The Shrine of Hamaskis.
Timeline of Titan
The Shrine of Hamaskis.Timeline of Titan | |
It is difficult to create a definitive guide to the history of a world as complex and varied as Titan, especially given the lack of source material. Below is a timeline showing one possible interpretation of the order of events and major changes in culture. Much of this was developed from a few cryptic remarks in Titan: the Fighting Fantasy World (e.g. "by which time civilizations had risen, fallen and risen again") and other sources, such as Out of the Pit (including the story of the skorn and N'Yaddach), the Fighting Fantasy Bulletin board at WEBRPG Townhall and the Rebuilding_Titan mailing list. Particular thanks are owed to Doug, Alaric, Jared, John, Ken and JEDIboyy.
It is important that the reader should realize that this is not a purely factual account, but rather the story of Titan as might be told by a bard or storyteller of the fourth century After Chaos, and as such may contain much that is apocryphal or can only be justified by appealing to "poetic liscence". In particular, the attribution of certain feats to specific heroes should not be taken as literal truth. As Ken Beuden on the RT mailing list pointed out, there is a tendency for cultures to amalgamate heroes to form legendary characters, so just as the Greeks have Heracles or Theseus, so the Allansians have Chadda Darkmane and the Khulians, Llarmans Segoth. In the main, this timeline relates to the eras after the release of Time into the world and as such, the Godtime and earlier periods will be touched upon only briefly, although this may be expanded in the future.
The events leading up to the First Battle are described in Titan: the Fighting Fantasy World. However, just like this timeline, the story there is couched in terms of allegory and fantasy. For more details on how the actual facts differ from the tale told in Titan, I recommend Ken's articles in the Theology section of Advancedfightingfantasy.com.
It may help to appreciate the timeline if I clarify the origin of the species of Titan. At the start of the Claytime, he gods discovered a piece of "magical clay" (probably an allegorical description of physical matter in the corporeal plane) out of which they created the planet of Titan and many geological features, plants and animals. This period came to an end with the Godtime, when Logaan, Titan, Galana and Throff created the four firstborn sentient races, which then went on to colonize the world. The godtime, too came to an end in its turn when the Dark Lords attempted to conquer the planet in the conflict known as the First Battle. Titan says that the goddess Glantanka created the dragons specifically to fight in the First Battle and that the demons created many vile abominations out of stolen clay, probably for the same reason. Hashak, creator of the trolls and orcs, also hid them on the surface of Titan during the period immediately preceeding the First Battle and Suthis Cha took advantage of the confusion to create the lizardmen.
I believe that many of the other gods similarly created "warrior" races, and that this is the origin of some of the following: N'Yaddach, skorn, red-eyes, wyrms, hamakei, life-stealers, halflings, murcurons, centaurs and minimites. However, discussions on the Rebuilding_titan mailing list and the WEBRPG bulletin board have led to an alternative and, in my opinion, more interesting explanation for the brain slayers. Also, red-eyes, halflings and hamakei are probably more likely to have a different explanation due to the fact that they seem to be related to the elder races of Titan, and so probably descended from them. Since that time, many more creatures have been created by ambitious magic users or evolved from the existing beings. It should ne noted that evolution occurs much more quickly on Titan than on Earth, possibly due to the fact that the whole of Time was released on Titan, thus increasing its effects.
After the First Battle, Time was released into the world after being scattered by a magical bolt of power, which may have hit in the area now known as Kakhabad. As a result, Titan became a much more important place in the cosmic scheme of things. As mentioned in FF28 Phantoms of Fear, the total power available to gods and demons is fixed; although one god may be temporarily in the ascendant and another weaker, these will always even out so that the total is precisely the same as Elim, Ashra and Vuh placed into the system when they created it. Mortals however have the ability to change over time; to die, certainly, but also to grow, and although in practice the total mystical power of mortals does not increase over time, there is the potential for them to become more powerful than the gods and, ultimately, Elim, Ashra and Vuh, themselves.
Following their defeat, the majority of the higher orders of demons were banished to the Void, with only a handful of Demon Princes and Night Demons escaping to rule from the pit. The mortals, no longer protected by the gods, generally had to make do with a primitive, almost tribal existance to subsist from the land by means of "hunter-gatherer" lifestyle, to use the Earth phrase. Some other races fared better; the elves, dwarfs and N'Yaddach, for example, quickly managed to adapt to the new circumstances. However some others either suffered the same hardships as the humans, or had always preferred this type of existance (e.g. orcs, lizardmen, centaurs and to a lesser extent, skorn). These shall be known collectively as the "tribal" races. The exceptions to this regression of humans were the inhabitants of Atlantis, the city where the gods resided when they visited the planet, where people managed to continue to work the land, but even here, there was much hardship and little room for academic study or leisure pursuits.
