Timeline of Pre-Wesnoth

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Timeline of the Dragon Trilogy

This is meant to be a timeline for the campaigns of the Dragon Trilogy. In no way it is meant to be canonical, but simply to help players of the Dragon Trilogy to situate the story chronologically. (PAGE STILL UNDER WORK)

Locations

Great Continent

Information to be added soon.


Arajunna

Information to be added soon.


Argea

A large landmass faraway from the Great Continent, and almost thrice as large as its neighbour Netjer-Ta, Argea is the cradle of orcs - and also of rumoured fantastic creatures. It's climate is temperate, with hot and rainy summers and cold and dry winters. Vast and deep forests, as well as imposing mountain ranges, great lakes and mighty rivers cover the central and northern areas of Argea; in the west, the countless orcish tribes can be found, while in the east, the powerful human Empire of Skiron reigns supreme. Still, Skironians and orcs are often pioneering into the dense central forests, building new settlements, sometimes even clashing against each other. Argea's utmost south is marked by the Frozen Lowlands, a rocky and desolate area where no Skironian expedition has ever managed to explore completely, let alone settle on. One expedition which did manage to cross the icy valleys the surround it returned with very few of its original numbers, bringing nothing but tales of fair, but lethal witches whose mere touch can freeze a man to the bone's marrow.


Netjer-Ta

This is a land distant from most centres of civilization; lying to the north of Argea, it is believed by some to be where orcs and minotaurs first appeared before spreading to Argea and then to the rest of the world. The first humans to reach this continent were the Windsong, who used is as a lab for their experiments; centuries after they were last seen there, Netjer-Ta was again visited by humans of both the Aragwaith and the Hannuk people led by Myra of Hiera'Shirsha; there they founded the city of Maat'Kare. A remarkable geographic feature of this continent is the Sun Path, a long valley that crosses Netjer-Ta from east to west, and which is run by the great River Ruthen, with the Dark Island in its middle. To the north lie the frozen mountains of the vampires, while the southern mountains are ruled by the Motsoghnir and the Aigathol dwarves. Further southwards, there is the Silent Desert, which got its name from the fact that it is never plagued by storms. To the west, one can find the plains and hills where orcs and goblins dwell; and, to the east, the city of Maat'Kare and its satellite towns are situated.


Timeline:


BW: Before Wesnoth

YW: Years Wesnoth

Golden Age of the Dragons (beyond 20.000 BW)

  • Oral History tells that the dragons were once the dominant species on Irdya, rampaging throughout the world and threatening the balance of nature. The High Dragons of Water, Fire and the Sky - Nitiballi, Agniballi and Svarballi - are created by the Ancient Ones to restore it. Svarballi is, however, corrupted by the unbalance of his own soul; Agniballi and Nitiballi defeat him after a catasthrophic battle, and seal up his soul. Nitiballi sacrifices himself to heal the world's wounds, and his crystallized body becomes the Fountain of Life.
  • During the Dragon Age, An-Usrukhar, a human from the long-lost Asherah tribe that fought Svarballi, is born. He falls in love with Vanadya, the source of all magic, and is granted magic powers by her, thus becoming the first human mage. He walks the world helping other human tribes and teaching them magic, but disappears in an unknown time, and is never heard of again.
  • Moradin, the King-in-the-Earth, receives the Hammer of Buri, a powerful magical hammer. Studying it, Moradin develops runic magic, which allows his people to develop greatly. One of his sons, Motsoghnir, takes a group of dwarves and sets out of the Heart Mountains; his descendants would establish dwarvish nations over the Great Continent.
  • Griknagh, the chief of the trolls - also known as the King-in-the-Abyss, wielder of the Hammer of Ymir - leads his people to the surface for the first time. He accidentally enters the realm of the dwarves. At first, they coexist peacefully, but then Moradin - then corrupted by the power given him by Buri's Hammer - murders Griknagh in order to steal Ymir's Hammer. Thus started the age-long rivalry between dwarves and trolls.
  • Tithanya, known by the Hidden Folk as the First, marries El-Teleryon, the King-in-the-Wood, ruler of the elves at Lins-Elens. Her blood gives their descendants - mostly the female ones - a strong connection to the faerie plane, a mystical dimension created by Tithanya, and also so its powers.

