This is a timeline of major events in the history of Rithera. The initial number represents the year according to the true or beastkin calendar and the parenthetical number represents the year according to the standard or human calendar.
ERA 0: PREHISTORY
0: Birth of the Cosmos / Originary Ordering. The three divinities emerge from formless elemental chaos. The domains of Creation, Destruction, and Purification are defined in contrast to the Chaos that preceded them. The cosmos takes shape.
1: The Mythical Phases of the Divine Experiment. The gods divide heavens and earth (create light and planets).
2: The gods divide earth and seas (create oceans).
4: The gods give life to plants.
8: The gods give life to fish and insects.
16. The gods give life to the beasts of the land and sky.
32. The gods create beastkin. As the first sapient species created, adapted from the beasts made earlier in the experiment, the beastkin are the most established and developed when the War begins.
64. The gods create demihumans (elves, vampires, etc.) Though more developed than humans, they do not participate in the War, being smaller in number.
128. The gods create humans. The humans are created in Ihiyo and only have enough time to develop nomadic tribes, who are divided by the War.
255. End of the Divine Experiment. The gods conclude their works and create the first star. Creation is complete and (briefly) normalized.
256. The Primordial War. The gods of Creation and Destruction wage war for 255 days. Rithera is sundered. The beastkin of east and west wage war, picking sides between the gods. The splitting of the continents divides societies. The eidola are created.
256. Eradina's Fury. On the 256th day of the War, Eradina seals Rithera as it is, forcing the end of the War. What has been wrought cannot be undone.
257. The Divine Retreat. The gods depart through the three Gates. The gods no longer influence Rithera. The eidola gather about the Gates, hungry for their domain aether. The greatest beastkin generals are appointed the Beasts, with the wise First Beastkin appointed the Great Beast. They govern the beastkin.
ERA 1: BEASTKIN GOLDEN AGE
258. The Four Foundings. The Beasts found the four legendary city-states of the beastkin. On the Western Continent is Aurita Meloda, the cliffside canal city of Water on the coast of Granse, and Aeris Do'ran, the tunnel city of Earth said to span the length of Hagos. On the Eastern Continent, there is Atina Lurias, the treetop jungle city of Wind in Lomphan, and Aereus Kyrius, the fortress city of Fire in Eurena that warred against the more restive eidola near the Gate of Destruction. Representatives of each city would gather at Isla Santo every four years, and with the oversight of the Great Beast, all flourished. The beastkin create great works of culture, most lost to time, but do not innovate much in terms of Magitech because of the abundance of aether that the Beasts provide in various ways. Their civilizations are very sophisticated but dependent on prodigious energy, which human societies (save, until recently, Cosmopolis) cannot rely on. Thus, humans only benefited from beastkin knowledge in very rudimentary ways, early on.
513 (1). The Founding of Old Eurena. The human hero Eurene, said to wield a sword drawn from the Gate of Destruction itself, declares herself empress and founds the first human empire, Eurena, on the Eastern Continent. A new human calendar is defined. In the intervening centuries, the Beasts have tired of their societies and the humans have expanded sufficiently to challenge the beastkin. The Great Beast no longer appears at Isla Santo. The beastkin blaspheme against their creators, seeking the power of Chaos.
ERA 2: HUMANITY'S ASCENT
529 (17). Humans Victorious in the War of Raging Flames. The beastkin city of Fire, Aereus Kyrius, is crushed. In the final battle, the beastkin unleashed their power of Chaos, shattering the empress's Sword of Destruction with its anti-domain power. But the Beast of Fire, witnessing this, despaired and departed the battlefield for Ihiyo, abandoning his charges. The humans rallied and won the day, marking the end of the Beastkin Golden Age. The human nations that exist today are gradually founded after this point.
533 (21). The Imperial Edict. Empress Eurene publicly denounces the Old Faith of the Beastkin and proclaims that the gods have anointed humanity their chosen people. The persecution of the Beastkin in the East begins.