Over the next 500 years, however, humans and some other beings which had been hit hard by the desertion of the gods began to unite themselves into towns, then alliances and finally the first nations, practising the first agriculture and writing by humans on a large scale since the departure of the gods. It is also during this period that many new races evolve, such as the sprites, pixies, ogres and gnomes. Most of these either live in the One Forest with the minimites and elves or begin a less sophisticated life and join the tribal races. The division of dragons and giants into different types also happens at this time; those that do not remain servants of Good becoming less powerful and intelligent than those (the gold dragons and storm giants) that do.
| Date | Events |
|---|---|
| c.50-350 OT. | At the suggestion af the Minimites, the elven leader the White Lord communes with Galana to find a new method of magic not dependent upon the gods or demons to work. This will later be called sorcery. |
| c.200 OT. | Agriculture begins to be practised by humans in Irritaria. |
| 218 OT. | The Fall of the Savage Innocents. |
| c.250 OT. | Hangahar Goldseeker finds the mountain which will later house Fangthane. |
| c.275-300 OT. | Rerek and Myzar Halfhand, with a few hundred followers, defeat a peaceful orc tribe and force them to flee a fertile valley, taking over the settlements there for themselves, in the area now covered by the Snakelands in Allansia. The orcs soon starve to death in the nearby cave system where they take refuge. |
| c.300 OT. | As the elves and minimites research the limits of the new form of magic, sorcery, they experiment in particular with the possibility of imbuing the base creatures of the world with sentience. Even today, many an adventurer will meet an animal only to find it able not only to speak, but even to hold an intelligent conversation. Meanwhile, most tribal races rely on priests or shamen for their magic, and even these know little in comparison with the magic of the elven and dwarfen priests. |
| c.300-350 OT. | The n'yaddach, a powerful and intelligent race (possibly created by the Demon Prince Ishtra, or by the god Lorodil and later corrupted by Ishtra), whose skills at working rock rival even those of the dwarfs, build an underground empire in the north of the continent. |
| c.325-375 OT. | Not to be outdone by his demonic siblings, Demon Prince Myurr begins to organize the lizardmen into a military force willing and able to defeat the Lawful inhabitants of central Irritaria. Selective breeding to produce lizard kings is well under way. The Kurakil, however, proceeds to bind several tribes of less well organized races to its will (orcs, etc.), mainly in Kakhabad, rather than subvert an entire race. |
| c.350 OT. | At the 100th anniversary of the founding of Fangthane, a display of the new elven sorcery so impresses a group of dwarfs that they travel to the forest, where they eventually become gnomes. |
| c.375 OT. | Harar Halfhand founds the kingdom of Granat in the area around the valley conquered by his ancestors Rerek and Myzar. It is the first purely human nation on the continent, and will expand to cover the region from the coast in the south and west to the swamplands which were even then known as Silur Cha in the east and the desert in the north. King Harar also inaugurates the first knightly order, to defend the fledgling kingdom from the encroachments of the orcoid and myriad other warlike races which randomly attack human settlements at this time. |
| c.400 OT. | Some dragons seek to learn sorcery from the elves and minimites. They will become some of the most powerful exponents of this skill. |
| 402 OT. | 27th Freeze: Urdulph Pathfinder crosses the Siltbed River. |
| 408 OT. | 16th Dark: First crossing of the Western Ocean by Urdulph Pathfinder. |
| 415 OT. | The first human ships from Atlantis reach the continent. |
| c.425 OT. | N'Yaddach encounter and enslave the skorn, another race of underground-dwellers, more peaceful than their new masters. |
| c.525 OT. |
The Brain Slayers succeed in breaking through the magical protections on the World Portal, a gateway to another world, created by the gods before Time was released into the world to allow communication with the sister planet. After Time was released, the Portal was sealed in an attempt to keep mortality from afflicting the other world, although there are still some creatures (e.g. dinosaurs) from the other world on this side and vice versa.
