Lore - Deep History

This article covers events from creation myths/facts through to the beginning of the Orgoth invasion in 600 BR (Before Rebellion).

For other time periods, see: Template:Lore history articles

Ancient Era (10,000 BR to 3500 BR)

The elven empire of Lyoss

The elves were the first to possess the written word and have the longest-reaching records, although their history is now a broken and shattered legacy with many gaps in their records caused by The Cataclysm.

Date Unknown

The gods of Ios, the Divine Court, create the race of elves on the mortal world of Caen. They did this from their own realm, the Veld.

Unbeknownst to them this act weakened the "walls" of their realm and attracted the notice of creatures from yet another realm - the Infernals. There were no souls in the Infernal realm with the power of the souls of Caen, and they coveted them. They began to infiltrate the Veld realm to claim these souls.

c. 10,000 BR

Elven tribes are united under the Empire of Lyoss in eastern Immoren.

c. 4250 BR

The Divine Court become aware of the Infernals attack and realise they cannot withstand them while in the Veld, weakened as they are from creating their Elf children. They begin construction of a Bridge Between Worlds to Caen, and instruct the Elves on Caen to also complete their half.

3966 BR

The Bridge of Worlds is completed. The Divine Court crosses over, leaving behind some of their attendants and demigods. Then the Bridge of Worlds explodes

The multi-dimensional explosion throws the Infernals out of the Veld, back to their own realm. With the Infernals repelled, the Veld now has time to naturally heal its own barriers.

The explosion strands the Divine Court on Caen.

The explosion devastates the mortal world of Caen, with the continent of Immorren being literally shattered. Most notably The Abyss and the Bloodstone Desert are all that is left of what was the heart of the Lyoss Empire.

This event effectively ends the Ancient Era. This event is often referred to as The Cataclysm.

The ancestors of the Cephalyx, the "Urus", had their civilization destroyed and moved inland and underground.

Other species (humans, Skorne, etc) suffer massive casualties and destruction to their ancestral homes, often having to abandon and relocate.

c. 3900 BR

Sheltered and guided by their gods, Elven refugees establish Ios in western Immoren.

The dwarven empire of Rhul

The dwarves of Rhul boast the only unbroken and continuous written records, stretching back millenia. The establishment of Ghord as a home for their Codex took place more than two thousand years before the time of Cinot (the human who began recorded history among Menites).

c. 8500 BR

The earliest Rhul record describes the Feud of Ages starting among dwarven clans.

c. 8200 BR

The end of the Feud of Ages. The city of Ghord is founded and becomes the capital of Rhul.

c. 7500 BR

Dwarven Stone Lords consent to the founding of the Moot of the Hundred Houses.

Nothing more of note occurs for Dwarves in the Ancient Era (which ends at 3966 BR)

Menoth creates Man

The god Menoth walks in the mortal world of Caen, creating mankind and giving them gifts to raise them out of barbarism. He then returns to the soul world of Urcaen to do ... god stuff.

c. 6500 BR

Menoth gives humanity the gifts of the Flame, the Wall, the Sheaf and the Law.

The Menite king that would become known as The Heretic founds the city of Acrennia, the first true Menite civilisation.

The Heretic's student, Cinot, founds the second Menite city of Icthier.

The Canon of the True Law are manifest on stone as the first human writings.

The Heretic discovers that each human soul hosts a spark of the divine, and any human can ascend to godhood. Menoth hid this truth because he wants to be the only god in existence.

The Heretic rebels against Menoth with the four other Defiers, which eventually ends with Menoth casting the five of them into The Void and destroying the city of Acrennia. All mention of the Heretic and his works are destroyed; records now show Cinot and Icthier as the first Menite King and city, respectively.

c. 4800 BR

Morrdhic civilisation start to take root around the Thornwood

3966 BR

The Bridge of Worlds explodes, effectively ending the Ancient Era. The human city of Icthier is abandoned.

