Timeline of Ancient Irdya (Un-official)

Dark Irdya Canon

This is meant to be a reference for the Dark Irdya canon, which is the setting for the campaigns designed by Lord-Knightmare. It is imperative to acknowledge that this timeline does NOT follow the official Timeline of Wesnoth nor the Irdya canon timeline and exists in an alternate continuity. Even though it is not required, the timeline stated here is done in relation to the Official Wesnoth timeline for comparison.

BW: Before Wesnoth YW: Years Wesnoth

Locations

Great Continent

This is Irdya's largest known continent. However, only a small portion of it has been explored.

The Sandy Wastes

This is a great desert that exists between Wesnoth and the Silver Lands. It is rumoured that the Khalifate, a faction of Haldric's people that were separated and compelled to adapt to the barren conditions, may reside in settlements here. However, there is no evidence of their existence.

The Silver Lands

The community lying to the east of Wesnoth is known as the Silver Lands. At its north, lies the southeastern part of the Lins-Elen (Lintair Forest) and the Eventide cities of Noct and Diurna, a volcano known as the Fire Cloud Peak that is home to the Silver Drakes and Ssyuriss Fenn, a swamp home to the hyena-like Gnolls and saurian tribes. The Bitter Swamp and the Sandy Wastes desert separate this region from Wesnoth. The Triththa Mountains lie at its heart and is the home of the Dwarves of Triththa. Lake Aoir lies to the South and the Minotaur country is situated around this lake.

Explorers say that this may be the eastern edge of the Great Continent, but no evidence has supported their stories... yet.

See Also

• Eastern History

Kingdom of Wesnoth

This is the most prominent kingdom in Irdya, almost associated with the entire western part of the Continent. Its capital is Weldyn located at the kingdom's eastern regions. Its most significant city is Dan'Tonk.

Timeline of Wesnoth

Geography of Wesnoth

Elensefar

A lorddom near Wesnoth's western border. This city state is sometimes a part of Wesnoth or sometimes considered to be an independent nation. Either way, it has been an ally of Wesnoth almost throughout its history.

The Northlands

The region lying between the northern shore of the Great River and the south of the Heart Mountains is known as the Northlands. Notable locations include Wesmere Forest, home of the Kalian council, and Dwarven Doors.

The Far North

The region beyond the Heart Mountains is known as the Far North. This is home mostly to the orcish tribes, although a xenophobic faction of elves reside within the Silent Forest in the aftermath of the First Elven Civil War.

The Far South

The region that lies beyond the southern border of Wesnoth and the Aethenwood is known as the Far South. There is no factual account of what actually exists here, but many adventurers who had opportunity to explore the region state there is only a vast desert known as the Ashland Desert, which is actually an extension of the Sandy Wastes.

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Arkenova

A vast island, directly west from the Far North region of the Great Continent, and separated from the mainland by the Great Ocean. It is considered by most explorers as a small continent.

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Argea

The actual name of the continent that is referred in Wesfolk lore as the Old Continent. It is smaller than the Great Continent but, no data has ever confirmed this. This land was where Haldric's people, the Valefolk, first originated from. The human Empire of Anaktoran was once a glorious empire, stretching from the eastern edge of the continent to the very heart of it. The western parts are the orcish homelands and some Minotaurs have also been seen in these regions. The Orcs reside in the hills, while the Minotaurs reside in the forests. It is not confirmed what lies at its northern shores but the southern portions house a vast forest. Not many things about this forest are known, save for the fact that it is rumoured to be the abode of many strange creatures — abominations and undead-like begins. King Dowrein I, the first king ever to lead an expedition to the forest and survive its ordeal, named the forest the Forest of Nightmares. The far southern part of this mainland is said to be a vast desert with multiple oases inhabited by tribes of the Dunefolk.

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The Green Isle

A large island lying somewhere on the Great Ocean, between the landmasses of Argea and the Great Continent (Argh! Somebody please make a better name this!). It is thought to be the place where the Wose first came into existence (the evidence backing this up is very fragile and thus, could be ignored).

