Shaintar Timeline

-5000	Shanais and Targon raise the Ascended and leave the realms of influence of Shaintar.

-4900	All of Shaintar is rocked by earthquakes for many days (some legends speak of the earthquakes lasting for over a year). Some scholars propose that this is the creation of the Everwall.

-4300	Legends speak of a war between the beings we know as the Dregordians and the now-mythical "Serpent Riders,"or Draykin; some scholars hold that they were the first "Dragon Cult," and all indications are that they are wiped out by the Dregordians at this time.

-4200	According to legends of this time, the Dregordian Voltiss vo Ssartis comes down from the Hellstorm Mountains to begin teaching The Way as a means for his people to control their "Inner Beast."

-4000	The height of what is referred to by scholars as the Empire of the Golden Sun. It spans across most of what is now called the Eternal Desert and spreads out into the northern lands. Though there are very few remnants of that time, what has been seen indicates a highly developed and advanced civilization.
	It is believed that the earliest forms of metalworking and the forging of iron are developed by the Dwarves of the northern lands at this time.

-3700 	It is believed that the Empire of the Golden Sun falls around this time, although the causes are unknown. There is some speculation that a great stone fell from the sky (perhaps a meteor) and wiped out the capital and many cities nearby.

-3000 	The "Golden Age of the Fae," when the Faelakar ruled over most of Shaintar. Much of what the other races and nations will ultimately rely upon in terms of law, society, economics, and the like are developed during this era.
	Of most notable importance, many communities make the transition from "hunter/gatherer" societies to more agrarian practices.

-2900 	Through causes that most advanced scholars maintain are simply "natural" (most likely a significant change in weather patterns), much of the lush and green lands that could be found directly east of the Hellstorm Mountains begin to dry up and disappear, thus creating the Eternal Desert now known there.

-2500 	Vainar's Fall - Vainar discovers a region in the far reaches of Corelesia known as the Nether. He attempts to embrace all of the Darkness of the Nether in the hopes of destroying it for all time. His arrogance brings about his fall, and he is instead utterly corrupted by this darkness, becoming the greatest of the beings known as the Necrolords - Vainar the Fallen, the God of Darkness and Death.

-2400 	The Fae's "Golden Age" ends as many follow Vainar's "new path." They gather in the lands known as Shaya' Nor.

-2200 	Ceynara is seduced by the great Demon Lord, Uldor. She abandons her place and, taking most of her forces with her, assumes the titles of Queen of Hell and Goddess of War.

-2100 	Various wars break out all across Shaintar as Flame and Darkness consume the hearts of many. This is the beginning of the Age of Doom.

-2000 	Around this time, Dregordian society has taken on the basic form we know today - highly controlled, bureaucratic, and orderly, with a combination monarchy and republican government.
	The various clans of the Youlin Aradi (the "People of the Sun") begin to coalesce under strong leaders, thus forming the initial social structures that survive to this day in the lands of the Desert Princes.

-1800 	A holy war ensues at this time in the northwest regions of Shaintar between those that follow the Ascended and those that worship Ceynara; the latter forces gain the advantage.
	In a vain attempt to summon the Ascended, many Faelakar destroy themselves and hundreds of their followers in a magical cataclysm that creates the vast inner sea and island now collectively known as Og m' Drakar ("The Eye of the Dragon"). The place is eternally charged with vast mystical energies.

-1700 	Haarak Tuul arises to unite all of Shaya' Nor under one rule and becomes the greatest and most terrible of all the Necrolords (except for Vainar) who ever walked upon Shaintar.

-1600 	A genocidal war against all Dwarves begins in Shaya' Nor, one that leaves no dwarf alive in the Shadow Lands to this day. Many of the refugees flee southward into the mountains and hills of the Bloody Pikes, Gorgons, and Fangs, creating many of the Clanhomes known there now.

-1500 	Ceynara herself leads Demons and Childer from Norcan Darr through 7 Cauldrons into Shaintar, beginning the devastating War of Fire. This is the first recorded sighting of Brinchie upon the land, which leads many to believe that they are Childer.

-1200 	The War of Fire ends when the remaining Ascended capture Ceynara and cast her back into Hell (through a gate created by the magical energies surrounding Og m' Drakar). Vainar refuses Ceynara's plea for aid, indicating that Darkness and Flame are not allies.

