A Timeline of general events
Dates are in relation to CR, or Cristos Reckoning.
Ancient Past: Creation of Metamor Keep. Current theology holds that it was created by the Gods. Gods hold that something above them created it. In any case, it is accepted world-wide as both the finest example of architecture and defense in the world. The reason for its creation is still unknown.
ca. -15,000 CR: The Elves awaken beneath the trees of the Forest of Aelfwood.
ca. -12,000 CR: Golden Age of the Elves begins; the Fair Folk rule all the lands of western Galendor, with their capital in Aelfwood. The dragons have little interest in politics and let the Elves rule as they please.
ca. -11,000 CR: The Elves encounter humans in Kitchlande. The "primitives" rally around a circle of nine powerful mages, who drive them to attack the Elven city of Jagoduun. The Elven prince Yajakali delves into dark and unspeakable magic to defeat the humans, creating three unholy artifacts: a nine-sided dias, a censer-pot, and a sword. Used together, these artifacts destroyed the enemy mages, but also opened a dimensional rift to the Underworld that buried the city of Jagoduun and Yajakali along with it. The humans scattered and their civilization soon collapsed, as they reverted to a Stone Age existence.
ca. -9000 CR: The Elves again encounter humans, migrating north from the Southlands in search of new lands to settle. Since these humans come as wandering nomads rather than a conquering army, the Elves welcome them with open arms, and soon the humans are establishing themselves in the shadow of the great Elven empire. Elves teach the humans writing and other cultural fundamentals.
ca. -5000 CR: The coming of the Great Darkness from the north. Ba'al and his daedra, embittered by the loss of the mortals' adoration to the Aedra Lords, gather a great force of primitive and evil beasts in the Northern Wastes. Sweeping down on the Elven kingdom, they do great and terrible damage before the Elves, the dragons, the humans and the gods form the Great Alliance of Light. The Alliance defeats Ba'al's forces and banishes them to the Northlands, driving them past the Great Barrier Range and into the Giantdowns. The Elves, however, have been devastated by the war, and they never fully recover. Nursing their wounds and numb with shock, the surviving remnant of the sylvan race withdraws to Quenardya, the region comprised of what are now the Forest of Aelfwood, the Sylvan Mountains, and the Outer Midlands. Humanity is left free rein over the vast majority of the land; unable to cope with the sudden transition from pupil to master, their civilization slowly backslides over the next thousand years.
-4000 CR: First known occupants of Metamor Keep. Afraid of the rooms, they sleep in the halls.
-2000 CR: First attack on Metamor Keep, by a rival tribe of humans seeking to overthrow the fledgling kingdom based there. Repulsed.
-1000 CR: Written records begin to appear. Metamor Keep kept as a home of culture.
-875 CR: The city of Pyralis is founded, marking the beginning of what would soon become the Suielman Empire.
-800 CR: Kammoloth appears in a vision to Lucien, thus marking the birth of the Lothanasi.
-567 CR: Fall of Metamor Keep. Traitors within open the gates to the expansionist Suielman Empire, based in the deep south. Most inhabitants destroyed, those left enslaved and sent south.
-559 CR to -549 CR: The Suielman Empire turns its aggressive tendencies toward the shining cities of Quenardya, tempted by stories of wealth and secret knowledge from those humans who have lived there. Encroaching on Dǔn Fennas, the territory now known as the Outer Midlands, the Emperor's generals intend to organize a pattern of creeping human colonization to steal the Outer Midlands from the Elves without an eruption of hostilities. This is not to be, however, as a greedy captain leading his forces on long patrol happens upon an Elven caravan traveling between cities. The human soldiers waylay the caravan in the dead of night, kill the Elf-men, rape the women, take the children as slaves to sell and pilfer as much gold, silver and other finery as they can carry back.
Word quickly reaches the other Elves regarding what the humans have done — thanks in no small part to the eagles who watch over the plains of the Outer Midlands and commune with the Elves on a regular basis. The entire empire of the elves is filled with burning, unquenchable rage against the humans of the Suielman Empire, and a terrible war follows.
