Era
The Lethrin Hegemony collapses over three centuries of internal war. Into the vacuum, the Verathen peoples — now iron-armed and organized — forge the first kingdoms. The Verathen Compact emerges as the dominant power. Lethrin populations retreat to the western highlands.
No one knows exactly what collapsed the Lethrin Hegemony. Later Verathen historians attributed it to divine punishment; Lethrin oral tradition speaks of a disease that made the leylines "go quiet." The truth may be more mundane: a volcanic winter from a massive eruption on the southern continent, lasting sixty years, which the Lethrin agricultural system could not withstand.
The Iron Centuries are defined by constant warfare — between Verathen kingdoms, against Lethrin holdouts, and internally within the Compact as it struggles to hold itself together. Magic is real and useful, but not a decisive battlefield advantage yet — the best weapon is still a well-drilled infantry line.