The central and southern area are home to the Isle-folk (Halric's people) — descendants of the refugees from Anaktoran who initially settled there - and over time these Isle-folk settlements had developed into small cities such Southbay, Stormvale and Clearwater. Decades later, the Wesfolk, led by Jevyan, arrive in the northern shores of the Green Isle and a lengthy war is fought between the two sides. The Isle-folk prevail, pushing the Wesfolk to settle in small communities, although two of these settlements developed into cities, namely Jevyan's Haven and Blackmore.

The natives of the Green Isle are seldom encountered and are thought to reside in locations that were never explored before, namely the northern regions, excluding the location of Jevyan's Haven. The very few people who had crossed paths with these natives refer to them as a nobility. Despite the natives demonstrating themselves as a noble race, they remain as minor settlements who are at a fragile peace and wars are common between them. The natives have a taste for herbal remedies, fire magic, and their skills with weapons such as swords, bows and spears are somewhat fascinating. Centuries later, they were eventually called the Aragwaithi.

In the exodus of Haldric's people and the Wesfolk from the Green Isle, only the Aragwaithi remained there, since they were not willing to leave their homeland and most kingdoms went into hiding, to locations where the orcs would seldom look.

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Lands of the Icy North

The northern most landmass of Irdya, or in simple terms, the 'North Pole.' This region has long been the home of the Windsong Foundation however, neither the foundation's exact location nor its existence has been confirmed.

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Unknown Landmass

Located somewhere between the landmasses of Argea and the Great Continent and perpetually surrounded by the endless ocean, the land was divided evenly between two nations - the Celestials and the Ceresians - in a forgotten era. At the heart of the continent, there is a vast mountain which has a legend centred around it. The mythos stated that the remains of Mor-Inal were kept deep inside the core of the mountain however, the legend has been largely dismissed by both Ceresians and Celestials.

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Timeline:

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Circa ~5000 BW : The First Irdyan War

• Seven prominent kingdoms/empires rule throughout Irdya, the names of these kingdoms/empires were never found. Mor-Inal, the first head of the Chaplain of Darkness and ruler of one of the kingdoms, commissions Moradin of the Dwarves to create a sceptre of unsurpassed power.
• The Sceptre of Power is crafted after 70 years of hard-work and research.
• Mor-Inal with the Sceptre of Power achieves supreme power becoming one of the most powerful beings in existence.
• Mor-Inal declares war on the other kingdoms, unleashing his undead, nightmares, monstrosities and elemental warriors.
• The Empire situated at Arkenova falls. Emperor Kaliban is slain in battle by Mor-Inal. Mor-Inal execrates Kaliban and his army to fight for him in undeath.
• The remaining kingdoms/empires unite against Mor-Inal, forming the first ever Alliance of Irdya.
• Various battles at different locations of Irdya destroy the lands, terraforming it in many cases.
• The remaining three kingdoms/empires are vanquished by Mor-Inal. Mor-Inal's apprentice, Vaddyn, realising what a monster his master had become and ambushes Mor-Inal at his lair. Mor-Inal is supposedly destroyed; his sceptre is disassembled. The details of this battle has never been recovered or disclosed.
• The remainder of Mor-Inal's forces scatter to remote locations of the planet.
• Vaddyn decides that the gemstones of Power (Dragon Eye, White Sapphire, Dark Emerald and the Opal of Air) must be dispersed throughout Irdya to prevent the occurrence of a second catastrophic war. He transforms the Dragon Eye into a feral dragon and allows it to leave and roam Irdya; the Opal of Air is granted to the survivors of the three kingdoms, who eventually end up being the Eltireans; the Dark Emerald is hidden underneath the Southern Mountains of the Old Continent/Argea; and finally, Vaddyn takes the White Sapphire and places it within the Realm of Fire, confident of the protectorship of the Fire Elementals.
• Survivors of the Seven Kingdoms split into numerous groups and go there separate ways.
• The Windsong Foundation is established at the Farthest North, formed by a large group of female explorers, mages and scholars of the fallen empires.

Circa ~4200 BW : Creation of the Vampires

• The human nation of Dhagonth, situated at a considerably substantial distance eastwards from the Lins-Elen begin experimentation with blood magic, which eventually leads to the creation of the vampires. The vampiric 'disease' engulfs the city like a plague and a point is reached where the vampires have seized authority and the remaining humans are degraded to serfs.

