The Age of Chains

The Age of Chains is one of @Aethertide least spoken, most whispered epochs—a forbidden history when mortals sought to bind the ocean's power itself. While some dismiss it as apocryphal, too many ruins, rituals, and "coincidences" remain to ignore.

It is said that during this age, empires tried to chain the gods, the Leviathans, and the tides, forcing the world to follow mortal order. The remnants of that hubris still scar the sea.

Chain Magic

This dark arcane art focused on control, restriction, and siphoning divine or elemental power. It gave rise to:

  • Living Chains – Sentient metal links bound to command words

  • Tidebind Runes – Symbols etched into anchors, cliffs, or bones to hold a place, god, or creature in place

  • Leashforging – Crafting of bindings to enslave elementals or even time-bound sea spirits

Though outlawed now, hints of this magic persist in the arsenal of the @The Tideforged Armada and certain rogue arcanists.

Known Relics and Ruins

  • @Emberdeep Vault – Believed to house forged chain-cores and early leashforges

  • Broken Anvils of the Ironchain Isles – Said to have cracked during failed rituals to bind a volcano spirit

  • Flesh-locked Harpoons – Still found embedded in sea leviathans, they pulse with cursed runes

Some ruins are so ancient they are mistaken for natural formations—until they scream.

Suppressed History

Only a few factions preserve knowledge of the Age:

  • @The Spiraled Wake Archives – Keeps chain-bound tomes sealed in stasis, readable only during specific tides

  • Stormcallers and Wavepriests – Warn against repeating such sins, considering chain magic sacrilege

  • Certain dwarven enclaves – Deny involvement but bear rune-styles consistent with leashforging

Even mentioning the Age openly is taboo in Coral Regency courts and outlawed in Veythane-controlled ports.

Leviathan Resistance

Many believe the Leviathan Wars began as a direct result of this age. Bound sea-titans rebelled or fell into madness:

  • Some sank cities with a thought

  • Others vanished into deep trenches, never surfacing again

  • A few were broken and reforged as floating prisons or island strongholds

The scars of these rebellions birthed unnatural phenomena such as:

  • The @The Gyre of Lost Souls

  • The magnetic chaos of the @The Ashlock Reefs

Sayings & Warnings

"You can leash the sea, aye—but not its memory."

"Every anchor has a scream in it."

Legacy Today

While the Age of Chains ended long ago, its echoes remain:

  • Some captains still carry chain-runes for control

  • Forbidden rituals surface in black markets and necromancer scrolls

  • Ruins occasionally awaken, stirring ancient bindings still hungry for will

To many, the Age of Chains is a myth. But to those who’ve seen a sea god struggle against a forgotten shackle... it’s a warning.