Skorne settle down

The Skorne were originally a nomadic people.

c. 5000 BR

Nomadic Skorne encounter and begin to raid outlying elven settlements.

c. 4650 BR

Master Voskune discovers the fundamentals of Mortitheurgy.

c. 4450 BR

Dominar Vuxoris describes the hoksune warrior code describing the ideals of skorne combat.

c. 4440 BR

Masters Ishoul and Kaleed perfect the sacral stone, and Dominar Vuxoris becomes the first Exalted.

c. 4240 BR

Skorne philosopher Morkaash teaches enlightenment from the study of anatomy and pain.

3966 BR

The Bridge of Worlds explodes, effectively ending the Ancient Era.

c. 3950 BR

Surviving skorne build the first permanent skorne settlement.

c. 3800 BR

The first skorne city is named Malphas.

The origin of dragons

The first dragon was Toruk who was, and still is, a being of immense power, stature, and arrogance. He arrived on Caen from points unknown at an unknown date (although it was at least 5,500 BR). Some sources even say he was the first intelligence to arise in Caen.

He decided to split his Athanc to create more dragons, presumably to have a brood to serve him. Unfortunately for Toruk the dragons created were each an echo of the original, and were too arrogant to bow down before their father.

In a rage Toruk attempted to destroy his creations and re-absorb their Athancs but they soon fled. He hunted them over the next several millenia.

5500 BR

First recorded sightings of dragons by the Rhul.

See also The dragon wars below.

Warlord Era (3500 BR to 2000 BR)

The Warlord Era was a time of battle between human civilisation and the barbarians of the wilderness. Menite warrior-priests and priest-kings had their greatest and most sweeping battles against barbaric throngs dedicated to the Devourer Wurm. Even the smallest village was walled and armed, defending itself with faith versus the creatures from beyond the torchlight. This era had a proliferation of fiefdoms that slowly consolidated into the thousand city states of the next era.

Human expansion

c. 3500 BR

The civilisation of Morrdh is united into one Kingdom, based in the Thornwood.

2815 BR

The city of Calacia (that would later become Caspia, the capital of Cygnar) is founded by Valent Thrace.

c. 2200 BR

Priest-King Golivant destroys the barbaric Molgur, the ancestors of modern-day Tharn. This acts as a catalyst for the founding of Circle Orboros, who want to maintain a balance between civilisation and barbarism.

c. 2170 BR

Priest-King Khardovic establishes Khard.

2051 BR

Golivant III united the region around Calacia and renames the city to Caspia.

Skorne expansion

With the Elves gone, Skorne begin to expand in eastern Immoren.

c. 3300 BR

Skorne start to move from Malphas to the shore of Mirketh Lake.

c. 3000 BR

Kexorus invents skorne writing.

Thousand Cities Era (2000 BR to 600 BR)

The battles of this era were not between civilisation and the wilderness, but instead between rival city-states. Conquest and diplomacy saw the weaker fiefdoms crushed or united, paving the way for fewer but stronger kingdoms. By the end of this era what had been a thousand city states had merged into nations numbering less than a dozen.

Humans - General

c. 1800 BR

The dragon Everblight is discovered manipulating the human Kingdom of Morrdh, and is driven out by Toruk.

c. 1800-1500 BR

Without Everblight pulling the strings, the Kingdom of Morrdh slowly falls apart, and finally collapses circa 1500 BR.

1421 BR

The Khardic Empire is established.

c. 1370 BR

Tordor is established.

1313 BR

The Kingdom of Thuria is annexed by neighbouring Tordor.

1169 BR

The Umbreans unite under Umbrey against the Khardic Empire.

1073 BR

The kingdom of Rynyr is founded.

821 BR

The Horselord Wars begin between Khards and Umbreans.

743 BR

The first steam engines are invented.

716 BR

Umbrean princes surrender to the Khards and Umbrey becomes part of the Khardic Empire.

Humans - Morrow & Thamar Faith

1930 BR

Morrow and Thamar are born as twin human brother and sister. Raised in a time when Menite faith dominated all aspects of human life and culture, both come to believe in the divine power of the human soul.

Morrow preached that living a good life required more than obeying the True Law, it also required benevolence, mercy, compassion, and self-sacrifice. By reflection and a deep understanding of the world a mortal could transcend the flesh, unlocking the limitless potential of the immortal soul.