534 (22). The Tragedy at Lomphan. The treetop city of Wind, Atina Lurias, is razed when Eurena attacks with fire stolen from the conquered Aereus Kyrius, crushing a second beastkin civilization. The Eastern Continent is claimed for humanity. Lomphan Province is officially made part of the Empire. However, the humans who studied spiritual transcendence with the beastkin there secret their remnants and wisdom away and plot rebellion.
550 (38). Eastern Continent Unified. Eurena conquers the Eastern Continent as far south as the deserts of Ashald. Plans are developed to ascend the plateau to the Gate of Creation, but this never comes to pass.
558 (46). Religions of Revonus and Ashald Founded. Two rival prophets found religious societies in separate provinces of the Empire, rejecting the imperial cult that deifies Eurene. These prophets will eventually seek to reconcile their differences by agreeing to travel together to Lomphan to seek a revelation. They encounter the Beast of Air in hiding, who tells them that the Old Faith is true. But when they return, the societies they founded reject and persecute them. This history is hidden.
560 (48). Lomphan Rebels. With Eurena distracted by suppressing dissent in Revonus and Ashald, Lomphan declares independence and offers a haven for beastkin, thereby swelling the ranks of its armies. The monks of Lomphan officially organize their sangha, integrating it with their new monarchy, founded on the tenets of peaceful coexistence and disciplined self-defense.
564 (52). The Empress Dies in Lomphan. The empress perishes while campaigning against the rebellion in Lomphan. Her empire is left in disarray as her armies retreat. This is due to the prince of Lomphan, leading a motley party of beastkin and adventurers, who gathers the fragments of the shattered Sword of Destruction. Using the arts of Transcendence lost when the city of Wind was destroyed by Eurene, he re-fuses it into a superior state that can last a single blow and dramatically strikes the Gate-tainted empress down with her own lost weapon. These events too are suppressed. But the memory of Eurena's grudge against Lomphan lingers.
565 (53). Revonus and Ashald Declare Independence. The empire splits into its provinces. The stage is set for centuries of religious conflict.
569 (57). The Loremasters and Goetia's Port are Founded. An organization dedicated to preserving historical knowledge is founded in Goetia's Port. The secret founders of the Loremasters are the prophets of Revonus and Ashald, forced to flee. One of the party members who slew Eurene was their last faithful disciple, who requests a boon from Lurias, the Beast of Air, for avenging the treetop city. Lurias joins them at Goetia's Port and casts a spell to wreathe it in fog impenetrable to all those save worthy Loremasters. Thus it remains today.
571 (59). The First Crusade. Revonus drives Ashald into the desert, putting their nation on the back foot. Ashald begins researching alchemy and trading with Lomphan. Humans begin to develop Magitech in earnest.
575 (63). Youkai Wars Begin. War between Revonus and youkai-based eidola that pour forth from the Gate of Destruction. Since Eurena destroyed the beastkin city of Fire, the eidola have been gathering unchecked at the Gate of Destruction. Just as Revonus plans to subjugate the rest of Eurena, eidola burst forth and Revonus dedicates itself to suppressing them. The faith of Aijanu becomes centered on hatred of a supposed Great Deceiver responsible for these "demons."
619 (107). Aeris Do'ran Collapses. Unbeknownst to humanity, the beastkin civilization of Earth in the southern savannahs of the Western Continent collapses, leaving only ruins behind. It turns out that Do'ran, the Beast of Earth, emanates a power that gradually strengthens monstrous beasts in its vicinity. Finding the civilization that Do'ran intended to protect instead threatened, the Beast departs for Verdios, perhaps because its Twilight Canyon might contain any monster hordes, in hopes that the beastkin will be better able to fight back. Tragically, without the Beast's power on which they depend, they fail.
639 (127). Youkai Wars "End" in Stalemate. A status quo is attained that prevents Revonus from expanding further. The Youkai Wars do not really end, but Revonus must shift its focus when Ashald counterattacks.
639 (127). Ashald's Great Struggle Begins. Ashald counterattacks with its gathered wealth and alchemical relics. Aether gems are first employed. This marks the shift from "enchanted" weapons to the reliance on the socketing of aether gems, a great magitechnical advance.
