It was in the Third Age that the moon of El-Duram was shattered, creating the familiar sight of the shattered moon in the sky
| Beginning | Receding of the Waters |
| End | |
| Length | Unknown |
Preceded by | Succeeded by |
The Third Age, also called the Octarchy, the Age of Magic, the Age of the Broken Moon, the Age of Tovun, and the Summer of Man, was the third age of the World. It was defined by the rise and dominance of eight great cities over the entire world. These cities of Beldkind flourished for centuries, but ultimately destroyed each other in a ruinous war which practically destroyed the world, leading to the Fourth Age and the Dark Age of Man. Each of the eight cities was associated with a deity and the deity's associated magic.
The Third Age began in earnest when Tovun, God of Magic and of El-Duram, rebelled against the Gods in the aftermath of the War of the Gods. She believed that She was most suited to govern Beldkind, as only She (according to Her) had provided Mankind with any true assistance, referring to Her teaching of magic to Mankind. Using a combination of magic and wit, She fought against the Elohim. To the surprise of Her divine siblings, She won, unbeknownst to them due to Her courting of dark powers. She managed to severely injure all of Her siblings, forcing them to take shelter with Ithis in El-Asil to heal, which They would do for the remainder of the Age (so great were their wounds). In the process of this battle, known as the War in Heaven, Tovun and Her moon of El-Duram were shattered.
Tovun broke into many pieces, though eight held a fragment of Her soul and therefore attained sentience and powerlust. Her fragments scattered across the World, and eventually Her eight pieces were discovered by the Beldkind. Over each major piece, which was worshipped as a God, a city would be built and an empire founded, leading to the reign of eight empires and eight great cities.
Following the Sundering, Bouwen was awoken for a second time. He sundered each of the eight cities to ruin and scattered their peoples across the world. Using magic, Beld and Tover hid the eight cities from the eyes of the Beldkind to prevent them from being rediscovered by mankind. However, in the modern day, these enchantments have failed and decayed, and so the cities are once again existent in the physical world.
Despite the name, other independent nations did exist during the period of the Octarchy, however they were nowhere near as powerful as the eight great empires. For example, the Kardunashi Kingdom and Nemishite Kingdom were both founded in this period, but were not at all powerful.
The events of the Third Age are incredibly hazy and steeped in mystery. The events of the War of the Mages and leading up to it are believed to have involved blasphemies so foul and dangerous that the mere record of their existence was wiped as thoroughly as possible following the Sundering of the World. The ruins of the nine capital cities were hidden with magic and buried beneath earth, sea, sand, or jungle (except for Duryavar, which remains inhabited under the name Gal-Anzarak). This had led scholars to call it the Hidden Age, the Age of Mystery, and the Forgotten Era.
| Civilization | Capital City | Patron Deity |
|---|---|---|
The Giftgiver | ||
Ib-Manthosh (initially) Ib-Yashar (after migration) | ||
| Unknown | ||
* the eighth piece of Tovun entered into a pact with the Unknown to stave off death. However, this was a trick, and the unnamed eighth God became a vessel for the Lich Lord and was consumed from the inside out until none of its soul and essence remained