Timeline

The Mythical Era

Creation

Before Existence

Prior to the beginnings of Eternia, there was a great civil war in another dimension, the post-apocalyptic realm of Atmos. One of the seven ruling Archangels, Kraus Eternia, became disenchanted with the cosmic fate of Atmos and rose up in rebellion to change its direction, confronting the all powerful nebula of energy that governed the laws of creation within Atmos. Aided by many, the Archangel managed to create his own Universe, separated and sealed off from Atmos. Roughly three hundred Angels managed to escape with him.

Spark of Life

The dimension of Eternia comes into existence following the spark of life, a divine flash that ushered in the beginning of time, and the cosmos as a whole - powered directly by the soul of the Creator. This act wasn't without sacrifice; it strained him to the point where his form was torn apart and scattered, but it was ultimately a success.

The ten divine spirits were the first creatures to take shape, alongside another darker, more sinister entity. Their slumber was awoken by this presence of chaos; the desire to overcome strife ultimately willed them into action, and they remembered their purpose. Together the divine spirits triumphed against the challenges ahead and put their father's vision into action.

The world, sun, moon, and stars came to be.

Arrival of the Angels

Sometime later, the angels arrived on Eternia. While there was initial disarray that Kraus wasn't with them, they followed his instructions and planted the first seed, which became the garden of Eden. The lifestream, the energy of the planet that flows out from the core, seemed to react to this instinctively, giving rise to the creatures of the world - including humanity, who 'rose from the earth' while the angels took the early role as their caretakers.

Humanity's First Steps

The land mass of Eternia is primarily one continent during these early millenia, and while primitive compared to today's standards, the Empire of Astya rises as the first known civilization after an unknown amount of time. 

Empire of Astya

The flow of magic is at its peak during the Mythical Age, and the most talented humans are demi-gods in their own right. Those who learn how to harness and control their magic go on to perform great feats. Observing the humans, some of the angels are surprised to find how different they are to them; in many ways, humanity is the opposite of their kind... passionate, impulsive, and compared to their own, unpredictable. Though they choose to keep their distance for now, nonetheless admiring their creativity and potential for good.

The most notable civilization of the time is Astya, ruled by a council of warlords. Mikhail Petrakis and Amalia Elaide are the most prominent magi. Astya’s reach is ever expanding, conquering much of the western world.

Miracles of Man

The Archmagi Mikhail Petrakis manages to stare into the time vortex, granting unparalleled control over the timestream. The Archmagi Amalia Eliade is able to turn nightmares into reality, giving rise to the Demon race; directly from the fear of men. With her control over negative energy and a demonic army backing her, Amalia turns her attention to Astya, and the first recorded battle in history begins, the War of Nightmares. This bloody battle is believed to have lasted a long fifty years, creating many thousands of demons throughout the course of it. 

War of Nightmares

The first major war in the history of Eternia. After amassing an army of demons by taking the fear of men and making it into tangible, sentient creatures, Amalia vies for complete control over the provinces of Astya’s warlords. She’s narrowly defeated, and it leaves the empire in ruins. Many of Astya’s provinces become independent and self-govern, breaking off from the empire in the aftermath such as countries on the continents of Brittania and Iloris.

Great Floods

Jormungand, the Great Leviathan, floods the world, rising sea levels and establishing the first oceans. The aquatic siren race are created to be the protectors of the oceans.

The First Age :: 0AC - 1000AC

The exact amount of time that passes between the Mythical Era and the First Age is unknown; it could be anywhere between two thousand years to five thousand as far as most scholars agree. The loss of reference material is namely attributed to the cataclysmic divine wars.

There are many kingdoms on the six known continents: Aegis, Brittania, Iloris, Gehenna, Sheng. 

105AC - 109AC: Divine War I

Many kingdoms have declared the angels as their enemy by now, refusing to abide by no law but their own. The insurgencies are put down by force - though with their limited numbers the angels find it difficult to manage this.