4100 BW : Rise of the Wargs

• A human community, located deep inside the vast forests adjacent to the mountains of Triththa, encounter a lich and her undead army. They eradicate the monstrosity but as she swept into the death realm, she placed a powerful curse on the community. This curse transformed the humans into wolflike creatures, giving birth to the Wargs. Due to their wolflike instincts, the unity of the community dissolve and some Warg packs end up leaving the forest. However, the majority of their populace are there, unable to leave due to the abundant game.

4000 BW - 3200 BW : Battle of the Supernaturals

• Frequent battles between the wargs and the vampires lead to an all-out war between the two races. The battle rages on for centuries and eventually reaches a stalemate with neither side gaining the upper hand.
• Greater hostilities gradually cease however, there are frequent skirmishes between them.

3800 BW

• Vampiric settlers arrive at the southeastern shores of Arkenova, naming it the Peninsula of Ichor.

3500 BW : Origins of the Minotaurs

• Human settlement of Karkas, somewhere near the Flamebreath Desert, is struck by droughts and famine, resulting in a multitude of deaths. The humans find cattle and consider the bulls to be deities: an action which causes their original deity to become infuriated and she curses the humans, transforming them into the Minotaurs, half-human and half-bull.
• As a means of communicating with their god, their deity created 3 crystals: allowing only a Minotaur king or an apostle to use them.

Circa ~2800 BW

• Elves inhabit Lin-Elens (Lintair Forest).
• Minotaurs start residing on the plains around the Lake Aoir.
• Dwarves live in the mountains around Firecloud Peak. They are prohibited by treaty with the elves from claiming the hills south of the great river.
• The Eltireans live in floating isles hidden above the eastern side of the Flamebreath Desert.
• Saurians live in the Ssyuriss Fenn.

2700 BW

• Minotaurs settle at the northeastern area of Arkenova.

2600 BW

• Empire of Anaktoran is founded.

2400 BW

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

Circa ~2000 BW

• Galderien dynasty begins in Anaktoran; Anaktoran absorbs lesser the kingdom of Helletia. Capital moved to Gyaldon, later renamed as "The Imperial City".

1550 BW

• Vaddyn returns to Arkenova from a distant land and builds the Academy for his small group of followers.

1380 BW

• The mighty Kor Vas, a dragon suspected to be immortal, arrives in the northern shores of Arkenova with his Drake flight and eventually establish the Drake Empire, the second mightiest empire ever to be situated in Arkenova.

1185 BW - 1184 BW : Library of Kratemaqht

• Cahal, a nobleman residing in the Imperial City of Anaktoran, leads an expedition against the dragon Arkinas. His party finds and slays the dragon. Cahal and his disciples secretly examine the corpse and Cahal extracts the Dragon Eye from the dead dragon's forehead. He dubs it the Dragon Stone.
• Lord Lenvan suspects Cahal of deception and kills him. Cahal uses the stone to resurrect himself as a Lich Lord, the first one ever recorded in Irdya's history to be not affiliated with the Dark Elementalist.
• War breaks out between the Empire of Anaktoran 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 Anaktoran, leaving it to be devastated by the Lich Lords.

1182 BW

• Human refugees from the destroyed empire of Anaktoran arrive at the western shores of Arkenova. Finding the land fit for colonisation, they start to build a new empire.

1180 BW - 986 BW

• Another group of human refugees from the destroyed empire of Anaktoran arrive at the northern shores of the eastern Great Continent.
• Refugees make contact with the Elves of Lin-Elens and are granted the plains east of the forest in exchanged for their allegiance and gold.
• Refugees build a few colonies at various locations near the rivers, Cythring, Xalal and Silverrill.
• Wandering magic-casters, former disciples of Vaddyn from Arkenova, arrive at the settlements and teach magic.
• The refugee-turned-colonists rapidly expand their territory.
• Ideological conflict about types of magic starts fracturing the new nation.
• The opposing sides eventually consolidate around the cities of Noct and Diurna, on opposite sides of the river.

