Timeline
This timeline provides context for the nations and guilds across the continent of Gathandia. It contains much more in-depth information about Supereons One and Two as the first official campaign modules take place in these time periods.
Note on Timekeeping
Timekeeping in a standardized, international method is uncommon before the modern age.
Many nations have their own timekeeping customs; monarchies, for example, might keep time by numbering the years of a ruler’s reign. “The Fifth Year of Queen Astaria III” might be as formal as some nations get with their records until standardized timekeeping becomes more widespread thanks to scholarly collaboration.
Standardized timekeeping usually references a major event in world history. In Ancerra, there are two such events: the Tear and the Unity. The Tear marks the transition from Ancerra’s first to second Supereon, and the Unity marks its transition from the third Supereon to the fourth. Until the time of the Unity, the Tear is used by academic scholars as a point of standard reference (BT and PT respectively meaning Before the Tear and Post-Tear). After the Unity occurs, most scholars adopt it as their timekeeping system, while some continue using the Tear as a frame of historical reference. PU and AU respectively mean Pre-Unity and After the Unity.
Information in this book that references “present day” or “current times” refers to the 7th Century Post-Tear, contemporaneous with the Cloven Lands campaign module.
Note that WGC and W.A.N.D. have not yet been formed at the time of the Cloven Lands campaign, but are included in the following entries nonetheless due to their significant influence over Gathandia after their inception.
The Demiplanar Shunt
Millennia before the first humanoid societies came forth on Ancerra, during an ancient cosmic war between the Paragon and Corrupted Avadri, Ancerra was a stronghold of the Paragon. In order to preserve it from the ravages of war, the Avadri shielded it with powerful warding magic and expelled it from the material plane into a demiplane that drifted through the Pale. As dangerous as the Pale is, Ancerra was nonetheless unaffected as the planet and its solar system drifted through the mists beyond time.
Supereon One
The first Supereon tracks Ancerra from its ancient prehistory to the inception of its first nations, the rise and fall of early empires, and finally, the Tear.
First Nation
90th Century BT
Stone Age Technology
The name of the first nation is lost to time, but most archaeologists think that its name was Am and have dated its existence to as early as 9,000 years before the Tear.
Founding of Nevna
47th Century BT
Stone Age Technology
A coastal settlement gradually expands into a city-state, and then into a small but economically successful nation. This is Nevna, and it is the oldest nation that still exists to this day.
Rampage of the Colossus
44th-43rd Centuries BT
Stone Age Technology
The Kaijan are titanic monstrosities, ferocious apex predators of ancient Ancerra. The largest of all Kaijan, known simply as the Colossus, goes on a terrifying rampage that leaves many nations in utter ruin.
Lord of the Untold Deeps
Campaign Module
41st Century BT
Stone Age Technology
Karnap, the first pirate king, has created a new type of boat that seems more seaworthy than the small coastal vessels typical of this time. He is lost at sea on his maiden voyage, but other coastal sailors begin seeing his haunting visage in their dreams.
Dragonsong
Campaign Module
24th Century BT
Stone Age Technology
After the dwarves created the first two Dragons out of the corpse of a Kaijan and an artifact of untold power, those dragons sired seven children. These nine dragons sing a cosmic song that shapes Ancerra’s reality in fundamental ways and creates three new species: Wyrms, Wyverns, and Dragonfolk. Many nations view these new species with trepidation, causing the Dragonfolk to struggle as they look for their place in the world.
Gilgalon, The First Empire
20th Century BT
Bronze Age Technology
After battling one another for some time, two kingdoms form an alliance held together by the marriage of two of their most prominent royal leaders. This is widely cited as the first political marriage, and whether it was a happy one or not, the two kingdoms prospered as the first Ancerran empire: Gilgalon.
Assurgazzar the Godking
18th Century BT
Bronze Age Technology
A megalomaniacal tyrant named Assurgazzar rises to prominence when he overthrows the king of Brazodir, a city-state that no longer exists today, and declares himself the godking. He then promptly declares war on his surrounding neighbors.
