There came a Great Winter unlike any other Midgard had yet seen. The biting winds blew snows from all directions, and the warmth of the sun failed, plunging the earth into unprecedented cold. This winter lasted for three years, with no summers in between. Mankind became so desperate for food and other necessities of life that all laws and morals fell away, leaving only the bare struggle for survival. It was an age of swords and axes; brother slew brother, father slew son, and son slew father.
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The Remnants
This timeline begins in the aftermath of The Great Cataclysm, while all the realms still reeled from its effects.
In a Time Before
... 18
Long ago, before the Great Cataclysm, the forces of good and chaos were held in balance. The gods could move freely through the realms, and the Jötnar were safely contained within their realms. But nothing can stay balanced forever...
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The Great Winter
Fimbulvinter
Geological / environmental event -
Gawyn's Fall
Death of the Last High King
Life, DeathAs the Great Winter raged on and chaos swept across Midgard, High King Gawyn fought to keep control over the lands and his people. Hunger and desperation grew so great among the people that they eventually turned on each other, as well as the king.Location
Midgard -
The Darkening
The Shuddering of the Skies
CelestialThe wolves Skoll and Hati, who hunted the sun and the moon through the skies since the beginning of time, at last caught their prey. The stars, too, disappeared, leaving nothing but a black void in the heavens. Yggdrasil, the great tree that holds the cosmos together, trembled, and all the trees and even the mountains fell to the ground. -
The Unbinding
The Rising of Monsters
Disaster / DestructionThe chain that held back the monstrous wolf Fenrir snapped, and the beast began to run free. Jormungand, the mighty serpent who dwelt at the bottom of the ocean and encircled the land, rose from the depths, spilling the seas over all the earth as he made landfall. -
The Beginning of the End
The Call of Battle
CelestialThe dome of the sky was split, and from the crack emerged the fire Jötnar of Muspelheim. Surtr, king of the fire Jötnar, with a flaming sword brighter than the sun in his hand, led the army. As they marched across the Bifrost, the rainbow bridge that connected the realms, the bridge broke apart and fell behind them. An ominous horn blast rang out in response; this was Heimdall, the divine sentry, blowing the Gjallarhorn to announce the beginning of the end. -
Burning of The World Tree
The Worldfire
CelestialAs the Great Cataclysm raged, the World Tree was set ablaze by the flames of Surtr. As this massive conflagration began to burn, the branches holding each of the realms started to weaken. With the crippling of the World Tree, balance in the universe was upended and chaos was allowed to fully flood back into the cosmos. -
The Battle's Conclusion
The Destruction of Vigrid
Disaster / DestructionThe plane of Vigrid, where the last battle was fought, was destroyed at the conclusion of the Great Cataclysm. The realm was shattered in the conflict, and its remains were sent hurtling through the cosmos. Many ancient legends speak of what might have happened to the plane, but nothing has been proven... yet. -
Grasp of the Void
The Sinking
CelestialIn the immediate aftermath of the Great Cataclysm, the World Tree burned and could no longer bear the weight of the realms. The remains of the realms slowly began to break from the World Tree's scorched branches and sink into the depths of the World Ocean. During this time, every realm experienced everlasting darkness and disasters that further tore them apart.Many thousands died when the realms fell, and many thousands more died in those disastrous years that followed. -
12 BR
21 BR
The Creation of Ithavoll
CelestialAfter the Great Cataclysm, the surviving gods gathered together, and from the broken shards of Asgard, their once shining home, they crafted a new realm and named it Ithavoll. Their new realm was brought into being already detached from Yggdrasil's branches, so it was undamaged by the World Ocean. Just like the rest of the realms, Ithavoll floated aimlessly out in the cosmic dark.Location
Ithavoll -
13 BR
Return of Baldur and Hothr
Religious eventAs the World Tree burned in the aftermath of the Great Cataclysm, Hel chose to release the gods Baldur and Hothr from death. Aware of their importance to the restoration of the cosmos, she allowed them to leave her realm, and rejoin the remaining gods to build their new home, Ithavoll.Location
Helheim -
13 BR
Váli's Imprisonment
Religious eventAfter Baldur and Hothr's return from Helheim, they saw what their youngest brother, Váli, had become, and resolved to lock him away where he could no longer be a danger to any of the realms. Using the combined power of all the remaining gods, they sealed him away on Midgard.
The Drawing of the Nine
612 964
After the waters of the World Ocean calmed to a dull roar and the stars returned to brighten the skies of the realms, the aimless drifting ceased. Something changed, and all of the nine realms began to be slowly drawn back to the charred stump of the World Tree. During this time, civilization finally began to stabilize and people began to rebuild their realms into some semblance of what they once had. However, many things had to change due to the lack of the sun and moon, and agriculture was chief among them.
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614 AR
The First Expedition into the Hinterlands
ExpeditionAfter some semblance of light was restored on Midgard, people began to cautiously explore their changed world. The most astounding discovery revealed a new, continent-sized landmass that had somehow been added to where the western coastline of Midgard's main landmass. This strange and wild continent held untold mysteries and horrors, thus it was dubbed the Hinterlands by the explorers who ventured there. -
631 AR
Construction of The Keeper's Library
Construction beginning/end -
640 AR
Founding of the Deep Forge
FoundingAs civilization began reform, all the Dwarves that had migrated to Midgard came together and carved out a vast kingdom deep in the heart of Tine-Gal Mountain. Over the centuries, their kingdom developed and began to flourish as a home of grand invention.
Location
Deepforge -
721 AR
Founding of the Clansmoot
FoundingThe clans of Midgard struggled to survive on their own in this new, more treacherous world. As dangers mounted, it became increasingly apparent that each clan could not survive on their own, prompting the first ever meeting of all the realm's clan leaders. After this meeting, universal policies were established, and each clan pledged to come to each other's aid if the need arose. Thus, the Clansmoot became the first officially united governing body of all the clans of Midgard.
Location
Midgard
Growth from Ashes
964 and beyond
When the realms were altered, it brought about countless new challenges for their denizens. Despite these difficulties, the remaining realms have begun to adapt and overcome in order to survive in these new, more dangerous times. As the realms rebuilt their civilizations up from the rubble and learned to cope with the many permanent changes that each realm suffered during the Great Cataclysm, life settled into a new, more treacherous normal. With only twinkling starlight to illuminate the worlds, countless new strategies had to be devised in order to survive. From how crops were grown, to how cities were defended, all these things had to change drastically if there was to be any hope of survival. The leylines of magic that flow through all the realms were also effected by this upheaval, and many of them were drained or broken when the realms split apart. Though there are now fewer leylines to draw power from, those sources have since grown exponentially more powerful and wild.
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1251 AR
Fall of the Deep Forge
Disaster / DestructionSuddenly, and with no explanation, the entire kingdom fell to ruin, and the majority of the Midgard Dwarf population died out. No record of what caused their fall exists, but soon after the Deep Forge fell, Tine-Gal Mountain began to erupt furiously, and without end. These near constant eruptions transformed the surrounding area into a wasteland, now known as the Ashdowns.
Location
Deepforge -
1329 AR
Building of Land's End
FoundingLand's End was originally nothing more than a shabby border camp on the edge of the Hinterlands, but after Kane Brautigan and his men arrived, they worked hard to turn it into the bustling trade hub that it has since become. Now, traders and merchants of all kinds come through the village, where they can find all manner of exotic wonders and supplies for sale. Over the decades, the village has gained more notoriety as a safe haven, as well as a place you can find almost anything you are looking for.
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