This period covers the space of around 1,000 years. There was a gradual yet explosive change across both races that changed the way they lived and interacted with the world around them. Around the first and second quarter was the period of the most change. The old style of tribes was starting to change, gradually but also radically. They were even starting to break off into smaller sub-groups of communities. As technology developed, as well as wider range and understanding of building with tools, at least four Zerini tribes started to build in some of the forests across the entire mid region of the continent, to protect themselves from many dangers, and it led to them earning the nickname 'Flying Zerini', or 'Fliers'. Others started to build extensively underground. The vast majority decided to live and remain on the ground, and as they bred at a far quicker rate but this encroached on Aeoni territory, despite their relatively peaceful ways towards one another. Most Aeoni tribes felt threatened, so a number of them upped and moved, heading towards the coast, but at least two tribes fought back since it was stepping on their territory and reacted aggressively.
The other big change was not only the metal working but also crystal mining. The Zerini had discovered crystal caves from exploration. Though both races seemed to have an affinity for crystals, since crystals seemed to have an effect on them, though they were not entirely sure why. They encountered different coloured crystals, all though there were some that seemed to have a negative effect though they weren't yet able to correlate it with illness. It was still quite a new discovery so not everyone was familiar with crystals yet. Tribes had slowly gone through the process of growing into wider communities, and trade started to happen between not only just within their own races but with each other too, even though it took many years for it to happen, since the Aeoni had generally moved away from Zerini populations. With little conflict between them, though medical advances were a lot slower, though there were some brought on by disease and illness, as well as injuries that required them to further their understanding. They already had some knowledge of plants that seemed to have healing properties—though it seemed to have different effects on an individual basis, but also across Aeoni and Zerini, since both species seemed to have an abundance of different plants around them, though it differed from region to region. There was yet to be any central unified city or government, so knowledge passed on very slowly. However, the first large settlement formed by the Zerini underground and it was given the name Denworthy. While it had officially existed for longer than most could remember, it was larger than any of the others, suggesting it was likely the ancestral home of the Zerini though no one could be certain. The second largest settlement that grew was the Aeoni settlement called Aegmari that appeared to be the Aeoni's ancestral home, near the river Aegmar and also had the ancestral burial grounds, but again much like Denworthy, no one was certain.
There was also a gradual development in art, medicine and writing, which started in Denworthy in the second quarter, dated around 250CE. Inea Runner, of the Runner clan developed art and writing. He was the fifth son of Dozuta and Ezare Runner. They had around five sons and four daughters that made up their family, and it was an average sized family at this time. Inea spent the majority of his life, alongside his wife, Lura, who had been with him all of that time and more, since they only had two children, after losing several from disease, along with this and other things that drove him to become a scholar. He had a few other Zerini that also spent time with him and were able to help this develop it with writing having started on stone tablets, as well as bone, as both races, in particular the Aeoni made use of animal bones. The Aeoni were the ones that really cultivated the idea of domestication and using animals for a range of different things, rather than just food. They domesticated a medium sized mammalian creature they called a Miro that was a hardy four-legged mammal that was a slow and lumbering, but was often used for food but also travelling.
More of the older tribal villages started to expand, becoming villages, which slowly led to the development of roads, allowing trade at least with ground and underground settlements. The villages that started to form up in the trees by the fliers, while at first started as being inviting and welcoming but after about two generations (fifty to sixty years) of peace, the grounders started to expand, and encroached on their territory, threatening to chop down some of the trees for resources. It led to an actual war between the two of them that lasted a while before there was a truce. Despite having a truce, it led to the Fliers becoming isolated, led by a triumvirate of the three largest families but also considered the wisest of families, so it was a Noocracy, after abandoning their former ways of having a chief. They would live as isolationists for another one hundred years. Though they did not travel very much they allowed both members of the tribe to leave home, and to allow travellers to visit under certain conditions. The city the Fliers lived in was called, Skyfall.
The classical period really started getting going when the Aeoni sea city, called Westport had grown into a bustling city along the coast, dated around 340 CE. The city grew over the centuries to become one of the most important cities on the entire continent. The Aeoni would use it as a fishing city but it was also when they encountered for the first time an enormous creature that lived in the ocean that attacked some of the Aeoni as prey. They eventually called it the 'Leviathan' the King of the Seas, since it seemed to live in the waters but never attacked them on land. It led to them creating the first ever ship to use as a fishing vessel. It meant they would be able to fish with far better protection. The development and construction of ships came at a timely point in their history. The knowledge of shipbuilding slowly spread across the entire Aeoni population. It did reach some of the Zerini but they seemed less interested in ships for now, since they preferred staying in-land.