The Dinosaur Wars
Campaign Module
18th Century BT
Bronze Age Technology
Assurgazzar and his Immortal Legion wage war on the empire of Gilgalon. Both nations implement dinosaur cavalries and many of their bloody battles come to an end only when a stray Kaijan takes interest in the carnage.
World-Quake
14th Century BT
Bronze Age Technology
A series of enormous earthquakes caused by some unknowable reaction in the planet’s core tear the world asunder. Ancerra’s single supercontinent splits apart into many continents - including Gathandia - that drift into more or less their modern locations over the course of the next couple hundred years. Mountain ranges, continental borders, island chains, and ocean currents become well-
defined over this time.
Haven in the Storm
Campaign Module
14th-12th Centuries BT
Bronze Age Technology
As the tremors of the World-Quake still rock Ancerra, a group of rangers and mystics band together and form a group called the Haven Conclave. They serve as shepherds over the various settlements struggling to survive these brutal times.
Fjordenhaven and Skavr Founded
13th Century BT
Bronze Age Technology
Migrants to the far north find boreal forests and bubbling hot springs. These migrants form the nations of Skavr and Fjordenhaven.
Pre-Anedonian City-States
13th Century BT
Bronze Age Technology
Settlers and sailors exploring the newly widening sea that would soon become the Inner Sea form a collection of settlements that eventually grow into Anedonia.
End of the Kaijan Age
12th Century BT
Bronze Age Technology
As the ancient supercontinent breaks apart into its configuration that it holds throughout the second Supereon, the Kaijan Age gradually comes to an end. Kaijan hunt themselves to near-extinction, and legendary heroes finish off the rest. The stray Kaijan might still lurk for another few centuries yet, but their reign over Ancerra begins its death-knell around this time.
Golden Age of Ahten
11th-7th Centuries BT
Bronze Age Technology
The Ahteni enter into a golden age of prosperity and become the most powerful nation west of the Cloudpiercer Range. Their age of prosperity lasts for nearly four hundred years.
Unjaarn and Vadan Schism
9th Century BT
Bronze Age Technology
Tired of Unjaarn’s strict caste system, a large region of the nation split away into its own nation, Vadan. The two nations have much tension and very complicated international dynamics.
Yodvan's Independence
9th Century BT
Bronze Age Technology
The northern nation of Fjordenhaven ratifies Yodvan’s independence. The two nations maintain an amicable relationship.
Kendaria and Nalathesh Founded
8th Century BT
Bronze Age Technology
Two notable kingdoms bordering the Great Chasm - Kendaria and Nalathesh - are both officially founded within three years of one another.
Sethan/Taspar Wars
Campaign Module
7th Century BT
Bronze Age Technology
Two of Anedonia’s most prominent city-states, Sethan and Taspar, wage war on one another on four separate occasions throughout the century before reaching a lasting peace.
Building Bridgemoor
5th Century BT
Iron Age Technology
Kendaria and Nalathesh, in an effort to improve trade relations and ease of access to one another, co-finance the construction of a city built entirely on an enormous bridge that spans the Great Chasm.
Betaalese Mind Palace
4th Century BT
Iron Age Technology
Predating the Tear and magic being widely accessible, Betaalese monks managed to cultivate psionic powers great enough to forge a mind palace. This very mind palace is still in use by modern Betaalese monks.
Independence of Bridgemoor
4th Century BT
Iron Age Technology
Bridgemoor’s meritocrats cunningly secure independence as a proper city-state by playing Nalathesh and Kendaria against one another.
Eryndor's Great Wall
3rd Century BT
Iron Age Technology
Having dealt for centuries with strange monsters creeping from Nachtskog, the rulers of Eryndor invest in building a tremendous wall to keep the terrors at bay.
Thunderhead Civil War
2nd Century BT
Iron Age Technology
As Princess Shadra comes of age, she is unable to claim the throne from king regent Rehan Jehoram, which leads to a civil war that splits Valstrom into two nations: Valstrom and Shadradoth.
Mul'ator
1st Century BT
Iron Age Technology
The brutal assassin guild that was once a subsect of the Betaalese Shinus is exiled from their mountain home. They become nomadic mercenaries for centuries before making their home in Falth during the 7th Century PT.
