Timeline of Pre-Wesnoth

Timeline of Pre-Wesnoth or Ancient Irdya

This is meant to be a list of the historical events of Irdya that took place before the Kingdom of Wesnoth was established.

Timeline:

BW: Before Wesnoth

YW: Years Wesnoth

Distant Past (+10000 BW)

Ancient legends tell that the dragons were once the dominant species on Irdya, threatening the balance of nature. The High Dragons of Water, Fire and of the Sky - Nitiballi, Agniballi and Svarballi - are created by the Guardians to restore it. Svarballi is, however, corrupted; Agniballi and Nitiballi defeat him after a catasthrophic war, and seal up his soul. Nitiballi sacrifices himself to heal the world's wounds, and his crystallized body becomes the Fountain of Life.

Circa ~3800 BW

The Aragwaithi, most ancient of all known human peoples, found Garet-Desh, considered the cradle of human civilization, at the Aragwaith Meadows, central Great Continent. Its first king is Maethar the Great, the first owner of the Rod of Justice.

3500 BW

Ancient Dragon first appears, Shek'har first appears.

3450 BW

Nilfhelm first appears

Circa ~3400 BW

The Order of the Windsong first appears; they establish Foundations all over the Great Continent, but enter in conflict with various humans nations and also elves, their fiercest enemies.

3370 BW

The Windsong Foundation of Hiera'Shirsha is established in the Windy Mountains; its Librarian manages to forge friendly ties with neighbouring peoples.

3230 BW

By this year, all Windsong Foundations have been either destroyed or abandoned, but for Hiera'Shirsha.

3200 BW

First Kalian - great council of the peoples of the great continent- named after the council of the elves - convened at Hiera'Shirsha to decide the peace between the Windsong and the elves; the Aragwaithi and the Aigathol Dwarves serve as mediators.

3090 BW

Second age of the Aragwaithi Kingdom upon the great continent, King Abhai I founds Abhan dynasty.

2835-2834 BW

The dragon Krathon rebels against the High Dragon of Fire, Agniballi and attacks the Aragwaith Meadows from the south while the Aragwaithi are fighting a civil war.
Against his father's orders, Prince Abhai of Garet-Desh and his best friend, Aryon, go to the Windsong Foundation of Hiera'Shirsha to seek their help; there they meet the Weaver Maat.
Fractured Aragwaithi mount little effective resistance against Krathon; however the other races of the Windy Mountains near the Meadows unite to face the threat. United armies of Dwarves, Aragwaithi, Elves and Windsong meet Krathon outside of Garet-Desh. The king is mortally wounded; he gives the Rod of Justice to Abhai, who harnesses its power and repels the enemy army.
Abhai leads Garet-Desh's army to Unyathan, where he faces Krathon again. Aryon is killed, buts Abhai kills Krathon. In the same year, he is crowned King Abhai III of Garet-Desh.

2828 BW

Abhai III takes advantage of his kingdom's might to proclaim himself the High King of the Aragwaithi, thus decisively ending the Aragwaithi Civil War.

2826 BW

Myra, later known as Myra of Hiera'Shirsha, is born at the village of Kiera, in the southern Meadows.

2820 BW

Maat is chosen as the new Head of the Windsong Order, the youngest and - arguably - most powerful of them all.

2804 BW

Shek'har, viceroy of the Dragons' Land, still bitter over Krathon's unavenged death, awakens Svarballi. Svarballi kills Agniballi and starts preparing a massive attack on the western areas of the Great Continent. Dragon army sweeps across Great Continent.
Princess Alenya of Lintanir is sent to the Aragwaith Meadows, where she'd arrive in the following year.

2803 BW

The drake armies commanded by Khrakrahs besiege Hiera'Shirsha while Maat is not there; the saurian Assix steals the Book of the Dead from there and begins raising the first large-scale undead army in recorded history, save perhaps for those of Lich Lords Cahal and Jevyan; Hiera'Shirsha falls, and Myra leads the remaining Windsong to Garet-Desh. A Song of Fire begins.
Myra seeks the Fountain of Life in an attempt to find a way in which to defeat Svarballi, accompanied by a soldier, Jevyan of Garet-Desh.
A massive attack led by Shek'har himself forces the elves, the trolls and the dwarves to evacuate the Windy Mountains.
Final battle of the Last War takes place at Garet-Desh; the allies resist until Svarballi himself appears. Maat sacrifices herself to trap the souls of Svarballi and three other dragons inside a gem, which Myra finds. Varthan, the new owner of the Rod of Justice, leads the Aragwaithi, the trolls, the elves and a few Windsong to the north, whilst Myra leads the Windsong, the dwarves and a few Aragwaithi to the east.

