Vallene is eternal, but life upon it is not.
In a time before recorded history, Vallene was a planet ravaged by storms, powerful earthquakes, natural disasters of all kinds, and the only living beings were the powerful, cold-blooded dragons, and the hearty frost giants, content to live among the snow and ice. The two races warred with each other back and forth across Vallene until their final conflict changed the face of Vallene forever. With the planet's climate changed, the remaining dragons slipped beneath the surface, intent on remaining warm and safe from the new world. The frost giants did not adapt to the seasonal cycles Vallene was now subject to, and many died off, leaving only a few clans to roam the northernmost reaches of Ferime and the arctic deserts beyond.
For many ages, Vallene slumbered in peace as natural life evolved on its surface, and the legacy of war was relegated beyond memory. It was in this time that the Correa came to be, their cities and psionic powers granting them dominion over the mundane beasts of the world. In time, they would come into contact with the frost giants, and find themselves at odds with the few dragons still active in the world.
Many thousands of years ago, the twin creator gods (I’noc and Rannoc) came to this world and began to populate it with their own creations (humans, elves, and dwarves). The Correa, fearing these powerful new beings and their creations, fled the surface. For a time, the world was peaceful and prosperous, and the twin gods ruled together in harmony. There are many theories as to what happened, with different religions offering their own answers, but the result is clear: the twin gods came to hate each other, and battled across the world until they slew one another. Their bodies fell to the land, changing the surface world forever, and forming many of the world’s unique features. Their blood rained from the skies, covering those the gods had created.
In time, the world recovered, until the intelligent races of the world realized the power in the blood of their fallen gods. Wars were fought amongst the intelligent races, with the aggressive and fast-breeding humans outpacing the others in their mastery of the blood. Magical power wielded by those invested with large amounts of Godsblood was like that of the gods themselves, and mankind triumphed over its enemies. The Correa did their best to protect themselves from the increasingly powerful humans, but ultimately failed to turn back the tide and were largely wiped out.
The secret in the Godsblood was in taking it from others. The more one could harness for themselves (and as would later be discovered, their descendants), the more powerful a family grew. The strongest among the humans formed a ruling council known as the High. Their citadel was carved from the bones of I’noc, the twin of light. Their mastery of the new-found powers granted by their blood led them to wipe nearly all of the other sentient races from the world. Those that remain among the elves, dwarves, and other races are powerful and old, and remain hidden in the world even now.
With mankind at the pinnacle of their achievement, they spread across the whole of the planet, with cultural divides forming, and some rare cultures that deliberately weeded out those of high Blood, believing that the blood of gods was tainted and responsible for all the evil in the world. Wars were fought, lines were drawn, and the world eventually settled into a relative peace. There are always those who crave more power and make a big move, but the might of the High keeps many in check. The fringe villages and towns, distant from the trade and research hubs of the Empire were more lawless, routinely being ruled by families who had accumulated some small amount of Blood.
The ages of Vallene, by human reckoning:
The Primordial Age - from before known history until the end of the war between the giants and the dragons. With the coming of a calamitous storm, Vallene's climate is changed drastically, leading to both the giants and the dragons largely leaving the world. The remaining dragons bury themselves in Vallene's crust, while the giants lose hospitable territory until they are diminished such that only a small tribe lives in the coldest parts of Ferime.
The Age of Dawn - Now a more temperate world, Vallene's flora and fauna evolve and the Correa, a humanoid race with psionic powers rise on Vallene. Correan cities span the world, and for a time, they flourish. The Age of Dawn ends with the coming of twin gods I'noc and Rannoc.
The Age of Creation - I'noc and Rannoc, the twin creator gods, combine their power to create the humanoid races of man, elf, and dwarf. I'noc and Rannoc are pleased with their creation, and Vallene flourishes. The Correan people have some minor conflicts with the new races, and retreat underground.
The Age of Blood - I'noc and Rannoc, for reasons unknown, come to hate one another. Their conflict tears Vallene apart as nations choose one god or the other. The Correan population has declined, and they begin creating the collective psychic minds that will absorb the consciousnesses of the remaining Correans. The Age of Blood ends with I'noc and Rannoc killing each other, drowning the world in their magical blood.
The Age of Man - In the wake of I'noc and Rannoc's death, the world is soaked in their powerful magical blood. The humans are the first to utilize this power. With phenomenal cosmic power at their fingertips, mankind conquers most of Vallene. The elven and dwarven nations are crushed, though some of their more powerful members escape into the darker parts of the world. The human empire builds their capital using the bones of fallen I'noc, and now rules most of the known world. The Correans are long gone, their buried, sentient cities the last reminder of a bygone era. This is the present age.