Editing Dwimmermount: If Trouble Was Money (section)

=== Era 3: The Eld ===

The age of the Great Ancients ended when Telluria was invaded by the Eld, the Red Elves of Areon. Wielding Chaotic magicks learned from pacts with demons, the Red Elves overwhelmed the Great Ancients and drove them from history. Precisely what happened to the Ancients is a mystery. The most popular opinion is that they were wiped out by the Eld. A minority of sages claim that the Great Ancients fled to a secret redoubt—in the West, in another world, deep underground—and that they will one day make a glorious return to Telluria, ushering in a new golden age.

In any case, with the Ancients dead or at least gone, the Red Elves established dominion over Telluria. The Eld enslaved mankind, drove the dwarves to near-extinction, and warped and twisted many other species to create monstrous servants. The Eld ruled absolutely for over six hundred years. Rebellions occurred regularly, as men tried in vain to throw off the yoke of the alien invaders, but the Eld cruelly put down any resistance to their reign.

Eventually, the northern barbarians known as the Thulians began to achieve victories against the Eld. The Thulians attributed their victories to their gods, to whom they were especially devoted; and to their abhorrence of arcane magic, which they saw as contrary to Law and right. Whatever the truth, the Thulian’s success against the Red Elves began inspiring other men and even the native elves of Telluria to take up arms against them. With each defeat at Thulian hands, the Eld lost ground, eventually even abandoning Dwimmermount, which the Thulians seized.

*Areon - This is a different planet, or possibly a different plane of existence?