984 BW

• The Empire of New Anaktoran, situated at the western portion of Arkenova, is found.

865 BW

• Mage scholars of New Anaktoran, sensing the strong elemental magic, leave the empire and enrol as residents and students of the Academy.

820 BW : Origins of the Quenoth Elves

• Orcish Warlords of Northern Arkenova invade the elven lands with their relentless hordes. Forests are torched and the elven population is killed en masse. The remnants of the elven society flee southwards and arrive at the Lands of the Burning Sky (a term used by the elves instead of desert) and build settlements, eventually becoming the Desert Elves or the Quenoth.

590 BW - 585 BW

• The Orcish Warlords of Northern Arkenova wage a war against the mighty dragon Kor Vas. Saurians, trolls and goblins are drawn into the conflict.
• Five years later, the orcs sign a peace treaty, but end up breaking it a year later.

460 BW

• A human lord gathering his loyal followers, leaves the New Anaktoran Empire and journeys into the former home of the elves. They build a settlement at the heart of Arkenova, which eventually becomes the city of Verdanyn.

300 BW

• Vampires attack and conquer Verdanyn, enslaving the populace.

280 BW - 278 BW

• Kratemaqht, guardian of the Library at the ancient capital of Anaktoran, 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.

210 BW

• Lich Lord Cahal visits the library of ancient Anaktoran 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.

209 BW - 198 BW

• Kratemaqht forges an alliance of the various races including the Dunefolk tribes in Argea and declares war on the Lich Lords.
• After a long war, Lich Lord Cahal is destroyed, and Jevyan takes the remainder of his followers and sets sail to the Green Isle.

180 BW

• Dwarves from Firecloud Peak cross the Great River and colonise the hills of Triththa.

146 BW

• The Ruby of Fire (the Dragon Eye) finds its way into the hands of Lich Lord Lenvan.

130 BW

• The descendants of the Valefolk finally establish dominance over the Green Isle, pushing the Wesfolk to marginal lands.

120 BW - 119 BW

• The Silver Drakes attack Firecloud peak and the surrounding area, drafting most of the saurians from Ssyuriss Fenn into their ranks.
• The dwarven defences crumble under the combined offensive. When it becomes clear that the war is lost, the survivors evacuate to Triththa.
• The saurians suffer the brunt of the casualties in the war and the remainder are enslaved by the Silver Drakes.
• The saurians remaining in Ssyuriss Fenn are soundly defeated by a Triththan offensive in the following year. The remnants of their civilisation are a number of disorganised tribes.

62 BW

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

12 BW

• The Crown Prince of Southbay, one of the many kingdoms of the Isle-folk, discovers the Great Continent.

11 BW - 07 BW

• The Crown Prince makes several voyages between the Green Isle and the Great Continent.

10 BW - 07 BW

• An unknown chain of events lead to the return of Mor-Inal. Seeing the planet brimming with life and still vexed of not being able to conquer the world, he vows to extinguish all life on Irdya.
• A faction of the Ceresian Empire become corrupted by the influence of the Dark Elementalist's presence and eventually succumb to his dark command, becoming The Accursed. The Celestials, on the other hand, remain un-corrupted due to their affinity to the Light.
• The Quenoth elves of Arkenova begin researching into greater magic spells deep inside their mountain temple and end up creating a portal to the world of Urvatha (known later as the Inferno). Demons arrive and are considered deities by the elves. Under the leadership of the demonic generals, the elves prepare to conquer the known lands, that is, Arkenova. The agenda of the demonic generals wanting dominion is never explicitly stated.
• The Celestial Empire is one of the first to be subjected to the Dark Elementalist's vengeance, resulting in an all-out war. The stalemate continues for years as the Celestial armies prove moderately sufficient at keeping his dark forces at bay.
• The other factions of the Ceresian Empire are also drawn into the conflict, engulfing the entire continent in a bitter and seemingly endless war.

06 BW

• The Isle-folk wage a war with the Wesfolk and their Lich-Lords.
• The Lich-Lords sense they will be destroyed and open gates to the homeland of the Orcs in the West (Argea).

