Irdya After the Fall

Irdya After the Fall

The Beginnings of the Chaos Empire

Some time long after the Fall of the Third Sun, a new leader arises among the coastal human settlements in Kalari, and teaches a previously unknown form of magic to a handful of adepts who help him take control of the locals, aided by a mysterious power emanating from Zocthanol Isle in the Vast Sea. Together, they begin preparing the stage for the eventual takeover of Irdya by Uria, Guardian of Life and Supreme Empress of Inferno/Urvatha.

From this point onwards, the timeline is structured around the point at which the largest gateway to Inferno was opened in the Valley of Weldyn, and divided in two periods: Before the Empire (BE) and During the Empire (DE).

238-212 BE: Purification of Zochtanol

238 BE

• Mal-Zagarn (Argan), leader of the Chaos cult and the Voice of Uria, leads an expedition to investigate millenarian ruins in the depths of the Heart Mountains, searching for weapons according to Uria's instructions.

236 BE

• Argan returns to Kalari and spreads the word about Uria and the changes she promises for the ravaged world of Irdya amongst other human settlements north and south of Kalari.

• Mal Hekuba joins the Iron Triad.

233 BE

• Elyssa is born in the Pass of the Temple of Fire.

• The Iron Triad commences the construction of a new fortress in the valley of Weldyn, salvaging documents and artifacts from the ruins of the ancient Empire’s capital in the process.

231 BE

• The Pass of the Temple of Fire is assaulted by Argan and a host of demons aided by the first few biomechanical (Shaxthal) beasts created after the Fall, in response to an earlier refusal to join Uria's cause. Only two Fire Priests and Elyssa are spared.
• The surviving priests are cursed by Argan to linger around as liches.
• The deserted ruins of the Temple of Fire are raided by a tribe of desert nomads; Elyssa is taken away and raised by them.

228 BE

• Dwarvish experts begin to experiment with the development of mechanical automatons and other advanced contraptions.

213 BE

• A meteor shower lays waste to the Quenoth elves' settlement in the Great Southern Desert. The survivors, led by the late lord's nephew Kalehssar, go on a journey to find a new home in the North, guided by Kaleh's visions of Eloh in his dreams. Under The Burning Suns begins.

• Kaleh's band meets Elyssa, a young fire mage who is investigating the ruins of the Empire of Wesnoth searching for the Sceptre of Fire.

• The desert elves descend into the depths of a mountain range. They meet King Thurongar of the dwarves after repelling an invasion of northern trolls. Elyssa separates from the group.

• The elves encounter human scouts sent by the Iron Triad. A vision of Eloh attempts to command Kaleh to surrender to them, but he declines.

• Merfolk messengers locate the desert elves and warn them of the menace hiding in Zocthanol Isle and holding control of the minds of many surface creatures on Irdya. During the elves' escape from the port of Ygriz, Eloh appears and turns a number of desert elves against Kaleh until she is finally banished.

• Kaleh's group arrives to Zocthanol Isle and confronts the impostor posing as Eloh in the citadel. She reveals herself as Yechnagoth, the Eater of Souls, formerly known as Merthiaal, the Guardian of Darkness. The elves manage to destroy her artificial body and put an end to her control over the surface dwellers. Under the Burning Suns ends.

• Argan secretly returns to Zocthanol Isle (now Quenoth Isle) and absconds with Merthiaal’s energy heart organ.

211-1 BE: Prelude

211 BE

• A dwarvish guard returned from Zocthanol spreads word of the Quenoth elves' deeds.

210 BE

• Elyssa is captured by Chaos scouts while traveling towards the valley of Weldyn. Following a fruitless attempt to escape, she is imprisoned in the Heart fortress.

• Argan finds out about Elyssa and discovers her in poor state after being tortured and humiliated by soldiers for weeks, and takes her to the main Chaos stronghold in Kalari Peninsula.

• Argan reaches an agreement with Uria to install the salvaged heart of the Guardian of Darkness in Elyssa’s body in combination with technology from a world called 'Norsula', in order to allow the girl to live as another servant of Uria. In the process, he forfeits his free will, thus sealing his eventual fate.

• Elyssa rises again as the first artificial Guardian to exist, a fact which remains a secret between Argan, Uria, and her for the most part. In time, she begins to lead the Chaos military as the Warlord operating within Uria's and Argan's designs, also known as the Fire of Uria.