Circa ~3800 BW

  • The Aragwaithi, the first human culture to develop a writing system, 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

  • The Great Dragon Shek'har is born.

Circa ~3400 BW

  • The Order of the Windsong is created by women from different nations who wanted an independent life. After creating a mysterious form of magic from an unknown source, 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 build friendly ties with neighbouring peoples.

3285 BW

  • The Windsong conduct magical experiments on humans; two of the experiences go terribly wrong, and from them the vampires and the wargs are born. Due to their violence, they're exiled in the faraway continent of Netjer-Ta.

3250 BW

  • The infamous Head of the Windsong Ashura of Hiera'Duath finds a way to access the Land of the Dead, and also to use its flows of energy to reanimate corpses. As she improves the ways to connect to that realm, she writes the Book of the Dead, and starts using undead against the enemies of the Windsong.

3230 BW

  • Elves and Aragwaithi unite to fight the increasingly twisted Ashura; Hiera'Shirsha declares itself an independent Foundation, and becomes a haven for Windsong who rebelled against Ashura.

3205 BW

  • By this year, nearly all Windsong Foundations have been either destroyed by war or abandoned, but for Hiera'Shirsha and Hiera'Duath, which now is only inhabited by Ashura, who repels the elves and the Aragwaithi with undead.

3200 BW

  • Ashura finally surrenders, but the elves are still distrustful of the Windsong. The first High Kalian - great council of the peoples of the great continent- named after the council of the elves - is organized at Hiera'Shirsha to decide the peace between the Windsong and the elves; the Aragwaithi and the Aigathol Dwarves serve as mediators. In the end, both peoples firm a truce, and Ashura is handed to the elves, who lock her alone in Hiera'Duath, guarded by earthen golems.

3140 BW

  • The Motsoghnir Dwarves, one of the two Original Tribes of the dwarves disappear into the deep tunnels they had dug, and are not heard of again in many centuries.

3090 BW

  • King Abhai I of Garet-Desh founds the 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 Doldesh, 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. The Dragon Army rises from the Dragons' Land (later known as Sandy Wastes) and attacks the elves of Aethenwood and the dwarves of the Dulatus Hills first.
  • 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; 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, escorted by Aragwaithi soldiers led by Ravyan and Jevyan of Garet-Desh and accompanied by Princess Alenya.
  • 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 the dragons Agadhor, Niddhon and Shakkha inside a gem, which is found by Myra. Varthan, son of Abhai III and 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, whose Hannuks join the Aragwaithi refugees.
  • 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; this event is later known as the Ughure Incident. Later, Jevyan calls the gem Sky Soul for the first time.
  • After the Last Stand on the Great Continent, in which a drake army led by Khrakrahs is held off, the refugees leave the continent and sail eastwards, towards Netjer-Ta.
  • On the way to Netjer-Ta, Myra finds the Trident of the Seas, a weapon forged by Nitiballi himself, thanks to the aid of the Naiad Atargatis.

2799 BW

  • The refugees reach Netjer-Ta, 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 City of Maat'Kare is founded there.

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, and start building settlements which would eventually become great cities.
  • In the west of the Great Continent, the great elven city of Oreyand falls to the dragons; King Tendel-Thrion leads the surviving elves to a cave refuge, but they end up trapped there, and die of starvation and lack of air.

2794 BW

  • The First Continental War begins in Netjer-Ta between the vampires and the orcs led by Hagor against all other nations. An army led by Myra defeats the vampire lord Vrykos; almost at the same time, the new Windsong Foundation of Hiera'Laksha is besieged by a Celestial horde. The Celestial lord Grigorius steals the Sky Soul, and in an attempt to harness its powers, is possessed by Svarballi. Myra manages to defeat him, but the Sky Soul is lost after the battle. A Song of Fire ends.

