The Era of Elan

Morning mist drifts over the crescent-shaped freshwater bay. Gentle light ripples across the waters between the peninsula shared by the Human Plains and the Elven Woods.

At this moment, the entire continent of Elan is almost unnaturally tranquil.

Across the vast central plains, human city-states stand in abundance. The faint whistle of steam trains carries from afar. The low murmur of steel and gears mingles with wisps of magical light, heralding the continent's unique dual civilization of magic and technology.

Ordinary humans live no more than a century, and reaching their eighties or nineties is considered a full life.

But for those who embark on the path of magic, fate is entirely different.

Apprentice, Acolyte, Mage, Archmage, Grand Magus... Every advancement wrests two hundred years of life from the passage of time.

Humans are the most industrious and flourishing race on this continent. They carve up the lands into rival nations, embrace every school of thought, improve steam technology, and refine magical runes, using their brief mortal lives to stand against the long-lived races.