203 BE

• The dwarven kingdom beneath the Heart Mountains begins trading with the Aragwaithi of the Far North.

199 BE

• Demon Lord Nar-Hamoth joins the Iron Triad as the Shadow of Uria.

188 BE

• The forces of Chaos force the dwarves inhabitating the main area of the Great Continent to retreat to the Heart Mountains. Some dwarven engineers and their technology are captured by the Iron Triad and mass-production of automatons and other advanced machinery finally takes off.

121 BE

• The shaxthal hive in the Heart is built.

109 BE

• The shaxthal hive in the devastated plains of Wesmere is built.

101 BE

• Three shaxthal hives are built in the Great Southern Desert.

90 BE

• Argan sends Mal-Dorzat with a battalion to conquer barbarian lands in the Far South of the Great Continent.
• An expedition led by Mal-Himir is sent to the East in search for the Old Continent.

80-10 BE

• The human kingdoms in the Far North are unified by Adavyan of the Aragwaithi as she puts an end to her War of Consolidation.
• The dwarves stop sending scouts and merchants to the surface.
• Most orcish tribes in the main area of the Great Continent are obliterated by Chaos forces.

0 BE

• The Iron Triad members create a breach connecting Irdya and Inferno/Urvatha within the depths of the Heart fortress, allowing demons to enter Irdya in absolutely unprecedented numbers.

0-146 DE: The Chaos Empire's Apogee

The Chaos Empire begins after most of the Great Continent and the southern isles have been overrun by the combined forces of shaxthal creatures, demons and Chaos soldiers. Argan is designated as the eternal Emperor and rules Irdya along with the Iron Triad following Uria's designs.

The Far North at this point has become a relatively stable and thriving ensemble of human and orcish kingdoms. The humans have united under a single banner following Adavyan's lengthy War of Consolidation, governed by the pluralist Grand Council of the Northern Peoples based in the city of Raelthyn.

The dwarvish population is concentrated on the depths of the Heart Mountains, and more clans join the recently founded Kingdom of New Knalga.

The desert elves in Zocthanol Isle remain largely unaware of the events taking place in the Great Continent.

144 DE

• Uria commands Argan to find and capture Elynia-Thanadria.

• Mal Kendria joins the Iron Triad.

145 DE

• The Valley of Elynia, the last elvish community left in the Great Continent, is overrun by the forces of Chaos. The majority of the elves escape underground after the initial skirmishes, led by Galas and Anlindë. Invasion from the Unknown begins.

146 DE

• Elyssa's expedition to the Heart Mountains stumbles upon the elvish forces, now supported by undead creatures under the control of an ancient lich named Mal Keshar.

• Galas' band allies with the dwarves of New Knalga to repel Elyssa's forces. Elyssa retreats and summons reinforcements.

• With the help of a dwarven runemaster by the name of Althurin, the elves find and awake Elynia just in time to hold Elyssa's second battalion back.

• Elves and dwarves are overwhelmented by the enemy forces and abandon the Heart Mountains as they capture New Knalga's capital.

• Anlindë stays behind to fight Elyssa in a one-to-one duel. Although she loses the fight, she manages to incapacitate Elyssa and her troops by causing a section of the cave system to collapse before dying.

147 DE - 151 DE: The Chaos Empire's Decay

147 DE

• The elves of the Valley of Elynia join the northern peoples in alliance under the leadership of Lord Inodien and Lady Unarye, while Galas resigns from his position to join Elynia and Mal Keshar in their effort.

• The Grand Council of the Northern Peoples officially declare war against the Chaos Empire.

• Elynia, Galas, Mal Keshar, and a group of dwarves launch a suicidal attack on the Heart of the Empire. Elyssa faces Galas and his band directly this time, but as she is about to defeat them, Elynia summons the Union of the Powers of Light and Darkness.

• Elynia manages to defeat Elyssa. However, instead of killing her she decides to spare her life and allow her too flee from the Heart in exchange for information about Argan's present location.

• The group confronts Argan in his lair in the frozen wastelands of Inferno, and destroy him after some struggle. The power of the Union is broken, and the Orbs of Light and Darkness leave Elynia's and Argan's respective bodies. The energy released causes the connection between the Heart and Inferno to collapse, taking the entire stronghold down with it. Invasion from the Unknown ends.

• Uria gets hold of the Orbs of Light and Darkness.