Excerpt from Collected Histories of Primitive Worlds
collected and translated by Celeleath for public archival, New Silverymoon Central Library
What follows is an abridged account of the events that transpired on Earth following the discovery of mana (2000 -- Gregorian) up until Convergence (2038, February -- Gregorian)
2000
Ancient Angel civilization discovered beneath the region of Iceland. Additional, less impactful excavations also made in the regions of The United States and Turkey, though the validity of those findings are contested by human historians.
Explorations into the Iceland ruins revealed origins of Earth's mana, as well as the tragic fate of their gods.
Along with the records and artifacts recovered in the Angel discoveries, luminous gems were found with concentrated mana. Humans studied these and found the energy in them could be harvested and used as a source of energy akin to their existing primitive energy sources, crude oils and the like. However, their initial harvesting processes and understanding of magic was elementary at best. They used violent techniques for extracting the energy which only pulled a small fraction out, estimated around 8% on average. This was still enough to power their largest cities for a year. The energy they couldn't contain dispersed into the atmosphere, effectively redistributing the mana throughout the world to be absorbed by sources1. Unfortunately, this was unknown to them at the time, and was a marked difference between mana, which has a will of its own, and crude energy. Additionally, it was not until the records were translated later that year that these magic gems were correctly characterized as condensed mana.
January 2001
The discovery that the gems could be used to power entire cities shook nations. A Cold World War broke out over disagreements on ownership of these gems and the vast mines which were being uncovered throughout parts of Iceland.
At the same time, researchers at the University of Iceland in collaboration with the newly formed International Magical Analytics NATO Association (IMANA) continued to test extraction techniques in partnership with leading energy companies throughout the world.
Their ignorant greed to harvest mana in turn escalated the spread of it throughout the world.
Summer 2001
Reports of magical "accidents" throughout Europe and Asia increased dramatically as regular humans and animals exposed to the high volume of mana in the air began to undergo changes. Notable sources begin to emerge, not all of which were human. Public opinion is split on these sources. Some were seen as heroes, praised for heroic deeds. Others naturally fell into a more villainous path or succumbed to magical decay, unable to cope. They were all considered mutants.
Worldwide tensions continued to escalate.
December 2001
Tensions escalate to the point of fullscale war with the United States of America invading Iceland, marking the official beginning of the Magical World War. President George W. Bush said in an address before the invasion:
It is clear, my fellow Americans, that the people of Iceland and their allies are either intentionally ignorant or wholly incapable of understanding the devastating capability with which these supernatural, or magical--whatever you want to call it, gems possess. Make no mistake--these are weapons of mass destruction and illness. As a Democratic Republic and leader on the world stage it is our duty to control the spread of these weapons until we can better understand them.
NATO condemned the actions of the United States, but took no formal action.
2011
The Magical World War ends by agreement, though tensions are high in Iceland and surrounding states. Nenna, a rogue group of freedom fighters, continues to fight against the United States and the UK, who worked together to "secure democracy" in the area.
Though the war ended by agreement, our historians conclude that the United States was unable to overpower the mutant forces throughout the area. Further, as more magical mines were discovered throughout the world, interest waned in Iceland, a war torn nation on the verge of collapse, in particular.
2011-2032
Earth technology and understanding of mana evolves rapidly. An era of improved health and prosperity as nations enter an arms race for magical innovation. Equipped with mana, Earth colonizes their Moon and Mars.
2035
The world eating elder dragon Kael arrives from a distant galaxy, intent on consuming Earth. Nations as well as Earth's most powerful heroes and villains band together to defeat Kael, though their losses are extreme. All human life on Mars is devoured. The moon is severed in two. The elite magical team that lead the final offense against Kael, the Avengers (coined after a beloved Earthly comic series) is all-but wiped out. It is estimated 2-5 billion lives are lost, decimating much of the progress and power vacuums send Earth into a downward spiral.
February, 2038
The Convergence. Earthlings continue to struggle, though under safety and tutelage of New Silverymoon and other more advanced worlds, they've begun to rebuild. Controversially, the Convergence may have saved them from all-out extinction.
1Source is the term for creatures innately possessing magical attunement. That is, creatures with a talent for absorbing magic and/or manifesting magical ability. Commonly referred to as "mages, sorcerors, wizards, witches, warlocks, etc" by more developed worlds.