Thamar, meanwhile, preached in the belief of self-service: the powerful deserve to rule the weak, the ends justify the means, any action that increases your own power is the right action, etc. All basic Voldemort stuff, really.

1900 to 1894 BR

Scrutators of the Menite faith attempt to suppress the growing Morrowan and Thamarite cults, leading to the two joining forces and capturing the city of Caspia. Thamar executes the previous Menite Priest-King and is exiled by her brother as a result.

Thamar returns leading an army of Thamarites and begins battling her brother's forces. To save the city, Morrow sacrifices himself. Shortly after his death, his followers cut down Thamar, and then both armies witness the twins ascending as gods.

Upon their ascension, the god Menoth bestowed upon Morrow some measure of control over Humanity itself, allowing Menoth more time to manage his City of Souls in Urcaen and more time to hunt the Wurm (another deity within Urcaen).

Unfortunately this delegation of power between the gods goes largely unknown by the mortals remaining on Caen, leading to some religous "misunderstandings" between the faiths. Most notably, the Menite faith almost immediately initiate a "Purge" of the Morrowan and Thamarite religions, and the next several decades and centuries are marked by the new religions trying to survive in hiding, particularly the "more evil" Thamarites.

Morrows most devoted followers ascend and become his first Archons.

1247 BR

The Template:Orange offer to meet the leaders of the Template:Green faith to come to a peace treaty, although they have no real intention of following through.

A devout Template:Purple, receives visions of the upcoming meeting so infiltrates the Template:Green delegation and kills the Template:Green during the peace talks. Then a Template:Green immediately manifests on Caen to avenge this and kills Template:Purple, only for Template:Purple to appear and claim Khorva's soul to become a Thamarite Archon. Then Template:Green appears to claim the dead Template:Green soul to become another of his Archons. The assembled gods and demi-gods clash briefly then disappear.

The Template:Orange faith, as a result of these events (which happened in front of dozens of their senior clergy), begrudingly accept Template:Green as a real religion and cease their persecution. (Their overt, persecution, at least.)

712 BR

The Church of Morrow moves its seat from the Divinium to Caspia and begins construction on the Archcourt Cathedral.

Skorne Empire

The skorne settlements consolidate into a massive empire.

c. 2000 BR

Halaak replaces Malphas as centre of the skorne civilisation.

c. 1700 BR

Lord Tyrant Norvaak unleashes three extremely powerful kovaas upon Halaak.

Elves - Still not dead

840 BR

The Divine Court reveal that their power is waning after being stuck on Caen for so long.

This is causing elves to have shorter lifespans and become more susceptible to disease.

The Divine Court leave Ios and start searching Caen for a way back to their home realm.

The dragon wars

Pre-1800 BR

The origin of the Dragons is covered in the Ancient Era above.

However, little is known about Toruk's hunts and the dragons he devoured in Ancient times, and the facts start at 1800.

1800 BR

Toruk discovers Everblight manipulating the Kingdom of Morrdh and living underneath it. Toruk drives Everblight out, he then flees and leads Toruk to another dragon, Nektor. Toruk defeats and consumes Nektor, buying time for Everblight to make a full escape.

1640 BR

Toruk consumes Shazkz, in the Scharde Islands. Shazkz's blighted blood rains over the Scharde Islands, creating the Satyxis.

1387 BR

Toruk reclaims another sizeable part of his athanc by consuming Gaulvang.

1270 BR

The dragon Nidoboros attacks Toruk, to prove to the others that their father could be harmed. Nidoboros is defeated, but manages to wound Toruk. The other dragons, smelling blood, arrive to attack Toruk. Toruk is driven back before he can consume Nidoboros' Athanc and, in the confusion, the Athanc is taken by Zevanna Agha.

1000 BR

The dragon Blighterghast organises the surviving dragons into an alliance to fight Toruk.

Everblight is the only dragon to refuse the alliance, claiming he is still healing from the wounds that Toruk inflicted (800 years earlier).

The ensuing battle proved to be a stalemate, with Toruk forced to retreat to the Scharde Islands to lick his wounds and establish Cryx

The alliance of dragons persisted, although uneasily.