[HoneyBadger]

Here's, cleaned up a bit, what I originally wrote about the Dawning Age:

Technology is Late stoneage through copper to early bronze age, low magic as peoples first start coming together into nations (IRL something approximating the conditions between 14,500-6000 years ago). Undead always have stone or at best copper weapons, and no metal armor. Research ability is always locked in to very slow in this age, with low-powered mages overall, except for magical beings with strong affinities for a single path. Few sorceresses/rainbow mages, if any.

Cavemen and lizardmen replace humans as the dominant race, and lizardmen shamans are some of the better multi-path mages around. Humans are almost nowhere to be found-no random human independents. Of the handful of humans around, a large percent of the population have the ability to Watershape into dolphins. Monkeys and apes are everywhere, just to tick off the Creationists . Icthytosians and a race of intelligent crab-people (1: I couldn't resist, 2: they could be done in a way that I think would be cool, and 3: they could represent a nation in this era with good Prot.) are dominant in the oceans-Mermen are present, but not a dominant race, and some of them have been pushed out of the water permanently by stronger species-a few humans dwell among them-suggesting them as our evolutionary ancestors. Many independent provinces are guarded by SC monsters and powerful prehistoric beasts.

While magic is still on the rise, units are in general even more powerful individually than they currently are in Early Age. Jotun nations have access to recruitable trolls and more Niefel giant heroes. the Nephilim are present. Treelords are alive and well and in the prime of their power, as are the Courts of Faerie. Kailasan Devas, Devatas, Rakshasas, etc. are also in the full of their power-including the more powerful 4 armed breeds as recruitables-and don't yet employ monkeys. A Pre-C'tus Lizardman nation has access to huge, powerful dinosaurs, Caelum units average larger in size and employ large, vicious, flightless birds called Axe-Beaks. Mammoths are now controlled by a blood-magic caveman nation led by ogre kings who can shapeshift into giant bears. Agarthans and Fomorians start in the oceans, while Atlantis starts on land. Hydras are amphibious, and are worshipped by a merman nation with some pure human recruitables and shambler recruitables (suggesting Shamblers as an offshoot of humans, which atleast gives Shamblers a certain pathos, helping them to be a step above the "big dumb amphibous spearfodder" they usually end up being) There is also a nation of Elder Things (ala H.P Lovecraft-"At the Mountains of Madness") who are the most magically advanced at this time (The other nations stole the finer secrets of magic from them after their nation collapsed.) and have bonuses when using Crossbreeding and Advanced Crossbreeding. Thematically, they are supposed to be the originators of many of the most bizarre races in Dom 3-they create, for instance, Shuggoths, which will feature in this age. Aboleths exist basically unchanged. Tien'Chi is an empire of the undead and spirits ruled by Pennanggalan (a breed of vampires who can remove their own heads at night-the heads then fly around and bite victims) and various celestial demons-a bit like Late Age Ermor in practice, but ofcourse considerably more Asian-flavored. There are no longbows, crossbows, recurve bows, etc. in the game, except as forged items. Shortbows and crude shortbows are present and fairly widespread, as are javelins and harpoons. The Atlatl is the dominant missle weapon technology, enabling javelins to be hurled 2xstrength. Slings are ubiquitous. Swords are rare and short, axes, maces, knives, and spears are much more widespread. Tridents, glaives, and other polearms are almost non-existent. Calvalry is also rare, especially horse-calvalry (where present, it consists of units riding ponies-no kick). Tower shields are non-existant except as forged items. Wardogs are prevalent, chariots are present but rare. Apes are not the only ones who hurl sticks and stones-this is a common practice and some units specialize in this.