2780 BW

  • Aldrik, the son of Myra, and Belendra, a half-elven, half-dwarf warrior, discover a new land-mass southwards from Netjer-Ta, separated by a stormy strait that is very difficult to cross. Maat'Karian colonists start building settlements there. They name the new land Argea, which would, ages later, be known as the Old Continent.

2778 BW

  • Aldrik and Belendra are married, thus originating the distinct House of Wadjet; by this time, he's already been given the title of Master of Four Lights for mastering all four magic styles taught at the Academy of Maat'Kare.

2335 BW

  • Various settlements in Argea which had gradually grown into cities break free from Maat'Kare, declaring themselves independent cities-state.

2287 BW

  • King Alexias of Aeria finishes his war to unite all of the Argean cities-state, thus founding the Empire of Skiron. Those who do not accept his rule are allowed to leave in peace; they cross the empire's frontiers and establish small settlements on the south-eastern Green Peninsula. After some initial hostility, Skironians and Maat'Karians develop a good relationship.

1892 BW

  • Hashira Aelone, the Head of the Windsong, retrieves the Sky Soul from the Yawning Abyss, the crater resulted from Myra's and Svarballi's battle, and takes it to Hiera'Laksha. War of the Jewel begins.
  • The mage Ayraton, supported by Hashira, splits the Sky Soul into two jewel, one containing Svarballi's soul, and the other, the spirits of three Fire Dragons. Menon Hekare, a Master of Four Lights, attacks Hiera'Laksha under orders by Maat'Kare; as Hashira refuses to share the Sky Soul and reveal her true intentions, the other Windsong desert her. A dragon, created artificially by Ayraton and containing the second soul jewel, appears, killing its creator; Hashira herself is killed by the Sky Soul when attempting to wield its power. Menon banishes the Windsong from Netjer-Ta, and keeps the Sky Soul with himself.

1890-1400 BW

  • At some point, the dragon Gidhonus, created by Ayraton, dies in the wildlands of Argea; the soul jewel it contains lies lost amidst his corpse for centuries.

1650 BW

  • The Aeserians, one of the human tribes living outside of Skiron, are attacked by orcs, and forced out of their valley. They decide to venture into the seas in boats; many of them sink on the way, but the ones which survive almost miraculously find a great island far from Argea. They call it the Green Isle, and start populating it.

1365 BW

  • The first Chomi arrive at the Green Isle from Arajunna. They establish good ties with the Islefolk, and build some mixed cities there, such as Southbay.

1280 BW

  • In Skiron, the young adventurers Aegaion and Perseias find the remains of a dragon in a deep forest in the middle of Argea; amidst them, they finds a magical red stone, which Perseias dubs 'Ruby of Fire' due to its colour and warmth. Aegaion manages to communicate with dragon spirits that lived inside it, and acquires great magical power from them. However, he also becomes paranoid, and ultimately kills Perseias for believing her to be coveting the jewel.

1270-1250 BW

  • At some point, Aegaion, instructed by the Ruby's spirits, turns himself into a lich.

1235 BW

  • As the Dark Saint, Aegaion becomes a hugely influential popular leader as he uses his power - unique in Skiron, which has no schools of magic - to save common people from deadly diseases. He starts challenging the government of Emperor Amphyon, which he considers corrupted.

1222 BW

  • Civil war - later known as War of Liberation - erupts in Skiron between Emperor Amphyon and Aegaion's rebels. The Imperialists win crushing victories, pushing the rebels to the edge of defeat. It is then that Aegaion instructs a few select followers in the arts of Necromancy; with the power of many mages, the rebels start turning the tide of the war.

1221 BW

  • Aegaion invades Amphyon's palace and butchers the entire Imperial family, turning Amphyon hismself into an undead beast. In the following day, he proclaims himself the Eternal Emperor of Skiron, and appoints his most loyal disciples - now turned into liches as well - as Lich-Lords, giving them the rule of the provinces.

