Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-11276487-20130713025241/@comment-3573184-20131017073036

Alduin is the delete tool used to remove a Mundus that has failed.

But no Mundus was a "prototype", all of them are just tries, even the current one. The current Mundus isn't destined to succeed, although its been hinted that the gods think the current Mundus is special.

The Merithic Era begins with the new Mundus is complete. The Dawn Era is all the wars that occur while the old Mundus is being destroyed.