There is, of course, much disagreement in their council; arguing for a more distanced approach, Azrael claims that Kraus's intention for humanity was to give them the freedom to decide their own path, as the humans have no wings that blacken like their own. The leaders of the council refuse this by stating that the apparent death of Kraus in creating Eternia may mean that the humans have unintended flaws, and an artist does not know what their painting will look like until they finally put down the brush. 

The council, unable to agree, disbands. The rebellion sect is lead by Azrael, and has most of the kingdom's support. Lethiel leads the original council, and the first Divine War begins. Many angels find that their wings darkened while forced to face their kin like this, including Azrael's.

125AC: The First Undead

Azrael had begun to secretly experiment with reviving the dead after overcome with grief by the losses accumulated in the divine war. The angel became obsessed with this, going so far as to free Cain from his imprisonment and use him as the first test subject, but it's an abject failure; while Cain does become immortal, he requires the lifeblood of humans to sustain this state, becoming the first vampire. 

138AC: Soulshard of Kraus

In the Kingdom of Astya, there's a rumor that a healer, Ermis, is blessed with the will of the creator. He can cure everything from blindness to the sorrow of the heart. At the time this is dismissed as hearsay, but in actual fact the healer held a fragment of Kraus's soul, forming a connection with the Archangel that had lost their memories and much of their power.

140AC - 168AC: Divine War II

The period of peace that followed was brief. The experiments of Azrael become impossible to ignore despite their heroism in the past, and they're banished from the council and imprisoned. They manage to escape however, aided by their supporters.

This begins Divine War II. A master plan is put into motion: Azrael decides that the best way to save humanity is by killing every last one of them, then ressurecting them with his necromantic magic, enslaving everyone to his will; no more unnecessary violence. The ends justify the means.

The war lasts for almost thirty years, and entire kingdoms fall. When it looks like the undead armies of the fallen angel are on the verge of succeeding, the bearer of the soulshard of Kraus offers their life to give the Archangel a host. The sacrifice of Ermis leads to the defeat of Azrael.

170AC: Peace Pact

Kraus takes their rightful place as the Head Angel, and his first act is to forbid an angel from ever killing or imprisoning a human again.

The Peace Pact takes place, where many of the world's leaders attend - King Jorne Petrakis of Astya, Queen Eldgrim of Uray, the Sultan Zia of Vashrana, King Lysterg of Valmasia, the Warlord Kark of Vanirhalla. The majority agree to a proposal where divine storms will form around the nations to prevent another world war from occuring due to the instability left from these events, where stronger countries were already attempting to conquer weaker ones.

The Peace Barriers last for roughly a millenia.

283AC: Desolation of Astya

The demon Mordred, rumored to have roots back to the Mythical Age, returns for vengeance. The people of Astya are almost completely wiped out, but the High Angel Malztiel is able to intervene near the end of the devastation, teleporting several thousand refugees to the Continent of Aegis. 

284AC: Esshar

The refugees of Astya begin their life in this new land. They are welcomed by the Kingdom of Magnolia and even granted rights to act as an independent nation. The royal lineage of Petrakis continues, and the noble houses of Astor, Pelleaux, and Grimmore are named the founding families and protectors of the bloodline.

290AC: Defeat of Mordred

Arthor Pendragon of Valmasia becomes the Wielder of Excalibur, a weapon forged by Kraus that's said to bring out the ultimate potential in the bearer. Mordred descends on Valmasia as a titanic mass of demonflesh, a moving mountain through the oceans, carrying hordes of demons with them; the Order of Light prevails, but Arthor dies in the final battle, managing to fell Mordred prior to his end.

320AC: Constellation of Leonaus

The people of Esshar have developed a close relationship with Leonaus the Lion, the Divine Spirit of the stars. They develop their first astronomy systems. The workings of the yellow star, red star, and blue star are detailed by Nile Pelleaux, who is instrumental in the development of Celestialism.