The Tear
Year 0 PT
Iron Age Technology
A great rend in the sky reveals stars at night for the first time in written history. Along with this revelation, magic floods into the world in unprecedented magnitudes.
Kendarian Secession
1st Century PT
Iron Age Technology
The nation of Constel comes into existence when Kendaria splits in two. The southern kingdom retains the name Kendaria, while the northern becomes Constel.
Supereon Two
Ancerra’s second Supereon follows world history from the Tear and its aftermath through the vast and rich histories of nations that grow, trade, and war with one another. They advance the world from the iron age to a highly advanced postmodern global economy, but it all falls apart with the Third Magic War.
Sky Fire
2nd Century PT
Medieval Technology
A storm of meteors crash into Ancerra and its moons, blanketing the sky in black ash and flickering fire. Plants die, livestock follow, and Ancerrans struggle to survive in the apocalyptic climate.
Haven's Legacy
Campaign Module
2nd Century PT
Medieval Technology
Members of Haven, originally founded in the wake of the World-Quake, once again find their services in high demand as entire nations struggle to survive and rebuild in the aftermath of the Sky Fire.
Chehozran/Chee Schism
2nd Century PT
Medieval Technology
Devastated by the Sky Fire, Chehorzran splits into two nations. This is done amicably and out of a need to localize power to survive the difficult times, rather than from the result of a civil war or political disagreements.
Founding of Pash
3rd Century PT
Medieval Technology
Pash, the settlement straddling the southwest bay, becomes formally recognized as a city-state.
Forsten's Secession
4th Century PT
Medieval Technology
The nation of Forsten is formed when the northern half of Constel secedes from the southern half.
Roshallan's Campaign of Conquest
5th-9th Centuries PT
Medieval Technology
Roshallan, a nation with a powerful military, begins aggressively expanding and conquering its neighbors.
Founding of Lesmishan
6th Century PT
Medieval Technology
Lesmishan, a mining nation on the west of the Great Chasm, is formally founded.
Belan's Crusade
6th Century PT
Medieval Technology
Prince Belan of Thaaj marches his army of elephants and
arcanophants across the volcanic mountains into the heartland of Roshallan in an effort to crush the empire.
The Cloven Lands
Campaign Module
7th Century PT
Medieval Technology
Nalathesh and Kendaria spar over trade agreements with Bridgemoor. These economic battles turn violent as a mysterious figure pulls the strings from the shadows.
The Great Ascendant's Reign
Campaign Module
8th Century PT
Medieval Technology
The Great Ascendant, leader of the Path of Ascendancy, assumes control of Thaaj. Having proven capable of fighting off Roshallan’s army, the Great Ascendant seems to be a powerful new player that national leaders must contend with unless heroes can thwart his tyranny.
Palorva's Shadow
Campaign Module
8th Century PT
Medieval Technology
Leading Kess out from its impoverished state, Palorva conquers the nations around her and threatens to extend her power to even farther reaches if she cannot be stopped.
Formation of W.G.C.
10th Century PT
Medieval Technology
Based in Pash, the West Gathandia Trading Company is officially signed into operation as an international trade organization.
Founding of W.A.N.D.
11th Century PT
Medieval Technology
Given the vast amount of magic and magical items in the world - and the magical threats that accompany both - a conglomerate of arcane casters form W.A.N.D., an international defense organization that specializes in magical protection services.
Roshallan Civil War
13th Century PT
Medieval Technology
No empire lives forever. As the old empire of Roshallan begins to crumble under its own weight, several prominent political figures vie for control over a region of the formerly mighty empire.
The Magic War
16th Century PT
Medieval Technology
As nations grow in economic and military power, they naturally grow restless and begin to test their strength. A complex arrangement of alliances embroils the entirety of Gathandia in a three-way war when Kendaria declares war on Constel. Magic plays a fundamental role in this war, scouring the land.
The Conquest
17th-21st Centuries PT
Medieval Technology
A cruel and enormously powerful tyrant named Samorael rises to power and conquers many of Gathandia’s nations, including the entirety of the continent west of the Great Chasm. The few nations left to resist him struggle to cooperate even in the face of existential threat.