The Brain Slayers re-open the Portal, dooming the other world to mortality, and use it to enslave those brought before it to form zombie-armies. Not being numerous enough to wage war directly on the forces of Good, the Brain Slayers use these zombie armies as the mainstay of their military might. As time goes on, they build other subsidiary Portals the world over, to enslave zombies and keep them safe in the other world from reprisals by the followers of Good or random attacks by the uncontrolled forces of Chaos. |
| c.550 OT. | The lizardmen and N'Yaddach form an alliance with the Brain Slayers to conquer Irritaria. The N'Yaddach come into conflict with the dwarfs, whilst the lizardmen and the Brain Slayers' zombie armies begin to attack the young human nations and those of other "tribal" races. |
| c.550-610 OT. | Voivod and the Shadow Warriors may return to lead the forces of chaos sometime in this period. The Demon High Lord Death has been building up a following of necromancers and vampires, but with humans and other tribal races so ignorant of magic, their numbers are too small to have much effect upon the outcome of the war. The masacre of Buwalra (the merman city) by the sea-troll forces of Krulliagh Stormtooth may also happen around this time. |
| c.555-565 OT. | Most of the minimites leave the homelands of the elves where they have been studying the principles of sorcery, along with the hamakei, to help fight the enemy, but against such a powerful force, they are inevitably doomed. The Brain Slayers make a point of hunting down minimites wherever they find them, and very few survive. This slows the advance and gives the remaining human nations longer to prepare, however. The minimites who choose to remain in the safety of the forest become steadily less adventurous magically until they contribute little to the increase of research about sorcery. They soon evolve into the race of sprites. |
| c.570 OT. | Granat is one of the last human nations still functioning (managing to feed most of its population, etc.), mainly due to the work of the knights. However, the attacks by zombies and lizardmen become more frequent, so a young adventurer, Zergoul, enters the One Forest to ask the elves for aid. They are indecisive, but whilst he is there, Zergoul learns some basics of High Magic (maybe from an elven mage who would later side with Viridel Kerithrion). It is from this ability that he gains his surname, Whitelightning. |
| c.570-585 OT. | As the Evil Alliance's advance continues, many tribes of orcs, goblins, trolls, ogres, and other, less intrinsically evil races (e.g. centaurs, ..... and even unscrupulous humans) join them to avoid destruction or merely to engage in slaughter. Led by intelligent commanders, this previously disorganized rabble (now including the tribes worshipping the Kurakil) soon forms the mainstay of the alliance's armies, which, taking a leaf from SJ's book (The Trolltooth Wars, actually) I shall refer to as drones from now on. |
| c.575 OT. | Disillusioned, Zergoul Whitelightning leaves the elves and makes the dangerous journey to Atlantis, to try to gain aid for his homeland before it is too late. He teaches the Atlanteans sorcery and in return, they supply troops, battle wizards (trained by Zergoul and his apprentices) and money (of which there is no shortage in Atlantis) to bribe the more greedy or less dedicated servants of evil. |
| c.577 OT. | Twin sons of a Granatian knight, Razaak and Zevarin, travel to Atlantis to learn magic. They soon become Zergoul Whitelightning's two most promising apprentices. |
| c.580 OT. | The dwarfs discover the skorn and with their help begin to force back the N'Yaddach. At the same time, the arrival of Atlantean gold helps the kingdom of Granat to bribe its attackers to leave them alone, or even to change sides completely. Soon, there are almost as many armies of orcs fighting against the alliance as for it. Some elves argue that they should be helping the less advanced races to fight the servants of Chaos. |
| c.585-590 OT. | Humans and their allies gain more magical knowledge, from research, meetings with sympathetic elves, hamakei or minimites and reckless summoning of spirits. Magical weapons begin to be forged. |
| c.588 OT. | Viridel Kerithrion leads a rebellion of seventeen full clans of elves and parts of nine more against the council. They kill many of the clan leaders before being forced to retreat, first into their own territory and then underground. |
| c.590 OT. | The dwarfs finally manage to drive the N'Yaddach out of their subterranean cities with the help of the skorn. Diplomacy between the confederation of Granat (comprising all the free races which together fight the forces of Chaos) and the dwarfs leads to them joining forces against a common enemy. |
| c.592 OT. | Razaak and Zeverin become disillusioned with the slow increase in human knowledge of magic and turn to the dark sorcery promised by demons and in particular Sith and the Brain Slayers. They join the forces of evil and soon rise to a position of power in the army of Chaos, where they become known as the Dark Twins. |
| c.594 OT. | Despite the recent setbacks, the evil alliance will win any war of attrition as long as the Brain Slayers control their portals, so a daring plan is hatched, as a small number of heroes set out armed with magic and skill to destroy these sources of Chaos power. Amazingly, they manage to penetrate the defences unobserved and succeed in destroying almost all of the portals, although few of the heroes return alive. The hero sent to destroy the first and most important of the portals, Sir Gravlan, fails to reach his goal, being caught by the density of zombie patrols. However, a local goblin hero, being able to pass freely through the territory accepted as an ally, slays the Warlord of the Portals, the first enslaved zombie, leaving the remaining zombie armies paralysed (or even trapped in the other world) and buries the First Portal, so that is can not be used for evil again for centuries. |
| c.595-600 OT. | The war continues, first one side and then the other gaining ground. Without the portals, and with the N'Yaddach defeated, the Brain Slayers know that it is only a matter of time until the drones desert in the face of staunch resistance from the humans, dwarfs and their allies. For this reason, they condone a final gamble. |
| c.600 OT. |
The Dark Twins are placed in charge of the remaining drones, with the threat of powerful magic to deter them from deserting, and make an attack upon the One Forest in an attempt to gain magical knowledge from the elves. Drawing the elves into the war at this time is an extreme risk, but the leaders of the Chaos forces believe that they have no choice, and if the knowledge the Twins require can be found quickly, then they will hopefully be able to escape before the elves react, destroy the remaining resistance of the humans and dwarfs and then turn to face the elven threat.
