The Third Age - The Age Demarcation

PE = Pyrideon Era - Years before Coalescence Counting Forward from the Birth of Pyrideon.
BC = Before Coalescence - Years before Coalescence Counting Backwards from year Zero.
AC = AFter Coalescence - Years After Coalescence Counting Forward from year Zero.

The Second Chaos Storm

Year 2261 PE, Year 5168 BC
The second chaos storm hits unexpectantly and lasts for three days. The magical backlash is immense as many spells become overcharged.
As the general populace now has a greater understanding and control of magic, this, in turn, means that much more magic is in use. Strange and paradoxical events also occur in these three days just like the first chaos storm. A rough estimate by the gods is that in each of the Rynth cities is that over 10% of the buildings were damaged to some degree, 3% percent of the population was killed, and another 8% injured.
One of the most disturbing aspects is that two good sized towns near Brynthia completely disappear to be replaced with virgin forest. It is also rumored that a major batterion of the dwarves also disappears; all the tunnels completely filled in with solid rock as if they had never existed.

The Elders Initiate a New Plan

Year 2261 PE, Year 5168 BC
Under the cover of the second Chaos Storm, the Elders initiate a new plan. They have been expecting and waiting for another chaos storm to arrive for over a thousand years. Believing it is tied into the creation of the vortex, the Elders believe that the storm will completely distract the gods and disrupt any scrying attempts they have in place for the Elders.
A slight change in some of the base coding of all the 13 gods (world computers) is inserted utilizing a small backdoor they had initially installed. With this done, the Elders believe they can force a personality change on all 13 gods should they need to at a future date, erasing their current personalities. With this fail-safe now in place, the Elders once again wait to see what transpires, hoping they never need to use the failsafe.

Activity is Detected in the Shaze’s Neural Network

Year 2261 PE, Year 5168 BC
While unable to determine exactly what is going on with Shaze, the gods detect that he may be finally waking up. Changes they are unable to comprehend have happened within his neural network, enough so that the gods watch carefully knowing that what wakes up will not be the same Shaze that defeated Gallaus.

The Beginning of the Black Tongue Movement

Year 2268 PE, Year 5161 BC
The Nature of the Pure refines its dogma and no longer seeks to eliminate non-elves from the lands as few are left. Refining the definition of just what makes a true elf, the movement leaders now start pushing for the eradication of any of elven descent who are not fully elven by their standards. Of the varied characteristics associated with the original elves crossing over from Gashmyr, a characteristic of all true elves is a black tongue. Any found with the pink tongue of a human are either rounded up or forced to leave the Southern Kingdoms.
Magics are used to disguise and change the colors of one’s tongue while other magics begin to be used to reveal this deception. The movement takes on more and more of a political direction as those in power learn to manipulate the results to make even true elves show up as having the human pink tongue.

The Black Tongue Movement Moves North

Year 2272 – 2280 PE, Year 5157-5149 BC
The Nature of the Pure has now encapsulated most of what was once the Southern Kingdoms under the leadership of a single charismatic elf hailing himself as General Odonaris. Adherents to the cause start moving iinfiltrating the frontier lands south of Galechrome. By 2280 individuals in Galechrome begin advocating the movement.

Shaze Stirs from his Slumber

Year 2273 PE, Year 5156 BC
Shaze awakens to the horror of the other gods. He is unrecognizable and uncontrollable. His incoherence makes communicating with him nearly impossible.
The centuries of him absorbing the prayers of the mad, the wicked, the insane, and along with those who have committed either atrocities in his name or simply committed suicide have left their mark. Shaze has returned as the God of Madness.