-1000	A long period of minor wars ensues as those who are left, without the direct intervention of the Higher Beings, struggle for domination over one another. Entire societies (including those of the Fae and the Dregordians) crumble, and little is left of the great kingdoms of the prior ages.
	The Age of Peace is marked by the Gather by the Eye. Many spiritual beings and leaders receive visions instructing them to bring their people to Og' m Drakar. It is here that the Ascended entreat the people of Shaintar to live together in peace. It is also here that they claim that they can never again have so great an influence upon the creation of Shanais and Targon.
	Many Fae receive visions that lead them to begin following The Paths, thus bringing about the first Druids in Shaintar. It is believed that they are called to do service in repentance for much of the harm that they have caused.
The earliest sea travel begins around this time.

-700 	The Age of Peace ends with the Coming of the Hordes as legions of Goblinesh and Humans drive out of Shaya' Nor and sweep across Shaintar. Vainar and The First Thirteen (the highest of the Necrolords who serve the Fallen) reign in the fabled "Shadow Lands."

-600 	The Age of Darkness descends across Shaintar as the armies of Shaya' Nor dominate almost all of the lands. Only the Dwarves of the Hellstorm Mountains, the Dregordians, and a mix of races in the area now known as the Freelands stand against their might

-500 	Plagues, pestilence, and famine ravage all of Shaintar, further devastating the populations of every race.

-400 	Humans in the southern lands, led by the legendary Kaine, discover Evocations and begin devising other forms of Sorcery, mostly in search of a means to fight back against the Hordes.

-300 	Unable to stand and watch any longer, the Ascended once again walk upon Shaintar and bring their heavenly hosts with them, driving the Army of Darkness back into Shaya' Nor. Great heroes attack and destroy The First Thirteen (who have taken thrones across the lands), thus creating the first and most powerful Netherstones (the "condensed essences" of the Thirteen, too powerful to actually be destroyed). Wisely escaping to his realm in the Nether, Vainar spitefully releases the horrible plague known as Vainar's Curse across the land, decimating most of the populations and wiping out entire bloodlines.

0 	The three remaining Ascended finally acknowledge that they must have a Soulfinder and seek out one to raise in Vainar's place (even though this will cost them each a great deal of their power for all time). They offer to raise Saiderin, Vainar's younger brother, but he refuses. Thus, they choose Landra, Vainar's sister and youngest of the three siblings. Her first act is to formulate the Covenants as a means to enforce restricted influence of Shaintar from Corelesia and beyond. This is hoped to reduce the possibility of such cataclysms as have already almost destroyed Shaintar.
	This heralds the dawn of the Age of Hope and marks the beginning of the New Fae Calendar. The Fae Nation is declared reborn; the Quo-Unias ("Highest One"), Azhurin Eridor, resides in Eldara within the vast forest realm of Landra' Feya ("Landra's Blessed Garden").

50 	Anxious to rebuild their population, the Fae have turned to the Humans early on after Vainar's Curse when they discovered they are highly successful at mating with them. The more "Fae" of the offspring become known as Alakar, whereas the more human among them easily blend in as "gifted" Humans. Those that generally fall in between (crudely called "half-fae") are ostracized (or worse) by their parent cultures, leaving thousands disenfranchised, bitter, and hateful. One among them, known simply as Kor, begins gathering these people up and leads them to the island that is now known as Korindia, where they become their own people.

200 	Legend maintains that the first encampment that would come to be known as Lone Keep is made at this time. Most scholars accept this as the approximate time that the Freelands came into being.

250 	Lanthor, the largest and oldest free city-state in all of Shaintar, sees its first docks built around this time. They are little more than planks of rough wood over stones, but this area never ceases to be a major stopping point for sea travel.

387 	The Fang Wars - Squeezed between Shaya' Nor to the north and the Wolfhead Mountains to the south, hundreds of Goblinesh tribes band together and strike against the heavily decimated Dwarves in the latter region. Ultimately they drive the Dwarves out and take the former Clanhomes there for themselves, thus beginning an enmity between the two races in that region that continues to this day.

