Age of Myths

The Age of Myths is the most ancient era of this world, spanning the time when humans were not yet masters of the continent. It ended thousands of years ago, and in those days gods, demons, dragons, and other ancient races still roamed the world. The density of mana was then several times greater than now, which made possible what is unthinkable in the present age: the seeds of the World Tree could sprout, for instance, and the blood of the ancient races was far purer. The grimoire Gluttony itself is a product of this era and preserves its memory, which makes it a priceless source of knowledge about the forgotten past.

With the end of the Age of Myths the world changed irreversibly: the barriers around the material world grew firmer, and summoning beings from other worlds became all but impossible — a thousand years ago it was already no longer possible to call a senior-rank being. Magic declined. The 9th-Circle archmages, common in that era, have vanished and survive only in historical records; heroes able to cleave a mountain with a single sword stroke became a half-forgotten legend. Dragons — the strongest race — outlived the era and still look down on all others.

The Age of Myths left behind mighty relics that mages and warriors still hunt at the risk of their lives: swords of the gods (Fermut, the weapon of Silver-Handed Nuadu), artifacts wielding 9th-Circle magic, the laboratory of the great alchemist Paracelsus with its philosopher's stone. The relics are not only 'divine': even an ancient clan's family swords hold within them the techniques of a long-dead ancestor, able to make an heir a swordmaster in a decade. Traces of that era are nearly wiped from the earth — only rare ruins remain, many carefully hidden or heavily damaged by time; the relics of the ancient mage empire of Balsia, for instance, long ago passed into oblivion.

It is to the Age of Myths that the Seven Sins set and the power Theodore gains both trace back. Gluttony, having witnessed that era, is often the only one to remember the truth about ancient gods, dragons, and the catastrophes of the past, and so remains Theodore's chief guide into this lost history. As its seals are removed, the grimoire reveals to Theodore ever more of the Age of Myths' secrets — including the true purpose of the Seven Sins' arrival in this world.

After the Age of Myths, 9th-Circle archmages vanished, the bond between worlds weakened, and the summoning of higher beings faded. Only rare ruins and relics remain: swords of the gods (Fermut, Nuadu's weapon), 9th-Circle artifacts, Paracelsus's laboratory with its philosopher's stone, family blades carrying ancient masters' techniques. The relics of the ancient mage empire of Balsia are long lost. The Seven Sins grimoires, Gluttony among them, are also a legacy of that era.

With the era's end the world weakened irreversibly: the material world's barriers firmed, summoning senior-rank beings became impossible a thousand years ago, and mana density fell. Dragons — the strongest race of that age — outlived it and still look down on others, and slaying an adult, let alone an ancient, dragon remains the measure of transcendent power (achievable by a high-stage Seven Sins grimoire).