641 (129). Hagos is Founded. Emigres depart from Ihiyo for the Western Continent with the aid of Style Gems and found Hagos in the dangerous southern savannahs, encountering the ruins of Aeris Do'ran. Ihiyo's society has transformed in the last hundred years since Kyrius, the Beast of Fire, arrived to dwell on the Anima Volcano, becoming oppressively theocratic. Those who found Hagos flee this persecution. Though Ashald is credited with the creation of alchemy, the Ihiyons who leave for Hagos develop it independently. Thanks to their advanced Arts, they learn to contend with the vicious monsters that still dwell in the savannah due to Do'ran's previous presence.
647 (135). Ashald Victorious in Great Struggle. Revonus, weakened by the Youkai Wars, is driven back from the deserts, expanding Ashald's domain. A new status quo is established. Though border wars continue, Ashald focuses on economic expansion rather than territorial, preferring that Revonus handle the nearby eidola.
663 (151). Aurita Meloda Collapses. The last city-state of the Beastkin falls when Deathless Draaken rebels and Meloda departs. No independent beastkin civilizations remain. The humans of the Western Continent at last experience a historical awakening.
664 (152). Verdios is Founded. The elves of Verdios confer with Suryle Kingdom, a previously reclusive human knightly society, and agree to co-govern Verdios, with authority and military responsibility falling first to Suryle. The elves are first to react to the final fall of the Beastkin. The modern nations of the Western Continent are beginning to form. Unbeknownst to humanity, the elves have another motive: the Beast of Earth has been dwelling in Verdios and slowly strengthening its monsters, and the Knights of Suryle have the strength and courage to contend with them.
668 (156). First Festival of Blessings in Granse. The nomads of Granse, with the guidance of some beastkin refugees, form an official accord to govern the territory of Granse. No nation will properly govern Granse as a whole until Vaeltrandia is founded, but the territory is relatively peaceable.
672 (160). Castia is Founded. The more warlike communities of Granse, scoffing at this new alliance, migrate north to the punishing climes of Castia, training to live in proximity to the Gate of Purification. Castia's aggressive nature and superiority complex are present at its founding.
680 (168). Cosmopolis is Founded. Alchemists from Ashald devise a means of ascending the plateau and flee from their nation's strengthening theocracy, intent on harnessing the power of the Gate of Creation. Though founded later than other societies, Cosmopolis progresses very rapidly, as the first to harness the Gate of Creation with Ashaldi alchemy as the basis for their Magitech.
687 (175). The Seers are Born. A cult of Castian shamans sacrifice a child to the Gate of Purification who emerges able to predict the future. The taint of the Gate offers a sliver of Eradina's power over time. But this oracular power only emerges occasionally from the first child's bloodline. Even so, the descendants of the sage all resemble each other, making them easy to identify.
704 (192). Oradia is Founded. A devotee of Eradina successfully unites the fractious human, beastkin, and vampire communities of the equatorial jungles of the Western Continent into Oradia, a pluralistic nation of luxury and culture. Unlike the elves, who acted quickly in helping to form a new nation to ensure their survival, the vampires couldn't be bothered. But their fiefdoms are unified into a grand court with little fuss, perhaps because they think it sounds fun.
768 (256). The Seers Flee Castia. Unbeknownst to the world at large, Castia's sages flee for Ever'ast and the surrounding isles, going into seclusion. Castians exploited the sages' power to become skilled raiders. Because descendants always resemble the first sage, the family had to go far to escape. The world forgets their existence altogether. Eventually, this quirk will explain Reize and Thael's near-twin appearance despite their different fathers.
832 (320). Korotus is Founded. Korotea unites the tribes of northern Eurena and declares a nation independent of Revonus and Ashald that mass produces weaponry. A sapient eidola fleeing from Revonus's inquisitors meets a sorceress, Korotea, who has found a fallen star. With its power, they become the mightiest eidola-pacted to ever live thus far. The star is annihilated and its power fuels a great everburning forge, making Korotus the first "industrialized" nation.