1211 BW

  • The province of Thalassia, the last Imperialist stronghold, is taken. The count's daughter, called Perseias, had betrayed her people after Aegaion had promised to teach her the secrets of the Ruby of Fire. Aegaion takes her as his personal disciple, dubbing her Stygia. Some years later, she turns herself into a Lich and receives the rule of Thalassia.

1170 BW

  • Lich-Lady Stygia leads the Skironian invasion of Netjer-Ta, allied to Grand Duchess Erynia of the vampires, thus igniting the War of the Jewel. Maat'Kare, the Aigathol, the Motsoghnir, the wargs and the orcish Burning Fang clan unite to defend against the Skironians.
  • A small battallion, led by Akhen Wadjet, Atenak Aracyne and Gomatol of the Motsoghnir sneak into the Red Pinnacle, capital of the vampires, led by the vampiress Nyx Devellian, and slay the Grand Duchess Erynia.
  • Siege of Maat'Kare: Lich-Lord Jevyan attacks Maat'Kare with a huge armada. He's on the brink of victory when Menon Hekare appears and almost single-handedly defeats the Skironians.
  • Argatyr, King of the Motsoghnir, sacrifices himself to stop and underground invasion by the Skironians, but the Hammer of Ymir keeps him alive.
  • In the Battle of the Buring Sands, the Skironian invasion is decisively crushed by Maat'Karians, dwarves and wargs, and Stygia is destroyed by Menon himself.
  • Argatyr betrays King Vindalf of the Aigathol, killing him and many of his people. Akhen Wadjet and his friends are forced to flee Maat'Kare as they're wrongly considered to be traitors in a scheme that has the Sky Soul at its core. Helped by Atenak Aracyne, he sails northwards, to the North Pole, searching for the Windsong.

1169 BW

  • Akhen reaches the Windsong Foundation of Hiera'Kirya, but they refuse to help him stop the Sky Soul's control over Maat'Kare. Sailing away from the North Pole, his ship is caught by a sea storm, and he's stranded on the Green Isle, where he helps the Aeserians and the Chomi defend against a massive drake army.
  • Menon Hekare, now the ruler of Maat'Kare, launches a campaign against Skiron, with the goal of destroying it and recovering the Ruby of Fire.
  • Akhen's retinue is led by Chomi allies to Arajunna, where he aids the Chomi fight the neighbouring Washraha. There he finds the ruins of an ancient sanctuary of the Asherah, and also the last surviving Celestials.
  • On the way back to Netjer-Ta, Akhen's retinue accidentally reach Argea. They cross it towards the Strait of the Continents, but are cornered by Aegaion himself. Aided by the fauns of the Argean wildlands and with a powerful Celestial spell learned in Arajunna, Akhen and his companion Merwe manage to destroy Aegaion.
  • Back to Netjer-Ta, Akhen helps Sigdral, new leader of the Aigathol, defeat Argatyr. Afterwards, he marches on towards Maat'Kare, which is then under a tyrannical rule; he reignites the civil war in the Maat'Karian lands.
  • In the final battle at Maat'Kare itself, Akhen defeats Menon Hekare, then under the Sky Soul's influence, and unravels Svarballi's schemes, thus ending the civil war.
  • In a council, Akhen suggests relocating the Maat'Karian civilization to a single megalopolis in the middle of the Silent Desert; this projected is approved. War of the Jewel ends.

1166 BW

  • The building and settlement of New Maat'Kare is completed. Akhen locks the Sky Soul in a powerful cell beneath the Yawning Abyss, where it had lain for a thousand years, and where it would lay for a few more. The Ruby of Fire remains in Skiron, now under Lich-Lord Lenvan's custody.

Sources


Information is derived from the campaigns:

  • A Song of Fire
  • Soldier of Wesnoth
  • War of the Jewel