06 BW - 04 BW : Epic of Jalin

• Settlements of Gaelia and Marhelm northeast of the lands soon to be called Wesnoth fall. Lich-General Vaxmos (one of Mor-Inal's Chosen) is ousted by Jalin, restoring relative peace. Jalin then sails west, stumbles upon Arkenova and consequently, gets captured and imprisoned by the elves.

05 BW - 02 BW

• The Green Isle is overrun with Orcs.
• The Wesfolk desert their Lich-Lords as they fear becoming prey for the Orcs.
• Haldric leads the evacuation of the survivors to the Great Continent. The Rise of Wesnoth begins.

07 BW - 04 YW : Descent of the Eltireans

• The Silver Drakes find a way to into the Flying Isles and realise its true value as a nesting ground.
• Eltireans are attacked by endless legions of the Silver Drakes. High Council of the Eltireans decide to send colonists to the ground to establish settlements as a contingency plan. Eltire, a mage of Light possessing demigod-like powers, opens the gate to the Surface Realm and preparations for the exodus are made.
• The first group of settlers establish a settlement near the eastern edge of Flamebreath Desert.

03 BW - 05 YW: Book I of the Lithian Codex (A Nation Divided)

• Minotaur warlords split up land and contend against each other for dominance over their territory near Lake Aoir. Civil war between the minotaurs breaks out and eventually, three families achieve prominence: the Ranorm family in the south west (guardians of Lithia and the crystals), the Turan family in the north, and the Kimmor family in the east.
• The civil war persists, Talok Ranorm, head of the Ranorm family is slain. His eldest son, Rilend, ascends as the new leader of the Ranorms.
• Rilend leads a massive expedition and defeats the Turans and Kimmors.
• In uniting the land, he is granted the title of Rilend Iron-fist and made the first king of Lithia (where the Lithian codex and the three crystals are kept).
• The Minotaur Elder Zeal becomes the first apostle sacrificing his sight to be able to see his creator through the crystals.

01 BW

• Human settlers, led by Prince Haldric, arrive at the western coast of the Great Continent (the landfall occurs in the future Bay of Pearls) in large numbers.

01 YW

• Haldric is granted the plains north and south of the Great River.
• Haldric agrees to a Pact of Mutual Defence with the Elves, but the Ka'lian decides it will betray him and allow humans and orcs to exhaust each other in war if the opportunity presents. Haldric, learning of this, considers the Pact a dead letter.
• The Ruby of Fire is temporarily hidden, and the lich-lord Jevyan is deceived into believing it is held by the Elves.
• Haldric founds the country of Wesnoth in the central plain south of the great River.
• Reign of Haldric I (formerly prince Haldric) begins. The Rise of Wesnoth ends.

02 YW

• Orcs, following the ships fleeing from the Green Isle, begin to arrive on the Great Continent.
• These Orcs are defeated by Haldric's forces.
• Some of the Orcish survivors flee back to the Green Isle, others move to attack the Elves.
• King Haldric helps the Elves fight the surviving Orcs.

08 YW

• A second wave of Orcs arrive from the Green Isle; these Orcs begin claiming large portions of the northern Great Continent for themselves.
• Haldric I publicly repudiates the Pact he spoke with the Elves, refusing to give aid.

09 - 11 YW

• Many Elves are killed in battle by the Orcs.
• Elvish emissaries are turned away from Wesnoth.

10 YW

• Meherab and Mahir, friends of Jahin are born.

11 YW

• Jahin, later known as the Hero of Irdya, is born.

12 YW

• Orcs fail to take the Wesmere Forest and instead march down the coast, devastating human settlements there.
• Elves refuse to aid the Humans in confronting the Orcs.
• Human refugees from the coastal settlements relocate in what will become known as the Great Central Plain. Dan'Tonk, which will become Wesnoth's largest city, is founded.

25 YW : The Second and Final Irdyan War

• Mor-Inal sends his minions throughout Irdya in order to subjugate it, igniting the chain of events known as the Battle for Irdya.

29 YW : Sepulchre of Elran

The ancient tomb of King Elran, a legendary king of the Lins-Elens, is raided by forces of the Dark Elementalist. Lady Gioviel of Lins-Elen is dispacthed with an army to investigate the mausoleum.

