Before any grand kingdoms can be formed, there must be a conflict, a reason for men, elves, dwarves, and other races to band together, a common enemy, or in this case, a goal.
The old land discovered that certain people from all races could wield the spiritual energy flowing through the world, simply calling it magic. At first these people helped the common folk, growing crops, mining deep into the earth, bringing water during droughts, so on and so forth.
But one day, a young teenaged mage by the name of Helix decided to attempt to revive his recently deceased mother, and succeeded. However the being that was before him for the following years wasn't his mother, her once kind and loving nature was corrupt, a perverted parody that lied, stole, and seduced anyone she met.
But Helix was blind, he was to scared in losing her again that he accepted all her punishment in his name. His punishments were swift, lashings onto his back, and brandings, but she didn't learn, instead, Helix's mother felt pleasure in watching his suffering.
So, she committed worse crimes, she spread rumors to happily married women and husband's that their pair was being unfaithful, she showed children how to lie, but worst of all, she murdered a man. The mages were shocked, never had their been a murderer in their history, and enough was enough.
The mages bound Helix's mother to a stone pedestal, were she taunted them with language that they had never heard. Her crimes were told, the vote was taken, and the mages prepared to execute this demoness, but she begged for Helix to save her, and like a fool, he did so, striking down his fellow mages until the last few retreated.
After this men and women of all races were called upon to aid in defeating Helix and his demoness, accusing them of murder and dsrk magic. Many young mages join the surviving Wizards, leading non magic users to the now corrupted temple. The non magic men and women were pitted against the hordes of the undead, while mages and wizards fought against Helix and the demoness.
The battle lasted days, humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, fairies, golems, goblins, and many other races lose hundreds of their people, but eventually the white wizard finally strikes down both Helix and the demon, sending their souls to the grasp of the angel of death.
Mages celebrate for the victory, but the white wizard silences them and tell them in a solemn tone "We lost my friends.... The demoness didn't come to conquer... she came to corrupt... and has succeeded... just look."
He motions to the fields, once green and filled with various flora and fauna, now a bloodied battlefield.
The mages all feel their hearts become heavy, while the wizards feel ashamed, and look at each other in disgust. The white wizard tells them to keep peace, and to protect the people, then leaves, vanishing into the air.
Centuries pass, mages and wizards fight holy wars to protect the people from the corruption of dark magic, eventually they establish the Order of the Word, recruiting every magic wielding child, educating them, and training them to protect the order. But in doing this the Order made a gap between magic and none magic wielding people, with the former being considered higher class to the latter, who work as labor force, mining, farming, and obviously as servants.
Eventually by their 16th century, the Order finds itself arresting non magical men and women for talking about absurd theories and inventions, branding these ideas as Dark Magic. Riots and Revolts spread acoss the kingdom, men, orcs, goblins and golems refuse to work, and eventually the Order I forced to intervene.
The group of protesters is easily put down, if not brutality, men are interrogated, tortured, then executed, while the women are sent to work as slaves in the Under City, a place where only the worst are sent to work and rot.
Eventually the non magic users stop resisting in public, working like slaves for centuries to come. Some groups however keep the spark of resistance alive, aiding the slaves with medicine and medical care, educating the other non magic people with math, and the outlawed knowledge of science.
These groups were everywhere, the Human groups of "The White Heart" & "The Scholars" always tended to human settlements, tending to mostly shelter them and feed them. The elves had "Slaah's Compassion" a group of doctors who studied medicine, and helped all races equally. The Dwarves had a group of engineers called "Metal Hands." that made elaborate machines, while the other races had some lesser factions.
The Order couldn't ever find all the members, but they begged the people to seize their resistance, but this just made more people flock to join a resistance. People on both sides were already whispering of a possible counterattack on the order, making the order prepare, unaware that their enemy awaited in the shadows.