500 	Emeralda, the first major town in the Pirate Archipelagoes, is founded around this time.
	The Fae are dominant throughout the region known now as the Wildlands - most of the southern-central and southeastern portions of Shaintar. Some refer to this as the "Second Golden Age of the Fae" - many developments considered lost from previous wars and cataclysms of the past are "rediscovered" during this time, including astronomy, law, mathematics, advanced agriculture, and advanced forms of philosophy and art.
It is also around this time that the first Everwood is discovered. Druids are literally gifted this precious and powerful resource from the hearts of the most ancient trees.

720 	Brinchie tribes begin migrating into Landra' Feya. Although there are initial tensions, the Quo-Unias and other Elders command that they are to be welcomed.

988 	First recorded gathering of the major Northern tribes in the area that will become the Kal-a-nar Empire, leading most historians to regard the next 1000 years as the Age of Empire.

1132 	A massive volcano erupts in the southeast corner of Shaintar, causing great destruction and taking hundreds of lives. Many druids (mostly Fae and Dwarvish) gather to use their gifts to calm it. When the crisis is abated, these gathered druids begin discussions that eventually lead to the formation of the Druidic Council later that year. They select the oldest and most powerful among them, Mindoth, as the First Speaker.

1135 	The Druidic Council takes up permanent residence in the dormant volcano now called Mindoth's Tower.

1277 	First recorded trade between the southern coastal areas and Nazatir. It is believed that Nazatir is populated by refugees who fled during the War of Fire, or perhaps in the wake of the hard times that followed.

1400 	The first great battles amongst the human warrior tribes of the Northwest, leading to the rise of the Kal-a-nar (the "People of Glory"), a harsh society that values humans above non-humans and strong humans above all.

1650 	A large number of the Humans that have spread through the southern lands begin taking residence in the Freelands, joining the small but growing communities that are yet again rebuilding after ages of war and disaster. Lanthor begins the steady growth that will lead to its becoming the largest city in all of Shaintar.

1700 	The worship of Ceynara as a Goddess begins to take root in Goblinesh society, spreading through Gathers throughout Shaintar.

1724 	Jolokas is named Emperor of the Eleran m' Kal-a-nar (the Kal-a-nar Empire). Ceynara is named as their patron "Goddess of War."

1735 	The Empire quickly begins to expand eastward and south, destroying or enslaving entire peoples in their path. This is marked as the beginning of The Great Exodus as thousands of non-Kalinesh flee the slavery (and worse) that the Empire holds for them.

1741 	The Battle of Aralon - Tavrin Ondori leads a combined force of Fae, Goblinesh, Humans, Dwarves, and Brinchie against an army sent by Jolokas ki Grilnas to pursue the refugees fleeing the Empire. They meet in a bloody conflict that lasts for 8 days near the Aralon Forest. Finally, reinforcements for Tavrin's forces arrive in the form of hundreds of Youlin Aradi cavalry and thousands of Aevakar, turning the tide and sending the Kal back north.
	The Battle is not without cost, and the greatest is paid by the Aevakar, who (never numerous to begin with) are decimated by the Empire's necromancers and their summoned Nether creatures. As most of their people participated in the battle, their elders decide to split up those that remain and "leave the world of Walkers and their wars" to find safe havens to try and rebuild their species.

1748 	The Stand on the Forge - Pursued by yet another army sent by the Kal, Banrick Olar, chieftain of the Stone Bear Tribe, makes camp in the area east of the Forges now known as Bearheart and declares that he "will run no more." Various other tribes join him, and there they make their stand against the forces of the Empire. Even as the Kal forces threaten to overwhelm them, Dwarves from the Forges and Fae from the Crystal Forest join the battle and break the Kal army.
	This is marked as the founding of the Kingdom of Olara.

1753 	The first of the Empire's war clans enter the Eternal Desert. The Youlin Aradi fight fiercely, but their own factionalism betrays them and they quickly fall under the Empire's rule.

1757 	The first Grand Warlord of the South (Trayvos ki Arron, Conqueror of the Sunland) is named, establishing 4 such Grand Warlords.

1770 	Humans from the Great Exodus flow into the valley of the Wolfhead ranges. They immediately begin warring with the Goblinesh tribes there.