Feldrith Calamity
Campaign Module
21st Century PT
Medieval Technology
The demiplanar wards around Ancerra dramatically weaken and a horrible hivemind entity known as the Feldrith emerges from the Pale. The terrifying organisms wreak havoc on Ancerran society for decades before heroes of all stripes manage to beat back the worst of these nightmarish creatures.
The Interplane War
22nd Century PT
Medieval Technology
Once the Feldrith are no longer a significant threat, many Archfiends, Celestials, and Exiles begin to take a direct interest in the avadrium that can be mined from the planet’s core. They war with one another over access to the material, and this often spills into the mortal plane.
Teleportation Circles Achieved
23rd Century PT
Medieval Technology
After centuries of experimentation and error, Husk and Vel finally achieve a major magical breakthrough: they can draw large teleportation circles in the ground that remain indefinitely and reliably link to one another even over vast distances. This allows Velans to travel to any location in the world near-instantaneously as they create more and more teleportation circles.
Reign of the Velans
23rd-24th Centuries PT
Medieval Technology
The dreaded Mages of the Beach rule over a huge swathe of Gathandia with fists of iron. Criminal elements in virtually every city take on humanitarian roles and try to smuggle basic necessities to the neglected. Meanwhile, freedom fighters try against all odds to overthrow the nearly omnipotent magical oligarchy.
Hidden Wars
24th Century PT
Medieval Technology
The Illuminati and Web face off more directly than they ever have in the past. They wage a covert war on one another, maneuvering nations and monarchs like pawns on a game board. The end of the conflict leaves many nations dramatically weaker than they were beforehand.
Golden Age of the Gentleman Brigands
26th-29th Centuries PT
Medieval Technology
After the first Hidden War, many international powers are severely weakened, especially those in the Thunderhead Vale. This leads to the Gentleman Brigands’ golden age under the lead of its young halfling leader named Robyn, who idolizes the kleppin Hood of old.
War for the Inner Sea
Campaign Module
27th Century PT
Medieval Technology
Renden’s hold on the Inner Sea has weakened, the powers in the region leap to fill the vacuum. Anedonia, Eryndor, and even the WGC vie for dominance over the lucrative maritime trade routes.
The Gavarese Apocalypse
29th Century PT
Steampunk Technology
An abundance of soot from cutting-edge vehicles and factories in Gavare trigger a series of environmental catastrophes that leave the nation desolate and struggling to catch up with its neighbors.
Demon War of Vaenyth
Campaign Module
30th Century PT
Steampunk Technology
The champions for the next monarch of Vaenyth band together in opposition of tradition, summoning bloodthirsty fiends from Inferno to fight alongside them. Vaenythan nobles, soldiers, and champions each embrace unholy powers as they vie for dominance.
Dominion of the Southern Seas
Campaign Module
32nd Century PT
Steampunk Technology
Nausa and many of Gathandia’s nations along the southern shores become embroiled in conflict. What begins as a series of trade embargos quickly spirals into a many-faceted war for dominion over these lucrative waterways.
Rot of Nachtskog
Campaign Module
34th Century PT
Industrial Technology
Nachtskog, the Black Forest, belches out all manner of monstrosities far more horrible than typical to the region, fueled by an open portal to Phlegmereth. Eryndor and Skavr must rise to the challenge or be overrun.
Reign of the Ice Queen
Campaign Module
35th Century PT
Industrial Technology
In the generational wake of the devastation caused by the Rot of Nachtskog, Queen Vestreida ascends to the throne in Skavr and leverages her armies to declare surprise war on Eryndor and Fjordenhaven.
Second Magic War
38th Century PT
Modern Technology
Several belligerent nations seize on recent international unrest and try to make power plays, annexing nearby nations too weak to stop them. Eventually, this crescendos into the Second Magic War, made even more devastating than the first thanks to the advent of modern technology.