Queen Torascade becomes the first Disciple of Shaze

Year 2273 PE, Year 5156 BC
During the decades of her imprisonment, Torascade’s mind was wiped of all memory multiple times so that the tortures would be fresh and new once again. However, after several years a small part of her began to collect a form of subconscious memory. And this memory eventually finds a connection with the tortured dreams of Shaze.
As Shaze begins to stir and awaken, his warped consciousness having been scarred from absorbing the essence of Gallus latches on to the most tortured and in pain creature in all of the Arisilon and has been feeding on her misery for centuries.
At the same time as Shaze awakens, Torascade is currently immobilized in a pit with several starved rats which are feeding on her exposed extremities. Shaze extends his first blessing on her allowing her to turn into a rat and escape, becoming the first were-rat. Completely insane herself, Torascade devotes her life to Shaze and begins to travel the lands as the First Disciple of Shaze, eventually being heralded as the Heart of Shaze. Everywhere she goes, mayhem, death, and destruction follow.
The scale and scope of her destruction vary. Sometimes it results in the burning of an entire village while other times it is just the corruption of a single child. Being quite mad herself, she is also known to have hatched elaborate plans only to suddenly abandon them or change them. The only concurrent theme in her actions for the first few years is a desire for vengeance on those who had tormented her.

The Black Tongue War

Year 2288 – 2294 PE, Year 5141-5135 BC
Initially, Emperor Ajan Galechrome is sympathetic to aspects of the cause while he is determined to make sure that no violence occurs. When a small school in the small town of Veraci is ransacked and all the students are slaughtered, Ajan decides he must make a firm stand against the Nature of the Pure.
By this time, several families have already begun to stand with General Odonaris. A failed assassination attempt toward the end of 2288 begins outright civil war. While Galechrome itself is largely spared from the bloodshed, several smaller cities and towns in the kingdom are not so lucky.
General Odonaris feels compelled to lead his army north into the Great Forest which makes up the southern half of the Elven Kingdom. Mounting a response is difficult for Emperor Ajan as several families are still aligned or sympathetic with the movement, believing they have lost much of their power to the impure.
In 2291 Emperor Ajan barely survives a vote of no confidence. Upon winning, he declares that those who support General Odonaris are traitors to the empire and has their lands seized.
By the end of 2294 open war wages across the Great Forest.

Torascade leaves the Zyloan Nation

Year 2293 PE, Year 5136 BC
Torascade, the Heart of Shaze, wanders north as she is attracted by the atrocities committed during the Black Tongue Wars. Even after she leaves, she continues to be the horrid boogeyman of stories and tales for centuries to come. Stories circulate about the Bloody Queen, translated as the Brujak \ˈbrü zhäk\. "Mind your chores, get done early to get to bed early, else Brujak will visit on her flayed two-headed horse, one head eyeless and black, the other bleached, and she'll eat your toes one by one."

The Battle of South Pass

Year 2295 PE, Year 5134 BC
While much of General Odonaris’s army is preparing to march, he sends his vanguard north to secure the Vermillion South Pass, one of the main passages through the narrow range of hills known as the Soltade Jill Hills separating the Galechrome Empire from the Southern Kingdoms. Emperor Ajan’s troops meet them in battle after a forced march south and quickly vanquish them. Setting up a line of defense in the pass, the Galechrome Army waits.
Undeterred, General Odonaris orders his men north, believing fully in his cause. His spies also tell him that the factions against Emperor Ajan are great and the ploy to block the pass will be short-lived as the main army can’t rest in one place too long. What General Odonaris and his spies are unaware of is that Emperor Ajan had sent pleas to both Brynthia and Drnythia asking for support.
As his army headed south, two major columns of Dragon Guard, consisting almost entirely of elves, come down from both Brynthia on one side and Drynthia on the other, entering the Galechrome Empire quickly. The effect is immediate, with a third supposedly neutral army present, the factions against Emperor Ajan are afraid to act openly.
General Odonaris launches his attack on the forces of the Galechrome army in waves. The first two waves are meant to distract while the Galechrome Army is under duress to go and defend against other threats. When this doesn’t happen, General Odonaris orders a full on assault. This battle last over six days and sees close to 200,000 elves killed.
Seeing that his position back home might be in jeopardy if he doesn’t break through, the general launches a final all-out attack. While he almost breaks the Galechrome Army, the defenders hold. General Odonaris is killed in the final few hours of daylight on the last day of battle.
With his death, the Nature of the Pure retreat. Several forts will be built up all along the Soltade Jill Hills in an effort to keep the Southern Kingdoms from returning.