1800 	Pushed out of the Wolfhead Valley and further out of the northeastern lands, hundreds of Goblinesh clans move into the Evershade Forest and around Og m' Drakar; the recent warring with the Empire leaves almost no one to resist them, and they establish many Gathers that remain to this day.

1850 	Even as the Goblinesh push farther and farther out of the Evershades, the worship of Ceynara evolves into an established and powerful church, unifying the various Gathers more strongly than they have ever been.

2000 	The first Black Iron is found deep in the mountains of Shaya' Nor. Soon, weapons and armor are forged from it, and its deadly nature towards non-shayakar Fae and other spirit beings is discovered.
	Prosperous trade, initiated mainly by the Fae, begins to flow between most of the races and communities in the southern lands.

2009 	Hundreds of Alakar, joined by a few Eldakar and Humans, arrive in Korindia, claiming that they were led there to escape the horrors of the coming Age. They are welcomed into the society, although some have a difficult time giving up their mainland ways. Some few Humans are given leave to create a port town that will serve their needs and stand as the only place to allow non-Korindian traditions.

2109 	Harkor ki Doman begins his "Endless Reign" of the Empire; he will reign for over a thousand years (and sits the throne as of this writing). Vainar is named as the Empire's patron "God of Knowledge and Wisdom" and many historians refer to this as the beginning of the Age of Blood.

2110 	Harkor ki Doman, against the advice of most of his "inner circle" and to the horror of the Az-Junin, grants a charter for the formation of the Az-Agkar (the "Death Lords"). This necromantic guild enjoys special favor with the Emperor, touching off a bitter rivalry between the two guilds that lasts to this day.

2200 	At about the same time, White Silver and Blood Steel are discovered. The former is first mined by the Dwarves of the Stoneheart Mountains (although it later appears in other southern ranges), while the latter is first discovered in the Thunder Peaks deep inside the Empire (and later found throughout many of the northern ranges). As Black Iron is of Darkness, so is White Silver of Light (though no one of that time recognized Light for what it is, they well understood it as anethema to Darkness and Flame) and Blood Steel of Flame.
	The Overlord of Lanthor (known simply as The Red Hand) and his cronies, having milked the rebuilding of Lanthor and its docks for all they can, live in decadence and opulence while much of the population suffers terribly.

2204 	A band of heroes and warriors calling themselves the Freelords of Lone Keep arrive in Lanthor and, with the help of the populace, bring down the Red Hand. The leader of the rebellion, Cherrin Wallace, is raised to take the position of Overlord, and she begins the process of rebuilding Lanthor "as it was meant to be."

2216 	The Dragon War - The Dragon Cult again arises in Dregordia, claiming that the Dragonlords were the first true "gods" of Shaintar long before Shanais and Targon. Through various sacrificial rituals, they are able to open passages to the Realm of Dragons, and hundreds of the great beasts enter Shaintar to wreck havoc and destruction.
	This also marks the second time that 7 Cauldrons are opened across Shaintar, again spewing forth the Childer of Norcan Darr. They are clearly allied with the Dragonlords.

2234 	After years of warfare, numerous factions (led by powerful wielders of all forms of magic) gather at Og m' Drakar. Together, they perform a ritual that opens a great "gate" there, through which all but a very few of the Dragons are cast into Norcan Darr. This marks the first (and only) time in the history of Shaintar that the Empire, Shaya' Nor, and the free peoples of Shaintar have ever worked for a common cause, and the Dragon War is brought to an end.

2300 	Seven kingdoms emerge to vie for control of the Wolfhead Valley - Travane, Rhodes, Baravold, Moore, Aldayern, Verrin, and Camon.

2390 	A man known only as The Chosen begins preaching about "the one true God," Archanon, in the valley of the Wolfhead Mountains.

2391 	Cyria Eridor, one of the greatest Mages of the Fae, sets out from her home in Ey'Dreigh and travels eastward. It is believed by many that she engineered events that led to the rise of the Kingdom of Galea.

2405 	At the age of 16, Vol Al'Daya, the "King of the East," comes out of the Clan of the Silver Unicorn to begin uniting various warring factions in the region now known as Galea. He is strongly supported by the Fae people and the Druidic Council.

