At the onset of the Age of Providence, the first civilized settlement of mankind - Bloodloch - is dug and founded by the Dowaf, precursor to the Dwarves, who are among the most developed of the mortal races. Soon thereafter, Spinesreach is built by the Ankyreans as a bastion and storehouse of knowledge. Next, Stormcaller Crag in the Tundra is built, and later the sprawling underwater city of Kelsys is founded, overseen directly by Slyphe. As favoured children of a Goddess, the Kelki are granted insight and power beyond other mortals, making Kelsys a bastion of advanced technology.
The Consortium is formed by the Ankyreans to research the great secrets of the world, and following experiments with the leylines, they discover the Dreikathi, alerting them to their presence. A great war breaks out as Ankyreans and Dreikathi clash, both in the material world and within the ley. This precipitates the mysterious destructive event later called the Disturbance. The great war ends with the collapse of the leyline transit and the destruction of the Court of the Consortium.
Yggdrasil, the World Tree, is planted in an attempt to mend some of the effects of the Disturbance. Fearful of further disturbances, Varian conceals knowledge of the leylines from His children. The great war signifies the breakdown of the social order between Ankyreans and the "rellyw", marking the end of the Second Immortal Epoch.