The elves are strong, intelligent, and far more advanced than the humans, and it shows in their success in battle — the Elven armies massacre the forces of the Suielman Empire wherever they meet, destroying them with frightening ferocity. Every male human over the age of fourteen that is encountered by the Elven armies is slain, but the women and children are spared. Despite their success, the Elves take significant casualties — and they are a much less prolific race than the humans.
Finally, in -549 CR, the Elves stand on the borders of the Suielman Empire's home province. There they are just about to strike one last, devastating blow against the humans when they are met by the goddess Artela. Artela pleads with the Elven leaders like a mother with her adult children — if the Suielman Empire is totally destroyed, if it is crushed in its very seat of power, then the humans will descend back into anarchy and mindless, brutish behavior. At least with the Empire intact there is some place of cultural growth among the humans, and thus some hope that they may become truly civilized. Artela asks the Elves to turn back, to allow their anger to subside and accept the terrible, terrible destruction they have wreaked as sufficient payment for the lives of their people. For the sake of the whole Earth, she asks them to lay down their arms and quarrel no more with the humans. The Elves, at last coming to their senses after their long, terrible rage, agree to this. A treaty is signed between Quenardya and the Suielman Empire, in which the Elves promise never to take up arms against their human brothers again. The humans, in turn, agree to respect the Elves' jurisdiction over Quenardya for as long as they should wish to live there.
-500 CR: Metamor Keep is largely forgotten. Up north the first vestiges of society are beginning among the lutins. Giants integrate into some aspects of lutin and human society in the Giantdowns.
0 CR: Records left by the Suielman Empire record a bright light north near the northern pass to the Giantdowns. Historians posthumously record this as the beginning of the fall of the Suielman Empire.
75 CR: First invasion of the lutins and giants. Repelled with great cost of the Empire. Many invasions will come down the pass in the centuries to come, destroying the already decaying Suielman Empire. The Elves of Quenardya manage to keep the barbarians at bay, and so the Outer Midlands become a place of refuge for humans from the marauding lutins and giants.
150 CR: Suielman Empire collapses. Lutins and giants roam and loot the Midlands almost at will; humans hide from the invaders and attempt to eke out a living. Quenardya stands firm, but is almost totally isolated from the outside world.
230 CR: Prince Ovid (Son of King Andrew) heads north to remove the Lutin and giant raiders from the Midlands.
235 CR: Prince Ovid's army fight the last battle at the Gate of what is known as Metamor Keep. The doors open at this touch, where magic had no effect at all.
236 CR: King Andrew breaks the kingdom into Two realms, Northern and Southern Midlands. King Andrew gives Prince Ovid the title of Duke of Northern Midlands, and tells him that he is to rule over the northern territories. Duke Ovid, along with many other settlers, start towards Metamor Keep.
236-260 CR: Northern Realm grows, creating two major towns, and continues to create active trade with southern Midlands, as well as with the new empire growing in the Southern region called Sathmore Empire. Upon the death of King Andrew, newly crowned King Lyam states that it is Duke Ovid's kingdom to do with as he pleases.
260 CR: Ovid marries at 47. Unknown assassins break into the wedding hall, kill the bride and seriously wound Ovid. Ovid finally dies in the arms of his best friend Thomas I. Thomas I is made king soon afterwards. (At the age of 43).
Late 260 CR: Southern Midland Realm state their choice to become independent states. War breaks out, and the Kingdom of the south starts to Fall. Duke Thomas I of Northern Midlands helps King Lyam in fighting the civil war. This causes the states to attack the Northern realms. War in the Midlands breaks out.
268 CR: War ends with the fall of the states, South Kingdom again takes over rule of the Midland Southern Realm. Thomas I and King Lyam finally make a peace treaty to show that the Northern and Southern realms are a standing force against anything like that.
290 CR: Thomas I dies at the age of 73. The throne of the northern realm is passed on to Lord Thomas II (Age 24).
400 CR: Southern Realm collapses into small feudal states. Northern Realm remains strong, but is occupied defending the pass and cannot guard the south. Territory nibbled away at until only the pass and some land south remains in the hands of the hereditary Metamorian Kings. Occasional battles to regain territory are never lasting.