2412 	Various bandit princes, robber barons, and deposed Kal Warlords band together to form the Malakar Dominion, opposed to Vol Al'Daya's plans for peace in the Southern Kingdoms.

2438 	The Battle of the Orcshields - Al'Daya's army faces the combined force of Goblinesh, Malakar's army, and Kalinesh mercenaries. With the timely arrival of Olaran forces, the tide is turned and the Malakarans flee the field, leaving the Goblinesh to surrender even as the Kalinesh fight to the bitter, bloody end. Though victorious, Al'Daya determines that the Orcshields will stand as his western border. He also reaches an agreement with the Olarans, insuring their autonomy to the north.
	This is generally when historians agree that the Kingdom of Galea comes into being.

2441 	The Line of Freedom - Vol Al'Daya's army turns southward, meeting little resistance as many of the peoples there welcome his just hand of rulership. However, he meets a band of soldiers and adventurers that number barely a 20th of his own forces on the northern edge of the Lonewood Forest (near what is now known as the city of Alewond). Showing nothing but honor and respect, these Freelords declare that the lands south of them are under their protection, and that no ruler may lay claim to them. Legend holds that Al'Daya received a vision from Landra herself, and that is why he declared that the Freelands would always remain so as long as Galea could lift a sword to defend them.

2446 	Vol Al'Daya founds the city of Galadrea (named for his Fae queen) and establishes the capital of Galea. Galea is widely recognized as a full-fledged kingdom with nine provinces ruled by nine Major Houses - Al'Daya (later called Aladay), Lyonn, Avanon, Furrel, Danatar, Crinn, Bartosse, Perendel, and Kahnar.

2466 	With the ever-growing Church of Archanon providing support, His Majesty Erik Camon finally unites most of the noble houses and forms the Kingdom of Camon in the Great Valley of the Wolfhead Mountains.

2523 	"The Rise of the Jungle" - The House of Dristak launches a successful rebellion against the ruling House of Brssak in Dregordia, changing the reigns of power in that nation for the first time in known history. It is believed that most of the other families blame the Brssaks for the rise of the Dragon Cult and the war with the Empire.

2532 	Even as the remaining kingdoms along the south side of the Southern Fangs fall to Camon, the Church of Archanon is "granted leave" to form the Paladins of the Holy Sword, a militant order under direct command of the Archcardinal. Construction begins on their citadel in the Wolf River Pass.

2562 	Tantor voshnos - The event known as the "Dread Betrayal" begins when the Vos Dair Az m' Surnas ("Grand Warlord of the South," ruler of the Eternal Desert), Soman ki Akara, declares that the Empire had fallen to ruin and dishonor and that the war clans under his command will secede from the Kal. This sparks a Kal Civil War of immense proportions within the Empire. It is not helped by the fact that there are quiet grumblings within the Azkal (noble blood) that there is reason to accept some of what Soman claims. Soman releases all of his ulin (slaves), elevating them all to Dremarin caste. This marks the end of the Empire's rule over the Eternal Desert and a return to autonomy for the Youlin Aradi.

2577 	After rescuing the Kingdom of Galea from a vampiric doppleganger who had assumed the throne, a band of adventurers are named the First Company of the Silver Unicorn, an elite cadre of individuals empowered with the highest authority of Law and Guardianship in all of Galea. Their authority eventually grows to be at least tacitly recognized or respected in most allied nations.
	Cyria Eridor, a founding member of the Silver Unicorn, is named High Mage to the court of Galea, a post she fills for 445 years.

2726 	Evan Argorn, son of Pendrick, takes the throne of Galea. His first act is to form the Council of Rulers (including the Dukes of each province as well as the Fae Quo-Unias, the First Speaker of Mindoth's Tower, and the Overlord of Lanthor).

2734 	Hundreds of mayors, merchant lords, and guild masters meet in Lanthor to determine the direction and fate of the Freelands. They finally issue the historic Freelands Autonomy Proclamation, establishing their intent to all of Shaintar to remain free and independent of other nations and to stand as a unified whole. The Lanthorian Free Trade Council is formalized as the "ruling body," and the Freelords of Lone Keep are formalized as the military and law-enforcement arm of the Council.