2802-2800 BW

The refugees led by Myra enter the Hannuk Steppes, where she meets her father, Tarkyn.
The vanguard of Shek'har's armies attack Tarkyn's lands, led by an undead Assix, who is vanquished by Myra.
At the city of Ughure, Myra and her people are found by Shek'har and betrayed by the other Hannuks. Myra unleashes Svarballi's power to destroy Shek'har and most of his army, but is nearly killed by the explosion. Later, Jevyan calls the gem 'Sky Soul' for the first time.
After the Battle of a Thousand Tears, during which a drake army led by Khrakrahs is held off, the refugees leave the Great Continent and sail eastwards, towards a continent known by the Windsong as the Sun's Cradle.
On the way to the Sun's Cradle, Myra finds the Trident of the Seas, a weapon forged by Nitiballi himself.

2799 BW

The refugees reach the Sun's Cradle, and meet the orc sovereign Ogesh and the Celestial Seraphin Lords. The refugees take the Land's End peninsula, granted to them by the wargs,from vampires and minotaurs. The legendary city of Maat'Kare is founded there. A Song of Fire ends.

2797-2796 BW

The Aragwaithi reach the northern shore and set sail towards the northern horizons. They arrive at the shores of the Farthest North. They start building settlements which would eventually become great cities.

Argea (Old Continent)

The following events take place in Argea, better known in Wesnothian lore as the Old Continent.

2785 BW

Maat'Karian explorers discover a new land-mass southwards from the Sun's Cradle, separated by a strait. Maat'Karian colonists start building settlements there. They name it Argea (the Aragwaithi true name of the continent upon which Wesnoth will later be situated).

2735 BW

Various settlements, which have gradually grown into cities, break free from Maat'Kare, declaring themselves a separate country.

2700 BW

Empire of Anaktoron is found.

2600 BW

Civil war erupts in Anaktoron, leaving hundreds of thousands dead. First dark age. Anaktoron eventually re-united at some point.

Circa ~2000 BW

Galderien dynasty begins in Anaktoron; Anaktoron absorbs lesser kingdom of Helletia. Capital moved to Gyaldon.

1185 BW

War breaks out between the land of Anaktoron and Lich Lord Cahal. At first, the forces of the empire are victorious and Jevyan is crowned emperor. On his first day as emperor, he succumbs to old age and accepts Lich Lord Cahal's offer of becoming a Lich Lord. Antheia, granddaughter of Ariphon - advisor to the emperor, takes most of the remaining population and sets sail away from Anaktoron, leaving it to be devastated by the Lich Lords. [Library of Kratemaqht]

Continent of Arkenova

The following events take place in Arkenova (previous name was the Great Isle). There are also some events that place in Argea.

1184 BW

Human refugees from the empire of Anaktoron arrive at the western shores of the Arkenova. Seeing that the land is fit for colonization, they start to build a new empire.

1182 BW

Distrustful of the Lich Lords, Maat'Kare cuts off any remaining contact it had with Argea.

1146 BW

The Empire of New Anaktoron is found.

1145 BW

Kaliban, seeing a new human kingdom expand sends his most loyal general - a vampire lord - to deal with them.

1144 BW

The Maat'Karian elemental mages Almorik and Markus, alongside the vampiress Nix, arrive at the western shores of Arkenova. They help repel the attack of Kaliban and are given the ranks of advisors to the Emperor.

1136 BW

Nix is exposed as a vampire, and this causes the empire to turn against them. They flee east, accompanied by their young apprentice mages. Almorik and Nix return to Maat'Kare, but Markus stays at Arkenova. He and his students arrive at a secluded island in the central-northern part, where he uses his mighty elemental powers to establish the Great Academy.

1080 BW

Succumbed by old age, Markus transforms himself into an undead lich.

650 BW

After centuries of peace, the empire of New Anaktoron faces internal corruption.

648 BW

War breaks out and divides the humans under two factions - Empire of Amonight, and Kingdom of Estersage.

645 BW

The Kingdom of Estersage loses the war.

600-599 BW

The Elves of Twilight Forest start a war against the Human Empire of Amonight. The Humans retaliate and ends up destroying the entirety of the The Twilight Forest. The Elves flee to the North and South. The Orcs start a war against the Imperialists. The Imperialists, vastly outnumbered, have their mages construct a thick wall from the earth forming the Invincible Wall. [The Invincible Wall]

590 BW

Orcs wage a war, against the mighty dragon Kor Vas. Saurians, trolls and goblins are drawn into the conflict.

585 BW

Orcs declare their defeat against the Drakes.

560 BW

A human lord, Tegwyn, gathering his loyal followers, leaves the Empire of Amonight via an underground tunnel and journeys into the former capital of the elves. Acquiring the aid of the Elemental Wizards, he constructs Genesis - the largest human city ever known. [Rise of Genesis]

545 BW

Genesis begins to expand. Due to the peacefulness, as the orcs are busy with their own wars, many soldiers settle in small villages surrounding Genesis, and start to focus more on horseback combat, giving birth to the Horse Clans

543 BW

Lord Tegwyn passes away, succumbed by old age. His son, Gwydoc becomes his successor.

540 BW

Dantori, son of Gwydoc, is born.

