= Timeline =
[[/]] > [[/lore/]] > Timeline
The timeline of Othana is split into 3 distinct portions.
- before-weapon (BW)
- after-weapon (AW) (to pre-history ancients) / before-emergence (BE) (to modern people)
- after-emergence (AE)
<---------- weapon ------------------ emergence -------------- modern day ------->
0 BW/AW, ~2500 BE ~2500 AW, 0 BE/AE 2361 AE
To modern people, history begins (in theory) at 0 AE. While anything prior to 0 AE is regarded as myth, in reality, the first 3 or 4 centuries AE are equally murky.
== Before Weapon ==
Othana is a continent peopled by two major nations. Eshiam and its elves in the south west and Ufreau and its dwarves in the north east. Humans are a wandering race that freely move about the continent.
The two nations go through periods of war and peace.
During a millenia long peace, the discovery of 6 forms of magical energy are discovered. With the discovery of magical energy, technology and innovation develop rapidly.
Something happens. A perceived sleight between the nations at a time when both were ruled by petty kings leads to an escalating conflict that lasts a couple of years.
0 AW/~-2500 BE The conflict climaxes when the one side use a weapon of such power that the war ends immediately.
== After Weapon / Before Emergence ==
Both sides of the conflict quickly realize that the use of this weapon has had unexpected, immeasurable, and global impact.
Where before, magic was thin and timid. Now it is thick and turbulent. The results on the environment are catastrophic.
Oceans begin to rise. The seasons become more intense and difficult. Species begin evolving and adapting. Others go extinct.
As the oceans continue to rise, the people of Othana begin scrambling to undo the damage. Refractor technology is developed to absorb, contain, and control the magical soup permeating everything. But by the time this new technology is put to use, it is too late. Estimates predict that within 500 years, the entire continent will be covered in water.
Experts disagree on what will happen after. Some predict a never-ending sea rise. Most expect the sea to begin receding, though no consensus is ever found as to how far the recession will go. Will Othana remain forever underwater or will the continent ever break the surface again?
Project Legacy is developed with the goal of finding or creating a way to ensure that sentient life will persist in whatever the world might look like in the future.
Myriad projects begin across the continent, merging or dying off as ecological disaster and loss of land forces teams to abandon their projects or merge with others as teams consolidate to the mountains (becoming islands over the decades).
Some teams attempt to find organic solutions to the problem of life in the new world. Others work toward intelligent mechanical constructs. Some hedge their bets trying to fashion life that can adapt to any possible environment. Others take more pessimistic views and focus their efforts toward creating life that's more amenable to a landless planet.
One by one, the water overtakes the last remaining islands, the peoples of each going underground to continue their varied projects.
Roughly 500AW/2000BE the last of the land sinks beneath the sea.
During this time, the different teams use the power of green magical energy to remain in contact with one another. They share some breakthroughs, withhold others. Among the techniques shared between the groups are reaver technologies (the creation of both organic and mechanical life of varied intelligence).
Between 500AW/2000BE and 1500AW/1000BE all of the project's initiatives go dark. Either the people running them die off, or, their maintainers decide that trying to build life on a still fluctuating planet is futile. Those that are able to, go into a kind of hibernation waiting for the planet to return to a homeostasis in which they can again begin the effort of building life that the planet will be able to sustain.
It is during this time of hibernation that an accident causes one underwater research lab to explode. The site became a kind of magically polluted death zone. However, a humanoid-like race of beasts found themselves attracted to the magical pollution. It's effects causing rapid evolution. The Tritons begin to develop.
Roughly 1200AW/1300BE the waters begin to recede.
1300AW/1200BE the evolution of the Tritons has hit a point of maximal effect. Continued time spent near magic begins to have counterproductive effects on their evolution. They begin to feel repelled by the pollution.
Roughly 2000AW/500BE land first reappears
Roughly 2500AW/0AE the first of a small handful of the groups of people living underground begin to emerge and begin making a life for themselves above ground, setting out to explore the world.
== After Emergence ==
Not much is recorded in the first few centuries after the emergence. Exploration lead to groups living on several of the islands remaining above the sea. It's unclear to history which island the first people came from.
Around 800AE the water levels stop receding. The planet has reached a homeostasis as far as water level is concerned. Although other climatic shifts/changes continue to occur (seasons becoming more stable, storms becoming less frequent/intense).
Around 1000AE unbeknownst to most of the peoples living on land, the first of some of Project Legacy's efforts begin activating across many of the islands.
Around 1600AE Tortles begin to appear.
Around 1800AE The first of the Genasi appear.
2150AE Purgumum is destroyed in a flash of light so brilliant, it can be seen from Sardis.
2147AE Delilah Sunderveldt is born on [farming?] island of Galatia
2157AE Delilah Sunderveldt, 10, sees some rudimentary mechanisma and begins experimenting
2161AE Delilah publishes a book with the results of all her experimentation
2162AE Delilah first begins teaching others who travel to learn from her. This marks the beginning of the University of Galtia
2170AE Dragons, attracted to whatever destroyed Purgumum first settle there.
2179AE A technique to open the major gates is discovered and the diggers guild and licensing system is founded.
2220AE Something spooks the dragons and they leave.
The period of time that the dragons were on Purgumum is short enough that in present day, they are considered a myth But also, given the tales of the destructive light and horrible monsters, nobody goes near Pergamum.
2350AE The first Dragonborn emerges on Pergamum.
The current year is 2361. The last 200 years have been a time of general peace, growth, and prosperity (isolated incidents here and there notwithstanding). As a result, magic and technology are on the rise and peoplehood find themselves in the beginnings of what will become a great industrial revolution.
TL;DR:
- eras go:
- Before Weapon (BW)
- After Weapon/Before Emergence (AW/BE)
- After Emergence (AE)
- 600BW magic is discovered
- 20BW war breaks out
- 0AW weapon is fired
- 1AW ecological changes begin to occur
- 40AW water levels begin to rise
- 60AW refractor technology developed
- 200AW project legacy is developed
- 500AW the last of the land slips beneath the sea
- 500AW-1500AW over a millennia the different islands have their own histories. During this time project legacy is paused and for one reason or another, every station's inhabitants forgets about it. It's during this time that things like language evolution and such occur. This is the period of time when "the ancients" transformed into "modern people"
- 800AW project legacy put on hold until planet reaches homeostasis
- 900AW research lab accident (with Triton development beginning shortly thereafter)
- 1200AW/1300BE the water begins to recede
- 1300AW/1200BE tritons largely "finished" developing
- 2000AW/500BE land first reappears
- 2500AW/0AE a small handful of people emerge from one of the island ruins
- 800AE water levels stop receding
- 900AE estimated date of oldest reputable book of history
- 1000AE project legacy re-initiated
- 1600AE the first of the Tortles appear
- 1800AE the first of the Genasi appear
- 2100AE magic and refractors are first re-discovered. Though their usage is very rudimentary
- 2150AE destruction of Pergamum
- 2170AE unbeknownst to most, dragons settle on Pergamum
- 2220AE dragons leave Pergamum
- 2242AE refractors/magic/tech starts picking up (Galtia University begins)
- 2280AE with the discovery of how to open the major gates, the diggers guild and licensing system is established
- 2350AE the first Dragonborn emerges on Pergamum
- 2361AE today