Before the thought of Exthalion was ever born, their existed the ancient and mighty Empire of Orithena. For nearly two and a half thousand years Orithena florished. The government encouraged and fostered the arts and sciences and the empire became the jewel of the world. However external troubles and several decade of low crop yields, plague, and war led to a rebellion of the populous against the intellectuals. The massive tide of destruction that heralded the end of the Orithena was finally ended when a massive volcanic eruption and an accompanying tidal wave destroyed large coastal regions and capital of Orithena. The events together are remembered by many cultures as a time of great cataclysm and the time before a lost golden age. Only the Exthalians remember the truth.