2805 	The Kingdom of Camon directly outlaws the "heathen worship" of the Ascended. The Church's official policy is that the Ascended are merely servants of Archanon, and that anyone with "powers" claiming to serve them is actually a practicing demon-worshipper.

2807 	A small rebellion, started by Camoners trying to defend their belief in the Ascended, is quickly and ruthlessly stamped out by the Church's Paladins. The King and his forces do nothing to intercede.

2835 	The reigning king of Camon, Warick Travane, dies without a direct heir. Rather than oversee the Succession as per tradition, the Grand Archcardinal of the Church of Archanon declares that their most holy Lord has decreed that Camon be ruled by the Church, and the Prelacy of Camon is born. Though the Noble Houses are not disbanded, their roles are reduced to little more than a bureaucratic function.

2838 	The Purification Mandate is issued by the Prelacy - all non-Humans are to be "removed" from Camon or face enslavement (or worse). All those who use magic are deemed "possessed by demonic or dark forces" and are commanded to be handed over to the Cardinal of Judgment's magistrates. Many refugees pour into Galea and other Southern Kingdoms, and there are more than a few border skirmishes between the Paladins of Camon and their neighbors.

2872 	The Second Company of the Silver Unicorn is formed to assist "freedom fighters" (including the Cavaliers that serve the deposed Noble Houses) in Camon against the brutal practices of the Church. They focus mainly on rescuing political prisoners and preventing acts of genocide. They do not, in fact, attain their rings until after their return (to avoid implicating the Throne).

2903 	An impressive expedition, called the Starfinder Armada, sets out to explore the seas to the south and east of Galea; it is never heard from again.

2992 	Jantor, First Speaker of the Korindian Council of Elders, is discovered to possess thousands in silver and gold and to own at least three forged weapons. He is publicly shamed and exiled to the wilderness, but there are many among the younger generations that protest, claiming that the time for change is coming. This marks the social demarcations between the "Traditionalists" and the "Progressives" in Korindia.

3001 	To protect themselves against the Dominion and other dark forces in the "Wildlands," various smaller kingdoms, city-states, baronies, and the like unite resources to create Grayson's Grey Rangers.

3020 	The 3rd Company of the Silver Unicorn set out to find the legendary Netherstones - the condensed "essences" of the First Thirteen Necrolords that ruled over Shaintar centuries before. They are only able to complete half the task before the Betrayal War erupts.

3021 	The Betrayal War - Halivan Allard and dozens of delegates from all over the Southern Kingdoms are massacred in Rhion (in the Kingdom of Olara) during the "Open Hand Peace Conference," called by Allard to begin making amends to his neighbors and lead his people away from the "falsehoods" of the Church. The Cardinal of Judgment, Mandris Toman, and the Supreme Paladin, Sir Glain Nollan, with the aid of Olaran dissidents and Kal-a-nar and Shaya' Nor agents, commit the massacre, using newfound "powers of Archanon's wrath."
	It is ultimately discovered that Mandris, as the Avatar of Vainar, and Glain, as the Avatar of Kolvos, the son of Ceynara and Uldor, have joined Darkness and Flame against Life. After 7 Cauldrons are opened (for the third time in Shaintar's history) and a powerful ritual is enacted that severely reduces much of the magic in the world, the Ascended choose Avatars as well (except for Landra, who maintains her full power in reserve).
	Before the final battle at Og m' Drakar, Vainar betrays his allies and engineers Glain's murder; Ceynara sacrifices everything for vengeance, uniting her power with the Ascended. However, the greatest shock of all comes when a being naming himself as Archanon, representing the powers of Light, comes forth and joins with the Ascended, leading to Vainar's ultimate defeat at the hands of the 3rd and 4th Companies of the Silver Unicorn.
	The victory is not without great cost, however - the three Ascended Avatars (Koress, the Aevakar Shaydra, and the Dwarf Kerf Mindril), as well as Lord Waverly Avanon and the King of Galea, Roderic Argorn each die to ensure Vainar's final defeat. Worse, all of the Ascended, as well as Archanon, are vastly reduced in power and influence (due to the strictures of the Covenants enacted millennia ago). It is said that Ceynara is truly asleep, and the Gates of Hell are shut for a century.
It is also during this time that Silver Unicorn members Daniel Argorn (Roderic's brother) and Iolie Rhodes (Blood of the House of Rhodes of Camon) marry and take the throne of Galea.