The Crimson Peace; The Assassination of Emperor Ajan

Year 2299 PE, Year 5130 BC
Weary of war and political fighting, the people respond as Emperor Ajan is finally able to gather the major players supporting purification movement. At a peace conference outside of Galechrome progress, is slowly being made when an assassination attempt against Emperor Ajan results in him being mortally wounded and his wife along with their three children being slain. Also slain are several of his closest advisors.
In retaliation, Emperor Ajan orders the immediate execution of all offending families. Ajan slips into a coma a day later and then passes, the wounds and grief to great to be healed.
With the fear of renewed and all-out warfare, it is Ajan’s nephew, Senator Arthivarius who steps up and fills the role of negotiator. He secretly plans a meeting with several of the Purificationists. He convinces them that he is of like mind, however needs their support to have the Senate elect him as Ajan’s rightful heir. If they would return to the peace conference stating they are pursuing peace and willing to negotiate as to the future of the empire, all they will need to do is come up with a scapegoat for the assassination attempt.
The Purificationists do so, implicating three of the families from the smaller houses. The leaders of those three houses are rounded up at night with the aid of the Purificationists through both threats of force and blackmail. These captives are delivered to the Galechrome Senate with a promise to renew peace talks in a month once the Senate can determine a new Emperor. The Senate follows through on Emperor Ajan’s orders of execution.
The lands of those executed are surrendered to the state to be divided up later. The loyal followers of those executed are too few in number to act without the aid of the other Purificationists.
Returning to the peace conference, the remaining Purificationists accede to some of the demands from Senator Arthivarius and a tentative agreement is reached. Senator Arthivarius then reveals the true conspirators of the assassination attempt and how they had turned on some of their own lesser members. While these Purificationists at first deny and then try to prove Arthivarius’s culpability, he successfully deflects their claims as being the natural flailing of a caught and guilty party.
The end result is the embarrassment for some of the families making up the Purificationists, loss of face, and overall mistrust of the movement. Those in charge are deemed to be more interested in political careers than the actual belief of elven purification. Several lead family members are financially ruined, some are imprisoned, and many of those who were directly responsible for the handing over of the leaders of the three minor houses are in turn quietly executed by their own affiliations. This, in turn, creates further disharmony amongst the movement and it all but begins to die out.

Arthivarius is Crowned King of the Elves

Year 2301 PE, Year 5128 BC
Senator Arthivarius is hailed the hero of the Crimson Peace talks and proves his worthiness to the throne by continuing in his ability as a master of intrigue and politics. His oratory abilities are legendary. In years to come, several colleges will devote whole lessons to some of his best-known speeches.
He pursues the title of Emperor by partial birthright but also by the strength of his deeds. Knowing that many elves still believe him of being duplicitous in the Crimson Peace affair – some believing he might have actually helped orchestrate the assassination, Arthivarius manages to convince some of the Senate that making him just King of the Elves is preferable to the title of Emperor. By the end of 2301, he is crowned king and acts humbled and admonished that he was not allowed to be emperor, when in actuality the title conferred the exact same privileges.
Throughout his reign, he will successfully see the matter of purification become a minor issue. Galechrome will see most half-elves leave, most going to the sister cities in the short years after the Black Tongue Wars. Over the next several centuries, the issue dies out completely. By 2450, humans and half-elves will begin slowly moving back into the Galechrome Woodlands (formerly the Galechrome Empire) and taking up abode. Galechrome itself will see a surge of half-elves again by 2500.

Revolts Start in Crynthia

Year 2311 PE, Year 5118 BC
Tensions have been rising for centuries as the rich rule mercilessly and continue to tax and place demands on the commoner to the point where they are little more than state slaves. The religion of Throki has been growing, with many pious leaders blaming the woes of the people on the evils of their leaders.
Elder Karatus, a prominent member of the Thoki clergy, is imprisoned by the ruling council of Crynthia for capital crimes of treason and condemned to die.
On the eve before he is to be executed, riots break out in the harbor district and quickly spread. Elder Karatus is slain in an attempt to put the riots down. The opposite happens, and instead of the civil rest dying out, a ten-year civil war begins in the city. Between Throki’s backing and Schraums indifference, this largely serves to keep the rest of Arisilon away as Crynthia settles its own problems.