More towns and a number of cities started to rise across the continent, with population still increasing between both races. The Zerini, though were growing at a rate of three to one, which meant they were expanding, and moving into more suitable territory. It gave rise to centralised governments in the different cities that operated in mostly democratic systems except Skyfall that was still a Noocracy and isolationist. Even though they were all democratic, even across the two races, there was increasing tension between them though it did not yet reach the level of outright conflict. Some Aeoni settlements welcomed the idea of Zerini living with them, but others were less inviting, even though current generations had little reason to dislike the Zerini, nonetheless there was no conflict between them, just an uneasy tension. Now that travel was more common for people between villages, towns and cities, there was a rise of inns—they had existed before as just taverns but now there were some built that allowed travellers to stay for as long as they wanted as long as they could afford it. Rates varied from location to location. However, one of the negative sides of this expansion was the rise in crime.
In one of the cities, the tension rose to boiling point, due to a notorious figure called Durge Stormthorn, the first well-known Aeoni criminal that caused trouble within the city of Riverhome, by the River Nosa, at around 370 CE. The tension turned into verbal and some minor physical violence towards Zerini and it caused many Zerini to feel uneasy while living in the city. A tiny number left the city, while others looked towards the government. The Aeoni government were very slow in responding since they had never dealt with such a level of crime in their history. Durge Stormthorn and his group managed to escape Riverhome, fleeing southward. It was then that Durge formed his syndicate, the first criminal organization. The Aeoni as a response to the trouble caused in Riverhome created the first ever-professional fighting force to help protect citizens and villagers. Up until then it had just been anyone who could fight but it was not necessarily their main job in society. It led to the creation of new jobs, more blacksmiths, wheelershops, and other things that worked alongside the new army. The Zerini that stayed within Riverhome welcomed the idea of the army, especially as laws were passed that gave all citizens the ability to serve in the army. Though many preferred to do other lines of work, it attracted a small amount of citizens that wanted to join and they taught them all sorts of survival skills but also gave them lessons in medicine, philosophy, and writing. It allowed them to pursue all sorts alongside the training. Citizens at least in Riverhome were defined as those who were people that lived in that particular city, regardless of social class, intelligence, gender or race, or even religion. Citizens were expected to pay a small amount in taxes for the city. These ideas were implemented across other cities, especially those that had been taken by surprise by the syndicate that had targeted Zerini citizens.
Around two hundred and thirty years, 600 CE had passed since the army had formed and over two hundred since Denworthy and other cities had really started to grow. The army had grown, with them developing bows, spears, leather shields and leather vests that were taken from the Miro animals and other animals such as the Nimla. Crystals became almost central to trade especially those that were wealthier; as they also appeared in use for jewellery, the shinier and more vibrant the crystal the better. It seemed as though they had different effects for different wearers. It appeared as though some gave healing benefits in users, as well as other benefits. However, they were not sure whether it was down to the crystal or something else. Either way they became a massive part of trade as did everything else since they had yet developed a standard currency.
The syndicate was still in operation, and had taken over the city of Blueshade, much to the despair of the leaders of the government that had been pressured into resigning. One of them did and one of the syndicate's agents was chosen in the next election leading alongside two other high senators. It caused a knock on effect with some Zerini fearing what might happen, so some fled to the nearby Grounder cities in Acornwatch and Rodar. Others stayed, believing in the system, that they would not lose their homes. The syndicate tried to push it, but the others resisted. Ezar had committed numerous crimes, but he had made mistakes—being arrested and held by the army in one city, which meant that he had to be rescued. After that, Lesha Hexx contested for leadership, engaging with Ezar Stormthorn. Lesha had been accepted into the syndicate despite being an outcast. Lesha was the first recorded hybrid, between an Aeoni and Zerini—the only reason she was not outed or killed was the fact she looked more like the Aeoni, than the Zerini side, it also meant Lesha kept it quiet. Lesha actually won the contest and ended up being leader. She injured Ezar but allowed him to stay in a reduced position within the syndicate. However, Ezar learned of her heritage, and fed her the outlawed Oxetta plant, known to make Zerini feral. Instead of making her feral, though it sent her into a coma, and killed her after a few days. Exar then reclaimed his position in another contest. It was unknown to most that Ezar had killed her, but one or two knew and still followed him, glad to see Lesha gone. Ezar was already more cruel than his predecessors but the incident with Lesha made him more bitter. They responded by Ezar leading a group southward to the city of Sunbury, where they captured High Senator Eldo Wata. They held him and his large family (above average of two children for Aeoni) and made demands including the demand for around fifty crystals but neither the family nor the city had access to that much. It ended with Eldo and his wife being killed, which caused an outcry from the citizens of Sunbury. Ezar was fought and arrested in the aftermath and he was held in gaol, and questioned for days on end. However he managed to escape the gaol, and the government investigated but it was never certain how he managed the escape—whether the guards helped him, or someone on the inside, or whether the gaol cell was inadequate at holding these types of criminals. Even though there was much fear and anger directed towards the syndicate, they seemed to disappear for a while, operating in the shadows, much to the relief of the city.
