Historical Period

Usually, the GM has set the historical period when determining the setting of the campaign, but in some cases, the players may be able to either help the GM determine the historical period or be able to play characters from different periods. For the most part, this is relevant to the technology level of the characters.

General Periods

While not all places on the world are at the same tech level or societal development, these refer to the most common level in the world at the time:

• Primal: the world has not cooled from its molten stage. No life is extant except some powerful elementals and inmortals.
• Primordial: the world is not fully formed. All life is microscopic and usually oceanic. The only conscious lifefroms are powerful elementals and inmortals.
• Premortal: before conscious mortal beings were present; only inmortals from previous iterations of Shem may be found. Megafauna and ancient lifeforms exist. The "Age of Dinosaurs".
• Stone Age: mortals use tools of stone, wood, and bone, wear hides and furs, and exist in small groups, surviving as hunter-gatherers. Almost always matriarchal, classless tribes, though in the latter part of this period, early forms of agriculture emerge. Early settlements evolve.
• Antediluvian: mortals learn and use powerful early forms of esoterica, mostly aetherial, to create wonders, creating advanced matriarchal cultures. Technology is advanced but still made of natural materials, magically shaped. Agriculture is nature-encompassed, meaning in harmony with nature. Major, magical cities form.
• The Fall: societal collapse, rise of patriarchy, loss of magical technology in favor of early infernal powers. Early smithing and other basic technologies develop. Early slave-based economies develop. Agriculture devolves into more mortal-driven work rather than nature-encompassed.
• Copper Age: development of the use of copper tools. Early slave-based economies expand into larger societies.
• Bronze Age: development of the use of bronze tools. Early slave-based economies become early empires.
• Iron Age: development of the use of iron tools. Early empires grow and expand to be massive.
• Antiquity: early slave-based empires span much of the globe. Mortals build early wonders.
• Fall of Empires: early empires start giving way to feudal, land-based economies. Technologies advance as empires fall because they have reached points of unsustainable expansion.
• Early Feudal: development of the horse-collar and other agricultural advances allow for land-based economies to flourish.
• Middle Ages: feudal kingdoms flourish and spread while a nascent merchant class builds power. Wars across continents cause technological advances and exchanges. The printing press is invented.
• Mercantile: developments in sailing technology allow for greater movement around the world and the rise of the merchant class as feudal ruling classes decline.
• Colonial Period: the earliest mercantile and strongest feudal socieities begin to colonize other parts of the world. Technological exchanges continue. Feudalism gives way to capitalism.
• Pre-Industrial: early capitalism relies on agriculture and chattel slavery. Feudal societies sharply decline or completely fall in favor of capitalism.
• Industrial: major technological advances give way to an industrial revolution that brings factories and mass production, including things like train systems, steam ships, telegraph systems, and other tech that connects the world more rapidly. Reliance on chattel enslavement declines and eventually ends (usually violently).
• Early Imperial: finance capital begins to dominate society, leading to monopoly capitalism. Capitalists seek new markets and resources and reignite colonial practices. Technological advancements include electricity, automobiles, airships, radio, telephones, and petroleum. Early socialist societies begin to develop.
• Imperial Conflicts: imperialism leads major powers into massive conflict, leading to development of more powerful weapons, jets, television, etc. Some capitalist societies resort to fascism.
• Atomic Age: development of atomic weaponry and nuclear energy leads to further technological advancements and dominance by leading imperialist powers.
• Age of Resistance: early socialist societies and national liberation movements weaken imperialist powers. Technological advancements include more impressive communications systems, early computers, and improved transportation.
• Infotech Age: computers come to dominate society technologically. The Metanet is developed. Capitalism and socialism come into direct conflicts. Capitalism begins to rely upon war economies and dominance via financial control rather than direct military occupation. Major advances in automation.
• Dystopian: the contemporary period to the here and now. Socialism is at a low ebb; capitalism continues unchecked but becomes even more unstable. Artificial intelligence and surveillance systems develop. Fascism grows exponentially.
• Early Socialism: capitalism falls as revolutions sweep the world. Reconstruction becomes the primary function of society. Conflicts focus on the legacy of past class societies.
• Late Socialism: after the damages of past class conflicts have been addressed, society gets to focus on developing itself for the good of all. Technology and esoterica rapidly advances.
• Communism: quasi-utopian. Unimaginable advances in technology, magic, and society.
• Interstellar Expansion: foreseeing the death of the sun or the world for natural reasons, mortals expand beyond the bounds of Shem, peacefully.
• Far Future: the world is dying. Very few mortals remain on the world. Only elementals and beings bound to Shem remain.
• Post-Shem: the diaspora dwells amongst the stars in super-advanced technological and magical societies.

There may be back and forth between these levels as time progresses.

Technological Levels

What kind of technology is available in different time periods.

Technology	Years Ago	Period
Stone scraping tools	2.5 million	Stone Age
Huts	2 million	Stone Age
Stone hand axes	1.6 million	Stone Age
Fire	1.5 million	Stone Age
Boats	900,000	Stone Age
Cooking	500,000	Stone Age
Javelins	400,000	Stone Age
Glue	200,000	Stone Age
Clothing	170,000	Stone Age
Advanced stone tools	100,000	Stone Age
Bow and arrow	70,000	Stone Age
Sewing needles	60,000	Stone Age
Flutes	43,000	Stone Age
Ropes	40,000	Stone Age
Ceramics	25,000	Stone Age
Domesticated animals	15,000	Stone Age
Sling	11,000	Stone Age
Brick	8,000	Stone Age
Plough	6,000	Stone Age
Wheel	6,000	Stone Age
Gnomon	6,000	Stone Age
Writing	5,500	Stone Age
Copper	5,200	Copper Age
Bronze	4,500	Bronze Age
Salt	4,500	Bronze Age
Iron	3,500	Iron Age
Sundial	2,800	Iron Age
Glass	2,500	Iron Age
Catapult	2,400	Iron Age
Cast iron	2,400	Iron Age
Horseshoe	2,300	Iron Age
Cloning
Stem cell treatments
Artificial intelligence
Nanotech
Photonic computers
Fusion power
Metamaterial
Laser weaponry
Gravity control
Maglev transportation
Space elevator