CHAPTER THE FOURTH

In the chaos which followed the Great Plague, much of the knowledge gained over the previous several millennia was lost. Science and the Arcane Arts had to virtually begin again from scratch. Among the high Elven sages, some of the ancient secrets were preserved, but since they never tampered with the Great Magicks, all knowledge of them was lost. Many secrets and mysteries remain today unsolved and buried within the bowels of the earth awaiting rediscovery.

Recovery from the plague's devastation was painfully slow, but eventually civilization returned to the world, or at least to most of it. Some of the more remote areas remain in their barbarian state even today.

Towns and cities sprang up, sometimes on the site of old ones, sometimes in new places. Trade between the cities began again, allowing civilization to once again root itself in the worlde.

The land in our own part of the worlde is remarkably suitable for agricultural domestication, and therefore, as the society in this area developed, land became a powerful economic tool. And since a powerful economic tool is usually also a powerful political tool, it came to pass that those who held some land held some power, and those who held a great deal of land held a great deal of power. This is our current feudal political system developed, with the King of Mercia being the "Chief" landowner, and all of Your Majesty's vassals owing support to you in time of war.

Here ends this treatise on the Historie of the Worlde as we know it. Please refer also to our discussion of the political divisions of significance in the world, as well as our notes on the major geographical areas and items of interest.

Alfred, Chief Royal Chronologer