Around the world, by now, both races still worshipped the divine, but instead of it being outside, they designed and built shrines and sanctuaries that were places of peace and tranquillity that allowed worshippers to pray and reflect in peace. They would however days throughout the year that were dedicated to singing, praying, feasting though it differed from place to place, though it was also different between the two races. It was generally dependent on those in power and what the citizens of that city wanted. At an event, dated at around 620CE, though that was happening in the city of Oceanlock, on the south west side of the continent, which contained around twenty thousand citizens. The city was predominantly made up of Aeoni but also had a growing percentage of Zerini living inside and around the city walls. There were Aeoni and Zerini working together since, they worked together aiding one another in a mutual symbiosis. This though only made the hatred and xenophobia from the syndicate even worse, and during one of the days of worship for the Zerini, in the city. The syndicate attacked the event in full force despite the presence of numerous soldiers. It erupted into a full-scale conflict, and ended with hundreds being injured and some being dead. It caused widespread panic and fear amongst citizens. Despite it being the worst event to ever happen to the Zerini, and made some leave, the overwhelming majority stayed in the city, unified with each other but also the Aeoni. Many of the syndicate were arrested and held in gaol cells, where the government grilled them with many questions. It was the first time they had numerous members now. They held them almost indefinitely since they had not yet developed any laws for the most violent of criminals, and it drew up so many more questions among those in power and society as a whole. Eventually Ezar and the few that had escaped had left the city, returning to Blueshade that was now falling further into the syndicate's hands, being renamed now as Nightshade. Many Zerini fled, and a large amount were injured, hurt and a few were killed. They lost their rights and their homes were taken from them. Other cities heard of this, and were struck by what had happened. It was unlike anything they had ever dealt with in their history. It was only going to get worse though as it happened again almost a century later after Ezar's death, under the control of Tenn Blackhart, in 715 CE. Tenn Blachart leading the syndicate started with attacking Zerini travellers along the roads, ambushing them, stealing their possessions before often killing them, much to the horror of others when the news spread to them. It was becoming common that it gave rise to the early journalist profession of citizens tasked with spreading news, to try and put pressure on the government. Then the worst event happened in winter 719 CE, where a group of them attacked a religious event held by the Zerini, this time, for the first time in a Zerini grounder city, Greenrose that was on the border of Aeoni and Zerini territory. It drew more outcry, and fear from many citizens, as it undoubtedly broke the peace.
The pressure by citizens worked as by 720CE, led to many of the Zerini cities forming their own professional armies with the city of Rodar leading the way, despite the Zerini being more pacifistic than the Aeoni, since they could no longer simply rely on Aeoni for protection. The Zerini developed the first ever siege weapon in the form of a catapult after years of designing and testing, they finally got it right, building it as both defensive and offensive weapon, that was built in Acornwatch but also with the help of Greenrose. They hoped it would be a good deterrent from aggressors towards the city. The army presence certainly seemed to cut down the average in crimes but it never stopped completely even when they started to put a military presence on the roads for travellers. By 820 CE, there were at least ten Zerini outposts operating on different major roads between cities. Event then though they had yet dealt with the city of Nightshade, that was operating as the base of the syndicate.
The age started slowly to shift to the next age when many cities started torealise they could not handle the crimes caused by the syndicate on their own,and it would take an alliance between cities to deal with it. Both races hadbeen very slow at dealing with the problems brought on by the syndicate sincethey were pacifistic but also that they treasured sentient life. Even thosethat committed atrocities were still seen as worthy of being alive so thethought of having to kill them seemed alien to them. There were a smallextremist group that were in fact calling for death for those involved in thesyndicate and this group would remain for a while. Cities were still growingand new technologies waiting to be invented as well as new discoveries on thehorizon were looming. The biggest changes were about to happen.