30 YW - 32 YW : Hero of Irdya: Book I

• Jahin and his friends escape the vampire-occupied Verdanyn and flee to the Academy, where they stay and learn for six months.
• Relentless attacks orchestrated independently by the Drakes, Elves, Trolls, Orcs, and the Vampires ignite the Great Arkenovan War.
• Kor Vas recruits Jahin to find allies to aid him win the war. Drakes, Trolls, Minotaurs, and the Dwarves unite and form the Alliance of Arkenova.
• During his journey, Jahin retrieves the White Sapphire from its guarded location but later surrenders to the Desert Elves when they attack the Dwarven gates.
• Verdanyn is liberated from vampire occupation by the Alliance. Jahin is promoted to Lord by the Alliance leaders and his Loyalists.
• Several locations of Arkenova are attacked by the forces of the Dark Elementalist. The Academy of Magic is destroyed by the hordes of undead. Vaddyn, having been deterioted for having existed over 5000 years, is vanquished. The secret to stopping Mor-Inal is lost forever.
• The Desert elves and their demon allies are subjected to attacks from the Dark Elementalist.
• The Alliance of Arkenova force the vampires to surrender, defeats the elves, rescues Jalin, forces the orcs, naga and saurians to surrender, and establishes a peace treaty with the Empire of New Anaktoran.
• The White Sapphire is lost to the forces of Mor-Inal during the battle at Red Mountain.

31 YW - 32 YW : Frigid Nightmares

• The Windsong Foundation at the Farthest North or Lands of the Icy North is attacked by the minions of the Dark Elementalist.
• The Farthest North is engulfed in Eternal Night.
• Sauda of the Windsong rallies the Windsong and other races against the invaders.
• The coalition of the Northern allies manage to repel the attack but are left severely weakened.

32 YW - ?? YW : Great Strife

• Saurians residing at Firecloud Peak, revolt against the remaining drake overseers and liberate themselves from slavery.
• Mor-Inal's wizards destroy the cities of Noct and Diurna. The survivors of the cities set their differences aside and band together as the Eventide. The Eventide army set out to extract their vengeance on Irdya.
• Eltireans prepare for the defence against the Silver Drakes and the Minotaurs.
• The Silver Drakes send a significant portion of their armies towards the Flying Isles.
• Under the banner of Rilend Iron-fist, the minotaurs start expanding their territory. Lacking the expertise and materials to cross the Bitter Swamps, the Minotaurs send their armies north and southeastwards.
• The dwarves of Triththa suddenly see themselves threatened by multiple militaristic belligerents.
• The aforementioned events within the Silver Lands incite the Great Strife.

UNUSED

   ==== Southern Great Continent ====

   ===== 23 YW =====
   * Human settlement of the Estmarks begins.

   ===== 99 YW - 127 YW =====
   * Large increase in the use of magic in the Estmarks.

   ===== 127 YW =====
   * An orcish invasion pushes the settlers south, out of the Estmarks, before the Grand Army of Wesnoth can arrive.
   * The settlers find a number of new settlements on the edge of the Kerlath hills and the Sandy Wastes.
   * The orcish horde is driven out by the numerically superior Grand Army of Wesnoth, but some tribes desert and colonise the areas furthest from wesnoth.
   * Contact between the settlers and the Kingdom of Wesnoth is lost completely.
   * The settlers acquire a distaste for magic, thinking its use brought on the orcish hordes.

   ===== 395 YW - 398 YW =====
   * The various tribes around the Sandy Wastes desert are unified by the Khalifate, who arrive from southern Argea via the Farthest South. Magic is outlawed.

   ===== 546 YW - 550 YW =====
   * Contact between the Khalifate and Wesnoth is reestablished, trade flourishes.

   ===== 551 YW =====
   * Ravan is banished from the Khalifate for the use of magic.

Sources

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Information has been derived from the following UMC add-ons:

• Era of Strife
• Library of Kratemaqht
• Epic of Jalin
• Nightmares of Meloen
• The Rise of Wesnoth
• War of Legends
• Hero of Irdya: Book I
• Sepulchre of Elran
• Frigid Nightmares