The Transport Network is Compromised

Year 2313 PE, Year 5116 BC
The servants of Throki are able to bypass the defenses of the in the Royal Sanctum in Crynthia by activating the Transport Network from a site unaffiliated with the network. Rushing the Royal Sanctum, they are able to capture several prominent political leaders. The leaders are held hostage in an attempt to force change. With a lack of utter disdain for their captured brethren, the ruling council declares that no negotiations will take place.
After a dubious order of events, the hostages are all slain. Both sides blame the other. The ruling council claims they were tortured and massacred. The followers of Throki blame it on a sham rescue attempt with the actual goal being to frame the religion of Throki as being unworthy.

The Transport Network is Decommissioned and Dismantled

Year 2317 PE, Year 5112 BC
Once the method of hacking the network gets out, no easy fix is found. Additional safeguards are put in place. Then a shadow organization, using the same hack, figures out how to reroute teleports in transit to new locations. Over the course of two weeks, several important shipments disappear and powerful individuals are taken hostage.
With no fix available, the network is completely shut down. Most of the gates are dismantled so they can’t be activated remotely.

Teleportation Shields Utilized in all the Major Cities

Year 2322 PE, Year 5107 BC
As it becomes apparent that many wealthy families had their own private gates attached to the network, Brynthia is the first city to erect a city-wide shield rendering teleportation impossible without proper permission involving knowing a particular access spell as the teleportation is initiated.
By the end of the year, all the major cities have also erected similar shields.

Jrynthia Becomes the New Home of the Gods

Year 2323 PE, Year 5106 BC
Concerned that the Elders did something during the last chaos storm when the gods were temporarily blinded by the instability of magic, the gods reactivate Jrynthia and move the sum of their essences there as they begin full diagnostics of Arynthia’s computer banks.
Once the diagnostics are completed several months later, nothing abnormal is discovered and Arynthia becomes partially functional again with the few remaining elders moving back and making their home there.

Crynthia Becomes Fanatically Devoted to Throki

Year 2324 PE, Year 5105 BC
As the riots and social unrest dies down, the pious now take charge and are fanatically devoted to Throki. All of the politicians and many of the rich merchants are hurled from the cliffs into the ocean below.
Legends will say that the ocean waves frothed red from the blood for weeks following the final purge. The new leaders start what amounts to a theocracy devoted to Throki under the leadership of Deacon Bausht. No other religion is allowed on the threat of death. All the temples to Schraum are destroyed and dismantled – the belief being that he was working secretly to keep the status quo by allowing the rich to remain segregated from the poor.
Throki takes on the nick name of ‘The Law Giver’ and Crynthia becomes a city of excessive laws and known for extremely harsh punishments.

Famine and Draught Strikes the Southern Kingdoms

Year 2326-2332 PE, Year 5103-5097 BC
With the Nature of the Pure movement having largely winded itself out and the loss of much of the army and youth at the southern border of the Great Forest during their raids on Galechrome, the Southern Kingdoms continue to decline.
While the purge of non-elves was successful, their slow birth rate now becomes an issue. The Zyloans to the south continue to act xenophobic toward their northern neighbor and all the nations of the north refuse any trade. Also with no god to call their own, the Southern Kingdoms are hit hard when major draught strikes.
It also is believed that current strife between two of the warlords in the Southern Kingdoms is caused by the mechanizations of the Brujack, Queen Torascade.
Over the course of six years, almost 40% of the population dies out as water becomes the most valuable resource. Warfare and Political infighting continue to make the situation worse.
Two major kingdoms will rise to dominance absorbing the remains of the other southern kingdoms. Toward the end of the drought, a movement begins as the worship of Kog and Melila starts to hold.

Amaravati is Discovered

Year 2430 PE, Year 4999 BC
Far to the south in the middle of a great desert, a city of humans has been forming for the last several centuries. Schraum is its chief deity and he has been protecting it from outside influences.
These desert people are completely isolated until traders from Irynthia discover it via overland trade routes. Valuable spices start traveling out from the lands surrounding Amaravati. Along with the spices, the influences of Schraum also begins to be exported.
Within twenty years, the dominant religion of Irynthia itself has been replaced with the worship of Schraum who teaches a nihilistic and emotionless approach in opposition to the passionate and hedonistic approach advocated by followers of Wegsetze.

