World History

World History as described through the links below is an imaginative synthesis of dungeons & dragons elements — races, magic, character classes and gods — woven into the tapestry of real-world historical events. The intention is to create a compelling setting where fantasy and reality intertwine, providing a mythic backdrop that enhances gameplay, storytelling and worldbuilding possibilities. At first glance, much of the history presented may appear "wrong." This is entirely intentional. The reinterpretation of actual historical periods, peoples and events is not meant to be accurate. Instead, it reflects a deliberate blending of fact and fantasy, using the tools of dungeons & dragons to imagine an alternate past shaped by arcane forces and non-human civilisations.

It would be a mistake to assume that any content found here regarding real-world history is factual. While many names, places and timelines are drawn from actual sources, their treatment has been altered to fit a world where dragons once flew over Mesopotamia, dwarves built fortresses beneath the Alps and elves watched the rise and fall of empires from hidden forests. Readers and players are encouraged to do their own research when historical truth is desired, and to enjoy what follows for what it is — an alternate mythic history, created in the service of fantasy role-playing.

This approach requires certain presuppositions in the telling of these histories, given the potential influence and far-reaching power of the fantasy elements involved. Magic, divine intervention and the actions of non-human races can have profound effects on the course of events, reshaping entire cultures and rewriting the familiar arc of human development. As such, a suspension of disbelief is asked for. The reader is encouraged to accept these divergences as part of the internal logic of the setting. What is written adheres to the established parameters of the campaign world, as discussed here, integrating dungeons & dragons mechanics and lore into the reinterpretation of real-world events. This allows history to unfold under the influence of spellcasters, ancient gods and the ambitions of powerful characters, while still preserving the structure and rhythm of a plausible timeline.

Use of Legitimate History

The goal is to establish a historical framework that feels familiar to players, allowing them to act within a recognizable and predictable cultural and technological context. This is achieved by presupposing that, even within an alternate timeline shaped by fantasy elements, the broad arc of world development — cultural shifts, technological advances, political evolution — remains fundamentally the same. This assumption holds true both for ancient history and for the game world's present, set in the 17th century.

To support this, the "butterfly effect" — the idea that even small changes can lead to massive, unpredictable consequences — is deliberately and entirely disregarded. A useful explanation for this is the existence of actual Gods, whose active presence in the world provides a kind of divine inertia or predestination that guides events toward familiar outcomes. The hand of the divine ensures that, despite the presence of magic, non-human races and supernatural forces, the world still broadly follows the path we recognize from our own history.

What matters is maintaining plausibility. This is done by carefully placing fantasy races in locations that make cultural and historical sense, by limiting the reach and raw power of magic to prevent it from overpowering society, and by assuming that the advantages of monsters and non-human beings are balanced by other constraints — social, environmental or otherwise. These are not logical necessities, but narrative tools, forming a bias that keeps the game world's history believable and internally consistent.

Identity & Culture

The history presented in this setting is designed to preserve the tone, values and conditions of the 17th century, a period in which autocratic rule and institutional cruelty were the norm. Societies casually employed torture, public punishments such as hanging, drawing and quartering, the harsh use of prisons and workhouses, slavery and widespread exploitation of the poor and powerless. War was nearly constant, marked by brutality, atrocities and mass suffering. Disease, famine and massacres were common occurrences, while religious minorities often faced persecution and violent suppression.

These elements are retained to emphasize that this was a very different world from our own. The cruelty and harshness of the era raise the stakes of survival, making the world feel more immediate and dangerous. This also serves to guide player behavior, granting them the freedom to act as the natives of that time might — without modern moral judgment for choices that align with the historical norms of the setting. Players are not expected to adhere to present-day standards of ethics and civility in a world that simply did not possess those values. However, there are specific belief systems suspended within the game world, despite their historical presence. These changes are made to enhance playability and to correct for certain historical injustices that would otherwise limit the depth and inclusivity of the game.

Equality of the sexes: here, gender is not a factor in ability, authority or social standing. All individuals are seen as equally capable, regardless of sex. A character's decision to pursue a class, rise to leadership, inherit power or shape their own path is never restricted or diminished by gender. The roles available to player characters or NPCs are open to all, without societal barriers rooted in outdated norms.

Witches are not burned: since magic is an accepted and tangible part of the world, and since clerics and spellcasters operate openly, the witch hysteria that plagued the historical 17th century does not exist. The term "witch" is not used as a pretense for the persecution or execution of individuals, particularly women. Spellcasters are often feared, yes, but they are also respected and even revered. The community typically sees their presence as a boon, not a threat. Additionally, the practice of executing women labeled as witches to confiscate property does not exist, as such exploitation is both socially and legally invalid within the bounds of this world.

Historical Accuracy

Real history is filled with uncertainty, competing narratives and debates over origins, intentions and outcomes. Scholars disagree about who did what, where certain peoples came from, what events truly meant and why they happened at all. Historiography is built on research, interpretation and constant revision. In contrast, because the history of the setting is being made up, certainty is not only possible, it's expected. The dungeon master has the authority to declare definitively that a specific people were responsible for the destruction of another, or for founding a particular culture, and exactly when it happened. Unlike the shifting theories of real-world history, the events described here are fixed and authoritative.

This is not "real history." It is constructed history — fictional, but consistent and absolute within the game world. Every moment in time, even those set millennia in the past, happened as described in the linked entries. They are not open to revision or reinterpretation. They occurred that way because the dungeon master says so. And the dungeon master knows — because he was there.

Historical Timelines

• Bronze Age
• Chalcolithic Period
• Chinese History
• Egyptian History
• Gnomish History
• Hebraic History
• Indian History
• Iron Age
• Mesolithic Period
• Mesopotamian History
• Neolithic Period
• Palaeolithic Period

See also,
History (sage study)
History of Empire (sage ability)
Modern History