848 (336). The First World Council. Korotea summons the powers of the Eastern Continent to a great council and acts as an intermediary between Revonus and Ashald, cementing Korotus as the main power there and the successor to the Empire of Eurena. Historians of Cosmopolis will later rue the naivety of its representatives at this Council in failing to check Korotea's influence over the proceedings. But thanks to Korotus's guarantees of defense, Ashald is able to focus on exploring new trade routes. Soon the "World" Council is revealed to represent half the world at best.
880 (368). Ashald Lands in Oradia. The Age of Intercontinental Exchange begins. Trade between East and West begins at last.
ERA 3: HUMANITY'S GOLDEN AGE
881 (369). Sea Trade Route Established. Alchemy is exchanged for new fruit and spices. Ashald's wealth surges. Korotus begins naval development.
889 (377). The Pirate Wars. As sea trade surges, so too does the practice of piracy. The central archipelago of the Azure Expanse becomes a war zone. Korotus, rapidly producing ships, takes charge of naval defense in exchange for tribute from Ashald. Most trade is between Ashald and Oradia, Verdios, and Hagos. Castians raid vessels en route to Verdios, to everyone's annoyance. Revonus and Cosmopolis are too insular to form trade routes and Korotus focuses on their military.
893 (381). First Clash Between Korotus and Castia. Castia's raiders clash with Korotus's navy near the Isle of Ever'ast. Neither nation is willing to back down. Korotus benefits from taxing Ashald for raw materials for their hyper productive weapon forge, so is committed to military supremacy, and Castia won't be bossed around by anyone.
901 (389). The Second World Council. As the Pirate Wars rage on, Korotus attempts to form a world alliance against Castia. Cosmopolis joins with Hagos in foiling this to check Korotus's power. Cosmopolis finally encounters scholars from Hagos and, surprisingly, changes its national policy, realizing there are other enlightened seekers of knowledge in the world. Though unofficial, this is the first diplomatic cooperation between East and West.
905 (393). The Cosmopolitan Embassies are Founded. Cosmopolis begins a great diplomatic campaign, bringing advanced (to others) magitech in exchange for founding embassies in every nation. Korotus begins to feel pressure to score a decisive victory, deciding to first crush Castia and then turn on Cosmopolis.
912 (400). Verdios Allies with Castia. In a sudden twist, as Castia is pressured by Korotus's navy, Verdios joins forces with their pirate foes in the name of protecting the Western Continent from Eastern incursion. This cunning move was the result of Cosmopolitan diplomacy and Verdiosan pragmatism and far-sightedness.
913 (401). The Amnesty. In her last great act, the Empress Korotea agrees to peace with Castia, organized by Cosmopolis. Though Empress Korotea, like Empress Eurene before her, finds her dreams of conquest dashed, her empire outlives her. An uneasy but productive peace settles over the world.
914 (402). The Vanguard Association is Founded. The Cosmopolitan Embassies become the basis for an international peacekeeping organization of adventurers. Adventurers ascend as a dominant force over world affairs as national militaries and borders settle into a status quo.
916 (404). The Loremasters Reveal Themselves. Loremasters issue from Goetia's Port and visit various nations, some taking on posts as advisors. Lost histories are shared. The world gradually adopts a unified calendar based on Eurene's.
920 (408). The Third World Council. On Loremaster advice, the human nations of the world begin to meet regularly in Korotus every four years following this. Little does humanity know that they are emulating the beastkin that preceded them in this way.
1042 (540). Proliferation / Cosmopolis's Isolation. The Gate of Creation is opened near Cosmopolis, unleashing the phenomenon called Proliferation, which induces the jungles and beasts within to grow and reproduce overwhelmingly. The city is sealed and ceases to interact with the outside world. After a century of relative peace, the world's primary diplomatic power and developer of magitech disappears from the world stage. Progress on both fronts largely halts. The perpetrator is Ringo, Grandmaster of the Vanguards and friend to the future Sorceress Potentate of Cosmopolis, tainted by the Gate.