530-529 BW

A new War Chief among the orcs has risen and he lauches a full-scale assault on Genesis. Lord Gwydoc falls, and Genesis is captured. Dantori flees and vows to avenge his father. Dantori saves a troll tribe from orcs and earns their trust. Dantori manages to convince the horse clans to help recapture Genesis. They attack Genesis next and are successful in recapturing it. The orcs War Chief dies leaving the orcs in another civil war. Genesis is repaired, trolls and humans live together in harmony. Humans live inside the city, and the trolls reside in the underground catacombs beneath the city. Due to persistent orcish attacks on The Academy, the horse clans go to north, leaving Dantori's small army to defend the city.

528 BW

The vampires launch a campaign in dominating the entire island. They begin first by attacking Genesis. Dantori falls after a long siege and the population is enslaved alongside trolls. [Fall of Genesis]

527-526 BW

The Vampires manage to enslave the Horse Clans.

520 BW

War spreads throughout the northern races - orcs, trolls, goblins, saurians and drakes.

260 BW

Kratemaqht - guardian of the Library at the ancient capital of Anaktoron is visited by a mage, who had heard about the Library from a story, and the great dragon allows the mage and his students to live and study there.

220 BW

Lich Lord Cahal visits the library in search of a book, but the great dragon denies him any access. Enraged, the lich summons his minions, which Kratemaqht easily overcomes. Defeated, the lich lord vows to return and kill him.

210 BW

Kratemaqht forges an alliance of various races in the Old Continent and declares war on the Lich Lords.

201 BW

After a long war, Lich Lord Cahal is destroyed, and Jevyan takes the remainder of his followers and sets sail to the Green Isle. A faction of Jevyan's followers, led by Prince Caldor arrive on the southwestern shores of Arkenova. He leads his people to mercilessly conquer the broken Kingdom of Estersage and finds a new kingdom called New Wesland.

195 BW

King Caldor starts a campaign against the cave cultists who had abducted his sister Eliza. He is successful at infiltrating the heart of the enemy lands, but fails to vanquish the Lich Shirzo. He brings down the capital, but is later killed by the incoming enemy army. [The Wesfolk Prince]

150-149 BW

The Chaos empire heals itself and has similar intentions as of the vampires. The Invincible Wall is collapsed and the Dark Legion begins it's dominating attacks. New Wesland, Orcs, saurians, dwarves, trolls, the elementalists, elves and the drakes find themselves under pressure from three powerful enemies, but persist fighting one another. Southern nations - elves, dwarves, mer-folk and carapaces - become allied under one banner.

146 BW

The Ruby of Fire finds its way into the hands of Lich lord Lenvan.

139-120 BW

War continues and gets worse as Demons arrive from the Inferno - the demons home plain.

100 BW

Markus is impressed with the abilities of a mage, Morin and takes him under his wing.

62 BW

Lich Lord Lenvan is trapped beneath Greenwood Forest in the Green Isle; with him goes the Ruby of Fire.

40 BW

A fully-trained Morin betrays his master Markus, and runs away with a scroll about the Immortality Potion.

38 BW

The Grand Academy's High Mistress finds a wood elf infant in her garden. She finds herself bonded with the child, and raises Gioviel, the elf infant, as her own.

28 BW

The ten-year-old Gioviel shows magical abilities and is trained in the elemental arts.

24 BW

Gioviel accidentally drinks an evil potion and is banished from the academy. She searches for a new home, and finds the Last Forest - An underground forest, created and inhabited by a faction of the Twilight Elves. She battles the undead and earns her place alongside them. [An Elven Elementalist]

20 BW

Krug, a troll slave in the vampire-occupied Genesis is born.

19 BW

Jahin, a human slave in the vampire-occupied Genesis, is born.

17 BW

Vampires conquer the Elf Fortress situated between Genesis and the Wall.

16 BW

Barus, a power-hungry orc warlord, ascends to be the High Chief.

15 BW

The Chaos Imperialists conquer the Elf Fortress.

14 BW

Kingdoms of Gaelia and Marhelm to the East of the lands soon to be called Wesnoth falls. The lands to the North and East of the Lins-Elens fall into chaos. First Ka'lian dissolved, with many elves moving westward, toward the lands where the followers of Haldric are soon to land. Demon Lord Vaxmos ousted by Jalin, restoring relative peace. He sails Northwest and stumbles upon Arkenova.

1 BW

In the Lands of the Icy North, the Steppe Clans declare war against the Aragwaithi. The Aragwaithi lose and are forced to flee southwards. Having sailed for over a month, they arrive at the Great Isle.

1-5 YW

Jahin inspires the slaves of Genesis to revolt and frees Genesis. Accompanied by his friends he leaves the city in search of allies. Gathering enough allies, Jahin is able to defeat the Chaos Empire, the Dark Legion and the Vampires. [The Legend Begins]

Sources

Information is derived from the campaigns:

A Song of Fire
Library of Kratemaqht
Rise of Genesis
Fall of Genesis
Epic of Jalin
The Legend Begins
The Invincible Wall
An Elven Elementalist
The Wesfolk Prince