The Elves, dwindling in number and longing for solitude from the constant bickering of their human neighbors, leave the Outer Midlands and return to the Forest of Aelfwood. Elven Lothanasi continue to converse with their human counterparts, but the discourse becomes more and more infrequent. Outer Midlands are turned over to local human leaders believed to be the wisest and most trustworthy. Some human servants request and receive permission to travel to Aelfwood with their Elven masters; there they become a servant working class, kindly treated by the elves but not allowed to engage in political matters.
559 CR: The last Elven Lothanas passes beyond the veil. It is the last the Lightbringers see of the Elves for over 150 years.
593 CR: The Battle of Salinon Field blunts the invasion of the Ebony Horde, an army of marauders from the Eastern Regions.
603-609 CR: The Burning. A period of civil war between Followers, Rebuilders and Lightbringers results in 1/3 of Marigund City burned and around 3000 killed or injured.
~689 CR: Nasoj's army invades Metamor for the first time. The attackers are repulsed outside the walls of Metamor Keep itself, but the Keepers lose control of Caralore, Politzen, and other settlements in the southwestern Giantdowns. Several castles and outposts are destroyed and not rebuilt.
~697 CR: Arabarb is conquered by Nasoj.
699 CR: Battle of Three Gates. The Metamorians expel the invading forces of Nasoj, but at great personal cost. Their forms are altered beyond repair, into three main groups- Age Regression, TransGendering, transformation.
706 CR, December: Nasoj invades Metamor a third time (Winter Assault). His armies are again repulsed, and this time his control of the lutin tribes is shattered. Ba'al rejects Nasoj as his chosen servant; a power struggle follows.
707 CR: Current story timeline.
January: Lik, an important mining town on the edge of The Murk, declares its independence from Nasoj and destroys the portal by which ore is delivered back to the capital of Nasojassa. The town elders declare their fealty to Lilith, daedra lord of nature. Draconians and other agents of Lilith help to repulse any subsequent attempts by Nasoj's forces to recapture the city. Phil leaves Metamor for Whales to rule there.
April 6: Raven hin'Elric and Merai hin'Dana, Lightbringer priestesses of Metamor, depart the valley abruptly and without explanation.
June 23: Raven and Merai return to Metamor with a new initiate, Tessa.
June 22 - Dec: Charles Matthias, Zhypar Habakkuk, Lindsey, James, Kayla, and Jessica journey with Abafouq the Binoq and Guernef the Nauh-kaee to Marzac to destroy the evil power located there. They are joined along the way by Qan-af-årael and Andares-es-sebashou of the Åelf, and by Jerome Krabbe, a Sondecki.
708 CR:
March 4-13: Bubonic plague strikes Metamor Keep, leaving hundreds incapacitated and forcing Thomas to put the city under quarantine. The plague is suddenly lifted when the Lightbringers, with aid from Rickkter, Scratch and Hough, destroy an idol of Tallakath that was causing the plague. Sixty-two Keepers have already perished, but those who have survived thus far are immediately cured. (A Presence of Thieves) (Quarantine is lifted on the 20th)
713 CR:
June: Lutins begin massing along the Giant Dikes under a new and previously unseen banner. Some thousand or more various tribes under the leadership of one titled King (for lack of a more accurate translation) seeking parlay with a specific citizen of Metamor Keep: Murikeer Khunnas. Murikeer agrees to this request with some confusion and with a delegation assembled by Duke Thomas and his wife, Kozaithy, travels to the Lutin assemblage. There he finds that their King is the Shaman he once knew as Keletikt and the new dominant Lutin power cementing the tribes together is the Ghost Horde spoken of in an obscure Lutin prophecy.
Keletikt and the Ghost Horde sue for peace and Duke Thomas accedes. A draft of this resolution is worked out over the following month and at the end of August, 713 CR a lasting peace is established with the Lutin tribes of the Giant Downs. In attendance are a small number of Giants who agree to this treaty though with somewhat lesser success over the following years.
While future conflicts continue to arise between the various northern tribes and humans not held to the pact the overall success of the Ghost Horde treaty lasts centuries allowing the Lutins time to recover from the depredations of several northern overlords and divest themselves of the last of Lilith's heavy-handed warlords. Within 300 years their population reaches a point where an established civilization can take root.
Future Events for the Lothanasi
Future Events for the Ecclesia