ERA 4: AGE OF UPHEAVAL
1042 (540). Vaeltrandia Rises in Granse. Druids aided by the eidola Kernunnos and allied with a prominent warrior clan develop powerful homunculi, the Star-Crowned, and conquer much of the territory of Granse. Their dominance is brief but impactful. The imbalance in the power of Creation caused by Proliferation indirectly leads to their success. The unrest in Granse sets the Western Continent on guard. With Cosmopolis also absent, they begin to withdraw from international cooperation.
1050 (548). The Revonan Inquisition. A cult of eidola-pacted influenced by the Gate of Destruction attempt to overthrow Revonus. Paranoid, the Church of Aijanu turns on itself and then on Ashald. Korotus remains the greatest military power but, after Korotea, lacks diplomatic finesse. They cannot prevent Revonus from crusading against Ashald. The Eastern Continent goes to war.
1054 (552). Lomphan Restores Peace. The monks of Lomphan interpose themselves between the armies of Revonus and Ashald and, famously, repel both for seven days and nights until, exhausted, the nations agree to a truce. Korotus's inaction, either out of confusion or indifference, allows Lomphan to surprise all by rising as a new principled peacekeeping force. The Eastern Continent ceases active conflict thanks to Lomphan's watchful gaze, but mistrust rises between all parties. The World Councils cease around this time.
1135 (633). Chronicles of a Legend. A 16-year old young man named Luan sets forth on his first adventure. Luan Seatlan, Reize's father, eventually joins up with Reize's mother, Auria the Mysterious Seer, as well as Gilbert Galvan of Cosmopolis and Albert Lancastrian of Castia. Their adventures make marks upon the world wherever they go.
1144 (642). Separation of the Legends. Gilbert Galvan leaves the band to stop a prediction from coming true concerning Cosmopolis. Auria has a vision of enormous beasts gathering at a Gate with Starfall, the end of the world, on the verge of occurring. Gilbert mistakenly concludes that this refers to Proliferation and returns home to marry Ivo's mother, ascend to nobility, and heroically join the battle at the Gate of Creation.
1146 (644). Magitech Cannon / Skyshudder. The Magitech Cannon is used in Cosmopolis to temporarily push back Proliferation with a force akin to that wielded by the gods in the Primordial War, causing the Skyshudder, an impact felt all over the world. Gilbert, believing himself to be preventing the prophecied Starfall, advocates for the use of the Magitech Cannon. But he is betrayed by the noble Vivian and his army is sacrificed in its use. Disgraced and beset by doubts, Gilbert fails into despair.
1152 (650). The Seer's Choice. Auria, guided by her visions, leaves her life with Luan for Eurena, where she meets the Emperor's Captain of the Guard, Algien, and bears him a son, Thael. Reize's mother's journey reflects his own. She begins excited to explore the world and follow her visions. Now, though she doubts both her visions and herself, she strives to save the world at the cost of her own happiness. Reize will be forced to question the value of the "wishes" that his pendant reveals to him too.
1154 (652). Albert Lancastrian Becomes King. Albert Lancastrian, Crown Prince of Castia, ascends to the throne and implements meritocratic reforms. Luan ceases his adventures to settle down with the Mysterious Seer. Castia, surprisingly, comes to represent diversity: all of the original Deva Generals are foreigners, which takes a while for the Castians as a whole to swallow. Raiya, who will become an ally in First Flight, is amongst the Deva Generals.
1161 (659). Coup in Korotus / War on Two Fronts. Algien overthrows the emperor of Korotus and launches an all-out land war on Lomphan and naval war on Castia, throwing the world into chaos. Thael is abandoned in Castia. Lomphan is crushed and effectively reduced to a vassal state, with its beastkin either purged or interned. (Eurena's revenge took 500 years but came at last.) But at sea, the Castians are victorious, benefiting from Albert's willingness to accept talent from anywhere. Raiya leaves Castia. Thael, Reize's identical half-brother, eventually takes her place as a Deva General.
1169 (667). Start of First Flight, Reize's adventure begins. It is the current year that the entire story takes place.