Timeline

Dark Ages: Dwarves and elves are created, and fight relentlessly

The Dark Ages were a time before magic. Elves (created by Varos) and dwarves (created by Duros) battled each other relentlessly under Hejong’s guidance. The races gained knowledge, skill, and martial prowess, and built societies out of necessity to out-produce their enemy.

Year 0: Magic is created, and there is tentative peace

Esk (a now-deceased god who is mostly forgotten) creates gemstones from his tears. He sacrifices himself to create Arcana, and the world gains magic. The remainder of his tears are shed all over Hellan and Isandor, seeding the world with hidden legendary gemstones of unfathomable power. The gods collect these tears in order to hand out to worthy leaders as they see fit. This was the first time that the gods chose mortal champions. Varos and Duros hold off while their favored nations wage war against each other, hoping for peace makers to rise in power.

Year 2: Dark elves split from sun elves

A group of sun elves adventure into the Snowfell Mountains and nearly die. They are saved by Selune and become her first worshippers. These elves come to be known as dark elves.

Year 3: Humans are Created

Varos, Duros, Remedia, Anashta, and Hejong create humankind. Humankind allies with the dwarves and the sun elves in order to broker a peace to stop the use of the legendary gemstones against one another. As part of the agreement, humans inhabit the former contested territory between the dwarves and elves, in the fertile valley of Thrain.

Year 12: Wood elves split from sun elves

A group of wood elves under the leadership of Ravielle Riversong leave Vestia to start their own way of life. While retaining close ties to Vestia, their belief system is radically different. Many worship the goddess Remedia.

Year 300: Monsters are created

After a period of 300 years of peace, Vandun and Arth go behind the backs of the other gods and create monsters: orcs, goblins, trolls, and other filth. The orcs form warbands and rampage across the eastern realms.

Year 310: Halflings are created

To aid their creations against the orcs, the gods create a fourth race called “halflings” to aid in hunting, fishing, and providing for the mighty dwarven and elven empires. It is the hope of the gods that the humans ally with the halflings, just like the elves and dwarves have. However, humans spurn their new allies in favor of the more-powerful societies the dwarves and elves have already built.

Year 350: Hellan and Isandor are settled

The orcs begin to raze and enslave their half of Ilisara and call it “Isandor”. They enslave various races the gods created within the last 40 years, including animaloids. The newly-made humans band together with the ancient dwarves and elves out of necessity to protect their half of Ilisara, now called “Hellan”. Halflings reluctantly join this alliance.

Year 360: Isandor Racial War

Orcs finish a war to subjugate all other races on Isandor. Defeated races are incorporated into orc tribes as servants, but may rise to be equal warriors if they prove their loyalty and prowess.

Year 375: Demonic Genesis

Vandun, tired of witnessing the folly of other gods, decides to take a more direct approach, empowering a select group of his followers with power. The power proved too much for the mortals, and they all became perverted into a demonic race that corresponds with a regular mortal race.

Vandun did not intend for this to happen, and did not claim responsibility in the pantheon for the emergence of these demons, instead blaming the folly of mortals. He abandoned his creation. Most demons still remain highly loyal to Vandun, but there are a few renegades who believe they were betrayed …

Demons have the power to create other demons, and they’ve never quite died out.

Year 400: The Great War begins

The elves and dwarves, to combat the orcs, decide to create an artifact combining the phenomenal power of Ilterendi and Mithrus. Dwarven smiths serving Vandun betray the dwarven King Thorin and murder him, and nearly murder the elven Queen Veladriel too. The smiths steal both gemstones. The elves retaliate, and tension rises. King Lokkhan becomes the new leader of the dwarves.

Year 425: Mok’Gram erupts

Isandor, the idyllic paradise erupts. The entire island becomes a savage wasteland, and the Orcish Warlords form a tentative truce to attempt to stave off extinction. The Orcish Warlords begin sending minor scouting parties to Hellan to see if it is viable for conquest. They begin biding their time for the opportunity to strike, while performing ritualistic combat to determine the alpha tribe. It is a mystery as to why Mok’Gram erupted.

Year 450: The Great War ends

After an all-out war between dwarves and elves, Ilterendi and Mithrus are eventually returned and the smiths (dark dwarves) who stole them are killed or exiled. The dark dwarves retreat beneath the Snowfell Mountains.

Year 475: The dark elves and dark dwarves unite

The dark dwarves discover their quiet neighbors, the dark elves, are living above the Snowfell Mountains. They introduce Vandun to the dark elves. Many dark elves begin to worship Vandun alongside Selune, seeing Vandun’s dark powers as a means to secure solitude, quiet, peace, and destroy the sun elves that forgot about them.

Year 500: The Confederacy and Orcish Warlords Organize

After 100 years of bloodshed, the humans negotiate a grand peace treaty between elves and dwarves. They form the Confederacy, a coalition of elvish, dwarvish, and human advisors/rulers that protect Hellan together and form a quasi-government. Halflings are notably left out of the Confederacy’s leadership.

At this point, the orcs have formed a loose collection of vicious warbands aptly ruled by several Warlords. The Warlords are the strongest, fiercest warriors in the land, and each lead their own orcish tribe. Turf wars are common, and Isandor slowly becomes even more of a wasteland with unforgiving climate due to their misuse of shadow power and relentless fighting."

Year 600: Relative Stability

The elves, dwarves, humans, and halflings continue to build their societies and grow more powerful. They reinforce the border between Hellan and Isandor. Attacks threaten the border frequently, but a period of relative stability begins.