I thought it went well, but it was a bit of a whirlwind tour. By dealing with archeology and history as part of the game the players have to learn about: 1) the races, 2) the tech, 3) the current society, 4) the past societies, 5) why things are this way and more. This is a lot to process and use in the course of a six-hour convention game.

Inevitably whatever you've created will get shortcut to fantasy tropes by the players, even when they don't quite fit, to give them a recognizable image to grasp. E.g. "so she's the elf of this world."

I think a current plotline instead of one involving the past reduces the information intake and broadens the players' ability to process and enjoy what they are given.

I'd be happy to talk with you about this at some point if you like.