Dawn Age

The Dawn Age, or the Age of Dawn, was a time on Toril when dragons took an interest in the lesser races' squabblings and taught them the basic concepts of organization and civilization, leading to the construction of cities and armies.

The metallic dragons admired a certain amount of selflessness in the lesser races, such as the elves and dwarves and the young races of humans, gnomes, and halflings. They took pity on the weaker races and helped lead and protect them.

Alternately, the chromatic dragons saw those races as less intelligent and more malleable, believing them to seek only their own advancement. They forced them to build a loose-knit society and organized them into armies. They then taught the lesser races how to construct fortified castles for their new masters to live in and bask on the hordes that they stole from the weak.