This was the time over 1500 years ago where the world was enslaved to the demon lord Orcus
The Apocalyptic World
During The Dark Age, the sky burned red instead of blue, and the oceans ran black as pitch. The very air was thick with ash that fell like snow from the burning heavens. Demons roamed freely across the land, ruling through terror and cruelty.
Life Under Orcus
Most of humanity lived as slaves in massive work camps and mining pits, toiling until death under the whips of demonic overseers. Those who escaped lived like animals - hiding in caves, ruins, and forgotten places, scavenging for scraps and constantly fleeing the shadow wolves and other hunting creatures that Orcus sent to track down escapees.
The Hunted
Magic users faced the worst persecution, as demons could literally smell magic on a person. Many with gifts like The Everflames kept their abilities buried deep, too terrified to use them even when it meant watching loved ones suffer and die. The few trees that remained were considered sacred, as most of the world had been burned to ash and stone.
Survival
People lived in small groups, never staying in one place too long. They developed ways to mask their scent from the shadow wolves, moved only at night, and created hidden networks to share information about safe routes and demon patrol patterns. Hope was a rare and precious thing - most expected to die as slaves or be torn apart by hunting beasts.
The Turning Point
It wasn’t until heroes like The Four began to stand against the darkness that anything changed. When people like Cynric the Brave finally embraced their gifts instead of hiding them, the tide slowly began to turn. But the scars of The Dark Age run deep, and even now, many fear magic and those who wield it, remembering only the terror and not the salvation it eventually brought.
Lasting Stigma
The association of demons with The Dark Age has left a lasting stigma against tieflings across the world. Despite having no connection to Orcus or the events of that era, tieflings are still viewed with suspicion, fear, and outright hatred by many who carry the memory of demonic rule in their blood and culture.