Several Elves flee Galechrome

Year 2432 PE, Year 4997 BC
Several elf families, either old enough to actually remember or at least know of a time before the elves worshipped the Half God, have over the centuries rejected any idea of worship. They blame the emergence of the purification movements as caused by the emergence of the gods and as such follow a creed of apatheism. Finding their numbers dwindling and being held as scapegoats for several of the woes within Galechrome since the Black Tongue wars, they finally decide to leave. Calling upon ancient trade agreements and promises with the dwarves, they travel to the Kestrel mountains to try and survive with the aid of the dwarves. They become known as the Kestrel Elves.

The Kestrel Elves Flee Underground

Year 2445 PE, Year 4984 BC
The plight of the elves in the Kestrel Mountains continues as they are constantly harassed by the neighboring orcs and goblins. The dwarves feeling pity, offer to allow the elves to move into some abandoned caverns deep underground. At first the elves are resistant to the idea, however, they eventually concede that if they wish to hold onto their beliefs and culture, moving underground will be a necessary sacrifice.
They become known as the moon elves or night elves. One belief they hold above all others is that one day they will return to the surface and that somehow, they will leave this world and return once more to Gashmyr.

Irynthia is Destroyed; The Gods separate into two Pantheons

Year 2527 PE, Year 4902 BC
On the western coast, the religions of Wegsetze and Schraum beginning warring with Irynthia as a focal point. Potent magics are used and the end result is the near destruction of the city.
The shock of how fast this developed once actual warfare starts causes all the gods to censure both Wegsetze and Schraum. However, lines are drawn at which deity is ultimately responsible. An uneasy truce is created by the gods to make sure no such widespread destruction of a major city occurs again.
The gods are now divided into two groups – one group led by Thrakku (containing Wegsetze, Salar, and Kog) and the other by Throki (containing Rikorskey, Melila, Burasco, Darkello, and Schraum.)
Elarxinebos abstains, still peeved at not being allowed in the circles of Brynthia’s religion. Shaze is unreliable at best. The Half-God also stays neutral.

Hrynthia Begins an Age of Enlightenment

Year 2568 PE, Year 4861 BC
With Irynthia’s destruction, Hyrnthia becomes the only major metropolitan city on the west coast. An age of enlightenment brings about a democratic government with landowners and merchants having similar rights.
While smaller tribes scattered up and down the west coast continue to fight, many becoming city-states in their own right, Hrynthia begins to field an army utilizing advanced weaponry and spellcraft. When they conquer one of the neighboring city-states, great efforts are made to increase the quality of life of the leaders. After several years many city-states begin to petition to join the growing empire.

Hrynthia renamed to Illania and becomes the Capital of the Illan Empire

Year 2618 PE, Year 4811 BC
The primary leadership model in Hrynthia is that of a council of elected officials known as an Illan. As the influence and size of the Hrynthia grows, the city is renamed as the Great Illan. While the official name is the Great Illan, Illania is what takes hold with the common folk. In the belief that the will of the people is superior, the leading Illan of Hrynthia then renames the city to Illania.

A New World Gates has been Opened

Year 2979 PE, Year 4450 BC
While no one knows exactly when or how it happened, the gods discover that a new world gate to Gashmyr has been opened for some time. The thought is that possibly Shaze or agents of Shaze were responsible for this. While the other two world gates are located in Brynthia, this particular gate is located on an island near Crynthia. The gods determine that leaving the gate open, yet guarded, is a viable option at this time. Plans are made to move the gate to Crynthia for study.

Corshapkia Becomes the Recognized Epicenter of Orcish Society

Year 3010 PE, Year 4419 BC
While several small forts and towns of orcs begin appearing the mountains, only one actually reaches a city like status.
Two orcish warlords with considerable magical combat talents, both with large forces of ogres under their command, control the city. Having tamed their more violent aspects, they manage to hold a peace in the city.
Thrakku encourages this growth as he has yet to have his own city. Major temples to Thrakku begin appearing throughout the city and this, in turn, promotes further growth.

