Centuries back, the world was dominated by elves. Although they weren't the most plentiful, their mastery over the arcane arts allowed them to subjugate all of the other creatures and races. Most of the humanoid races were enslaved by the elves and used to tame their world. They built a mighty empire that spanned the entire known world and speckled it with wondrous structures and cities that were connected by wide, sturdy roads.
The elves' thirst for knowledge, magic, and power led them to create many mythical and monstrous creatures, some of whom proved to be daunting and even deadly. The elves mixed their magic with the ingenuity of the gnomes and devised hundreds of clockwork devices, including mechanized flying ships and constructs of artificial intelligence.