3023 	"The Bloody Iron Hand" - Due to the unfortunate loss of power by Archanon, ultra-conservative forces regain control of the Prelacy and begin purging all "enemies of the Church," preying on the fears and suffering of the people and promising order.

3024 	Chrysalia Nollan (the Purifier and former member of the Fourth Company of the Silver Unicorn) and Sir Rohan Doyle (the Sword of Truth) found the Church of Archanon (Reformed), also called the Church of Light, in the coastal region near Mindoth's Tower after failing to gain enough support within the Prelacy itself. Hawk Nollan, Chrysalia's husband (and also a former Silver Unicorn), founds an Adept Order called the Jade Flame, dedicated to protecting priests of the newly-formed Order of the Open Hand.

3097 	Various dark portents are noted by sages and historians throughout the Southern Kingdoms; the Druids decide to form a Centenium Council to plan for the impending awakening of Ceynara as well as the return of power to the forces of Flame and Darkness.

3119 	Rumors begin to spread that Vainar the Fallen, believed to have been destroyed during the Betrayal War, has somehow returned. It is even believed by some that he resides deep within Shaya' Nor, where he is recuperating from his terrible wounds still.

3121 	The War of Flame engulfs most of Shaintar as the Gates of Hell reopen and the Empire embarks once again on an invasion to conquer all of the Realm. With Childer and even full-fledged Demons in the ranks, it is all the remaining nations can do to hold the Empire's forces at the Forges, and Olara and the surrounding lands suffer terribly.
	Matters are made worse when the Maelstrom, long-known to be subsidized by the Empire, launches a second front from the Malakar Dominion into the western borders of the Landra'Feya. It is only through the immense sacrifice of Grayson's Grey Rangers that this second front is halted (though the Rangers are struggling to rebuild their numbers to this day).
	During this struggle, a squad of Rangers (called the Hellriders after an accidental but successful raid into the Realm of Norcan Darr) makes its way into the heart of the Dominion, discovering and defeating a plot to summon forth one of the greater Demon Lords. The mystical backlash of disrupting this magic causes most of the Demons in the Kal armies to be destroyed, thus turning the tide of the war. Though no formal peace is declared, the Kal Warlords withdraw to their borders and the fighting ends.
In its wake, a region west of Olara, north of Landra' Feya, and south of the Empire lies in wasted ruins. It is now called the "Blasted Lands."

3123 	In the wake of the chaos following the War of Flame, the Empire falls into a vicious civil war. Numerous factions spring up, and the rebellious group known as "The Unchained" begins recruiting in record numbers. They eventually launch a massive offensive, with the help of outsiders who come from all over Shaintar to take this grand chance at changing the Kal Empire forever.
	An entity called the Crystal Tyrant begins raising an army of castoffs, bandits, and mercenaries within the Blasted Lands. This army grows at an alarming rate, and eventually enters into the Empire to assault the forces of the Unchained.
	The Prelacy, relatively unscathed by the War of Flame, chooses this time to launch a terrible "Crusade" against all of the Southern Kingdoms. Their forces are armed with strange weapons powered by the ancient magical source known as arcfire. It is eventually discovered that the enigmatic, dwarf-like Builders have returned in force to Shaintar and are supplying arcfire weapons and devices to the Prelacy, and other forces as well. An arms dealer known only as The Merchant seems to be heavily involved in these matters.
	A group of Grayson's Grey Rangers, called the Seekers, embarks on a quest to find the fabled lost Tablet of the Traveller.

3124 	The Current Year - The original Seekers successfully meet and defeat the Crystal Tyrant in battle, sending his army into retreat. The group changes dramatically after this battle, though, and only a fraction continues the original quest. It is said that the remaining Seekers actually leave Shaintar at this time to explore lands beyond the Veil.
	The Crusade continues, as does the Kal Civil War. Someone is reorganizing the Army of the Tyrant, and the Merchant is still at large. Even darker, more foreboding days seem to lie ahead, and it will take true Heroes to save Shaintar from what happens next...