Biotech Revolution
40th Century PT
Futuristic Technology
A faction of humanoids with cybernetic enhancements - especially cybernetically enhanced brains - make the claim that they should be the de facto governors of their nations. The ensuing revolution is at times bloody and at times diplomatic, and ends with a mix of cybernetic and “traditional” humanoids leading various nations. Tensions on the matter linger for centuries thereafter.
Moon Disputes
41st Century PT
Futuristic Technology
Many modern nations both on Ancerra and on the three habitable moons face shortages of basic resources like food and water. The two uninhabitable moons might have resources to be mined, but many nations lay claim to these moons for a variety of reasons.
Third Magic War
42nd Century PT
Futuristic Technology
The tenuous world peace eventually falls apart, and as many nations are armed with both magic and nuclear fusion technology, the devastating war that follows leaves Ancerra unrecognizable.
Supereon Three
The Third Magic War leaves Ancerra a post-apocalyptic wasteland. In the third Supereon, the denizens of a broken planet struggle to survive a vast array of threats, any one of which could spell doom for all sapient life.
The Shattering
12th Century PU (43rd Century PT)
Steampunk Technology
In the wake of the Third Magic War, the wards around Ancerra’s solar system finally give way completely, and the creatures of the Pale and of every other plane have free rein over the planet.
Interplane War II
12th Century PU (43rd Century PT)
Steampunk Technology
The Celestials, Fiends, and Exiles battle over Ancerra and its moons. They are especially interested in controlling Ancerra due to the planet’s avadrium core. The warring is so intense that the Archfae even get involved, first as diplomats and then as warriors themselves.
Age of the Dead
7th-4th Centuries PU (48th-51st Centuries PT)
Steampunk Technology
A horrible outbreak of the Zombie Plague sweeps Ancerra, plunging the world and its moons all into a hellish fight for survival against the dead.
The Convergence
2nd Century PU (53rd Century PT)
Modern Technology
Drawn by the ancient power contained within Ancerra’s core, creatures and even the planes themselves from every corner of the multiverse converge on Ancerra. During this time, the Avadri run rampant, and the Celestials, Exiles, and Archfiends make an unprecedented alliance to deal with what they view as a collectively existential threat in the Avadri.
Tunnel of Realities
1st Century PU (54th Century PT)
Postmodern Technology
Harnessing tremendous power beyond the scope of any single god, the Celestials and Exiles force the entirety of Ancerra’s multiverse through a series of other multiverses. Ancerra’s physical plane was known among the highest gods - the six Creator Avatars - as Prime Existence 31 (PE-31). As they smashed through subsequent existences, the Celestials and Exiles banished the Avadri on PE-33 and finally arrived on PE-36, where Ancerra’s entire multiverse and all its planes of existence (except Avadria, of course) became embodied galaxies in the much broader PE-36 prime material plane.
The Unity
Year 0 AU (55th Century PT)
Futuristic Technology
All things come together. The immense gravity of the event completely and fundamentally restructures Ancerran worldview.
Supereon Four
After clawing its way out of the ashes of the apocalypse, Ancerra’s future looked bright again. The Unity, however, completely destroyed Ancerra’s hope of making a full recovery, and the sparse remnant of people that survived looked to the stars for one last hope.
Big Net Virus
2nd Century AU (56th Century PT)
Futuristic Technology
The people of Ancerra follow the leadership of an all- knowing AI. This society falls apart when a carefully designed malware program causes the AI to collapse, plunging society into a state of anarchy.
OIT Contact
4th Century AU (58th Century PT)
Futuristic Technology
The OIT, an intergalactic trade organization, make contact with the remnant of Ancerrans who still live.
Return of the Avadri
24th Century AU (78th Century PT)
Futuristic Technology
The Avadri develop a multiversally powerful algorithm to travel from PE-33 to PE-36. They appear with a vengeance, looking to punish the Celestials and Exiles - now notably less powerful - for locking the Avadri away. The result is a universe-wide war that leaves nobody untouched.
Entropy and The Door Eventually, all things come to an end. But in the endless progression of creation, the end of one thing is the beginning of another. As the three multiverses touched by Ancerra and its gods each inevitably reach their heat deaths - peaceful, or perhaps unceremonious depending on one’s view - new multiverses are born.