history. The only complete history can be found in Australia, but there is a huge rift into the negative energy plane and anything alive dies within 25 miles of the coastline (a la "Go ask a Lich"). But there are so many ruined cities, and these have libraries, all thats needed is some brave adventurers...
Lyinginbedmon 04-19-07, 08:48 AM	Mine is a flat world, that is literally still being built. Each of the gods periodically adds a 9 square mile plate to the edge. As such, the age differs. The first plate was placed 4000 years ago. The second row was 3999 years ago. As it expands in all directions, currently it is a 24,000ft x 24,000ft square. You can tell which deity put what where too. Every year, on the first, it expands in every direction. However, I am going to start slowing down its growth. If one of the gods adds a 9 square mile plate every year, starting 4000 years ago, it should be a heck of a lot bigger than 24,000 square ft. Probablys, it should be closer to 190,080,000 ft. square (Or 36,000 square miles)
Holy_Beholder 04-19-07, 07:59 PM	The edges get knocked off sometimes, sometimes it is compressed, ect.
Lyinginbedmon 04-20-07, 12:13 PM	That's a lot of compression...it's one 7920th it's projected growth!
Verdande 04-20-07, 01:09 PM	That's a lot of compression...it's one 7920th it's projected growth! Periodically is not a synonym for annually. From what he said, the gods could put one chunk on today, and then not put another on for another 30,000 years. They do seem to be capricious gods, though.
DreadArchon 04-20-07, 02:06 PM	756 (Earth) years after the initial creation of time.
Janusunaj 04-20-07, 02:30 PM	25,000,000 years old. Beginning with the age of the mighty ones. Down through to the current age of the Isolationism's end.
Lyinginbedmon 04-20-07, 02:33 PM	Periodically is not a synonym for annually. From what he said, the gods could put one chunk on today, and then not put another on for another 30,000 years. They do seem to be capricious gods, though. The first plate was placed 4000 years ago. The second row was 3999 years ago. Well, the first and second plates were 1 year apart, so annually seems to have at least at one point been the pattern (Though without a third plate date we can't be sure). Capricious gods? Most definitely...
Holy_Beholder 04-20-07, 03:33 PM	The world is eventually going to be compressed until it blows up(it blows up meaning every atom goes off like a mini nuke), and the PC's are going to have to time their plane shift so that they are in the middle of plane shifting(I made a version that takes two rounds to shift) when it blows, and they will be forced to fight it out, the winner gets to create the next plane(cough, be DM, cough)