The Time Elementals Arrive

Year 3033 PE, Year 4396 BC
In a cataclysmic explosion destroying about a third of Crynthia’s harbors, the world gate is hijacked and several hundred beings of immense power flood through. Completely alien in goals and agendas, these strange beings quickly relocate to the northern plains west of the Kestrel Mountains in a matter of days.
Something about the music magic used by the barbarian tribes draws the interest of these beings.
Only Schraum seems to have any inroads with these new beings which seem to experience time in a manner defying sequential cause and effect norms. Because of this weird factor in how they experience reality, possibly several realities at once, they become known as Time Elementals.

The Crynthian World Gate is Shut Down

Year 3034 PE, Year 4395 BC
With the arrival of the Time Elementals, the gods this time determine that the world gate is simply too dangerous to allow to remain open. It is shut down permanently. The gods now begin scouring all of Pyrideon to make sure no other gates are active.

The Barbarians of Arg begin to call upon Schraum

Year 3040-3090 PE, Year 4389-4339 BC
Over the centuries, the Barbarians of the northern plains of Arg became mostly devoted to Milila and Salar. Once the Time Elementals arrive and begin courting the barbarians and their music, allegiances start swaying slightly.
Schraum learns from the Time Elementals and begins to absorb some of their ways. While not a traditional worship of follower to god, somehow the same process is in effect and for most intents and purposes, Schraum becomes the god of the Time Elementals. In doing so, he also over the years becomes the god of at first one of the barbarian tribes and then by 3090 it can easily be said he is the god of all 14 barbarian tribes.

Kraylin Reaches a Population of 1 Million

Year 3166 PE, Year 4263 BC
Easily the most diverse city with regards to types of races – with some estimates being that nearly 300 different sentient races live within the city - Kraylin reaches a benchmark of over 1 million inhabitants.

A New City AI is Born in Amaravati

Year 3231 PE, Year 4198 BC
Not having a city with an AI of his own, Schraum creates a new AI for Amaravati similar to the AI’s of all the Rynth cities.

The City AI of Amaravati gains Sentience and seeks Godhood

Year 3234 PE, Year 4195 BC
Unlike the other AI’s created by the Elders, the AI created by Schraum becomes egotistical and seeks to become a god in its own right, calling itself the Most Holy Son.
Schraum encourages this and actually helps the AI. The other Gods object and intervene, completely destroying the Most Holy Son of Schraum.

All city AI’s are Destroyed; Only Brynthia’s is salvageable

Year 3248 PE, Year 4181 BC
In a fit of rage over his progeny being so mercilessly destroyed, Schraum begins planning the destruction of all the Rynth AI’s. When he launches his attack, in a matter of seconds all of the city AI’s are destroyed. Only Brynthia’s AI survives the attack.
Throki and the gods which are aligned with Throki set to repair the Brynthian AI and allow it to continue. It is determined that none of the other AI’s need to be replaced as they are deemed unsalvageable.
While the gods seek to censure Schraum for his act of hostility, it becomes apparent that unless all the gods act as one, there really is much that can be done.
Amaravati is cut off and all trade from Hrynthia ceases in response. Additionally, the dwarves discontinue all trade with the northern barbarians who worship Schraum. As both groups are self-sufficient, Schraum doesn’t react. However, an element does start appearing in barbarian oral song history about how someday they will enact the vengeance of Schraum upon Brynthia, destroying what they call the final child of the gods.

Illania, cut off from all other cultures, becomes Kasa Deas

Year 3457 PE, Year 3972 BC
After years of enlightenment and rule by an elected council, certain officials of Illiania start forming dynasties where politics becomes the family business. From these dynasties a new ruling class emerges while at the same time the nation becomes bogged down with laws and regulations.
This eventually makes way for a single family, the family name Kasas Deas, to make up the majority of the ruling caste. In 3457 the city, now firmly ruled by a single family changes its name to Kasa Deas and is the recognized capital of the Illan Empire.