The Origins of the Races
It is said that all intelligent peoples of Bellaria share a common origin – an ancient strain of beings we now call goblins. Around 600,000 years ago, they roamed the plains, caves, and forests in solitary majesty. They were the world’s first people to develop language, tools, and the first sparks of what would later be called magic.
As time passed, the goblins spread across Bellaria, adapting to new lands and harsher conditions. Some tribes grew larger, stronger, and more aggressive, molded by the brutal wilds they called home. These became the orcs, emerging around 400,000 years ago – a people of endurance and might.
Others found balance in the forests and valleys, living in rhythm with the world’s pulse. They learned to listen rather than conquer, to shape rather than break. From them arose the elves, also around 400,000 years ago, graceful and attuned to the hidden life of nature.
In time, not all elves remained beneath the sun. Around 350,000 years ago, a portion of their kind ventured into the deep earth. There, far from the light, they changed swiftly – their eyes sharpened, their skin paled, and their hearts turned to silence. Thus were born the dark elves.
Meanwhile, other elven tribes turned toward the mountains. They made their homes among stone and metal, learning endurance and precision from the land itself. Over thousands of years, their bodies grew shorter and sturdier, their hands skilled in craft and labor. These became the dwarves, around 200,000 years ago.
Among the dwarves, some delved deeper still. The weight and heat of the world reshaped them once more – their skin turned pale, their eyes accustomed to glowing crystal light. Around 150,000 years ago, these underdeep settlers became known as the dark dwarves.
At the same time, other dwarves sought the open plains beyond the mountains. Beneath the open sky, their forms changed again: they grew taller, faster, and more adaptive to change. From them arose humankind, around 100,000 years ago – the youngest of all peoples, quick to build, quick to forget, and quick to begin anew.
By 100,000 years ago, all the peoples of Bellaria had entered the age of hunters. Elves, dwarves, orcs, humans, and goblins alike lived in roaming tribes, bound by firelight, rhythm, and ritual. Their songs and scars told the stories of survival.
Then, in the last 20,000 years, came the rise of civilization. Across continents and climates, each race began to build – cities, halls, sanctuaries, and kingdoms. Trade and conflict bound them together, and the first maps of Bellaria were drawn. It was the dawn of recorded history, and the age in which IronGaard now stands.
The Ancestral Tree of Bellaria
The Origins of Life
From the first emergence of the goblins to today’s diverse lineages, history has been shaped by encounters, separations, and ever-shifting worldviews. But even this chapter – what we call the rise of the races – is only part of a much older tale. Long before goblins walked the plains, before any creature lifted a stone or uttered a word, the world had already begun its silent journey. Life itself – in its simplest form – emerged from thermal vents, mineral-rich coasts, and the deep magical pulses of the planet’s crust. From there, over millions of years, it grew more complex.
This deeper history, however, is not widely known in Bellaria. While certain scholars, naturalists and arcano-biologists have uncovered fragments of this long evolution, the knowledge remains fragmented, disputed, and often buried in hidden vaults or lost ruins. Most cultures know only that older beings once existed, hinted at through fossil remains, strange relics, or ancient magical patterns embedded in stone and root. Each race holds its own version of origin – many believing they emerged uniquely, shaped by divine will, ancestral destiny, or elemental power. In truth, few understand that all life in Bellaria shares a common ancestry, born not of gods or glory, but of slow transformation and deep time.
To truly understand Bellaria is to look beyond the legends – to study the forces that shaped the planet itself, the ecosystems that birthed the first arcanite reactions, and the organisms that learned to grow, to hunt, and eventually… to think. What follows below is that hidden story: a journey from single-celled beginnings to the rise of civilization – in a world where magic is not a divine gift, but a natural presence. A world where evolution is not merely biological, but at times guided by energies still beyond our full understanding.
The emergence of marine life, including crustaceans, corals, jellyfish, molluscs and sea cucumbers.
The emergence of fish and dragon-like snakes, along with the first primitive arcaparticles.
The first great predators, including sharks, early proto-arcaparticles in vertebrates, and aranite plants.
The first life on land, including algae, fungi, moss, and the earliest arcanite moss.
The open landscape, where the Arcnet evolves on land, alongside water scorpions.
The evolution of vertebrates, including lizards and snakes, along with the emergence of the first arcanite-infused lizards and trees.
The evolution of birds and mammals, along with the development of semi-evolved arcaparticles.
The evolution of mankind: Goblins evolve into Orcs, while different lineages give rise to Elves. Orcs further evolve into Ogres, Trolls, and Giants. Elves transition into Dark Elves, then Dwarves, and ultimately Humans.