465AC - 472AC: War of the Dragon

The Kingdom of Sluthia goes to war with Esshar, fuelled by the ambition of their leader, a Great Dragon: Myndrerrag. Ersen Astor slays the dragon with his sword Balmung, which becomes a national treasure.

472AC: Festival of the Eclipse

To commemorate the lives lost in the War of the Dragon, a festival is held during a solar eclipse. Miraculously, many spirits are seen walking the lantern lit streets during the few minutes of darkness where the moon overlaps the sun. This then becomes tradition, held whenever astronomers are able to predict an eclipse - roughly every twenty five to thirty years or so.

690AC - 698AC: The Bastard Rebellion

King Aris Petrakis was known for many things; a flare for games, generosity, and a strict non-militaristic stance...But also his many, many affairs. His marriage produced mostly stillborns, save for a single girl, Sibylla Petrakis. After the king's death, Eros Petaris made a claim for the throne on the grounds that the heir was too weak to rule, and the blood of the ancients ran through him far more potently.

This was known as the Bastard's Rebellion. The supporting army managed to siege the City of Nuburg, securing the mountains and subsequently the trading outposts with the other four kingdoms of Esshar. They also managed to capture many nobles, using their lives to intimidate and blackmail key supporting houses to not lend their support.

The Red Spring of Nuburg was the final battle of the rebellion. Supported by allied kingdoms, a successful two pronged attack took place on the fortified city. While Eros was put to death, Sibylla spared his wife and their children, mercifully letting them live out their days in a hillside cottage while under watch.

710AC: Children of the Woodland

The century to come after the Bastard Rebellion was not prosperous for Esshar, marked by periods of instability and uprisings. The beastkin were a common target for prejudice and abuse. Due to unsuitable living conditions within the cities of Esshar, there is a movement where many tribes of beastkin decide to leave the safety of the walls and return to their roots in the forests, worshipping the land that provides.

808AC - 840AC: The Witch Trials

The start of the eighth century was marked by many unusual occurrences. Some nights would last the week, and some winters the entire year. Mysterious disappearances were common, and a rise in demon activity in the wilds. The militants of the True Faith were given the authorization to carry out trials on citizens during the crisis, though it was messy - witches are fantastic at surviving, blending in, even fooling truth potions.

Many thousands of innocents were put to the stake. More often than not this tended to be the disenfranchised, such as beastkin. After a few true witch covens were rooted out and executed, the supernatural events did come to a close, but for every witch dead there were a hundred innocent.

The Second Age :: 1000AC

1000AC: The Grand Bout

To mark the turn of the millennia, a week long feast of games takes place, ending with a tournament where some of the best of Esshar compete. It becomes tradition for each ruler to host their own Grand Games, and to outdo the last.

1200AC: Age of Exploration

The peace barriers have faded to the point where naval travel is feasible, though the oceans are still dangerous. The nations of the world begin to interact once more.

The legendary Feleran explorer, Leif, travels the entire world, making the most accurate map to date. He even makes contact with Esshar. Following his ten year voyage, he returns home and the word soon spreads of his adventures.

The Explorer Zheng uncovers the land of Agartha, believed to be the physical location where the universe itself began - the spire shards are crystalized fragments of the creator's divine magic, and they soon become a prized attraction, garnering the interest of multiple Great Nations. Gehenna, Valmasia, and Jianghu who send expedition forces. 

Spires of Agartha :: 1400AC - 1570AC

Summarized timeline to be written here.

1570AC: Agartha - Reimara Concordat

The two century long tug of war to gain control over the island continent Agartha comes to a close. The nation is united under a strong alliance, and they set out for the surrounding spire islands, one of many expeditions. In the years to come, Agartha is represented on the world stage as a superpower, not necessarily for their military might, but their resources and the combined ingenuity of descendants from across the world. They amass a great deal of influence through trading channels and their bartering worth with spire shards and clusters.

1610AC: Great Battle of The West

The Azraelite empire is defeated by a joint alliance of Brittanian countries, and Valmasia resumes peaceful relations with its neighbours.