However, Glorien Thelelmas reacts too quickly, mustering the elven armies and driving the chaotics back. The Dark Twins are forced to retreat to the far north where, some weeks later, they perish in a magical combat with the 9 greatest elven sorcerers of their day. Despite the deaths of their bodies, however, the Twins succeed in cheating death and continue to plague the forces of Good for the next 1700 years. The drones hide on the outskirts of habitable territory - the mountains, swamps, etc. - or in Kakhabad, where the magical forces left over from the First Battle shield them from being hunted by their enemies. |
| c.600-610 OT. | The lizardmen, N'Yaddach and Brain Slayers are finally defeated. A joint force of human, dwarfen and other troops pens in the survivors (in the swamplands which will later be known as Silur Cha, the frozen plateau to the north and the lands which will later be covered by the Inland Sea in Khul, respectively) and keeps the remaining drones from gathering in any great strength. However, the victory is at great cost, for the kingdom of Granat has been devastated by the war. |
| c.610 OT. | As Zergoul Whitelightning approaches the end of his life (human sorcery does not yet know how to prolong life beyond its natural span), he forms the Conclave of Grand Wizards in Atlantis, a group of the twelve most gifted human and human-allied wizards (which include most of the remaining minimites) dedicated to helping defend civilization from the forces of Chaos. |
| c.700-900 OT. | Humans and some of the other races which had been ruined by the chaos incursion begin to rise once again towards civilization. |
| c.750-950 OT. | With the Kurakil's drones effectively trapped in the inhospitable parts of Irritaria, Sith's Brain Slayers forced deep underground in the south of the continent and Ishtra's N'Yaddach steadily regressing to feral level, Myurr takes the lead role in the pit. He begins to subvert the elves who accompanied Viridel Kerithrion in the rebellion from the council, turning them slowly but surely into dark elves. Meanwhile, the Kurakil begins to organize armies of drones in Kakhabad and the northern mountains and Ishtra arranges to take partial resposibility for Myurr's lizardmen whilst Myurr concentrates on the elves. Also, Sith's Brain Slayers, working with the spirits of the Dark Twins, attempt to perfect their mind control spells, similar to those used on the Portal to enslave the zombie armies and by the Twins to possess their hosts. |
| 766 OT. | 8th Fire: First crossing of the Catsblood river. |
| c.800 OT. | First human nations (apart from Atlantean colonies) emerge, many from the ruins of earlier civilizations. Three new countries have sprung up on the ruins of Granat: Dranat in the north, Aranat in the west and Kranat in the east. |
| c.875 OT. | With little seen of the forces of chaos for the past two and a half centuries, the short-lived races become complacent, sending fewer troops to defend the borders against the fast-recovering forces of chaos and even starting to fight amongst themselves. The troops guarding the borders of the Brain Slayer territory, Kakhabad and the swamplands are depending more and more upon mercenaries paid for by Atlantean gold. |
| c.875-925 OT. |
Myurr's machinations cause various nations to become envious of Atlantean wealth and attempt invasions, forcing Faramos XXI to call upon the mercenaries defending the races of good to travel to the island to defeat the invaders. The Atlanteans always preveil, of course, since they employ so many mercenaries, but the drones and lizardmen are able to multiply in the confusion.
Meanwhile, Sith manages to subvert the kingdom of Dranat, or Djarat as the name is now written, using the encroachment of the desert to encourage dissatisfaction with the worship of the gods of Good. In the east, the ruling families of the many small principalities, duchies and counties are secretly turned into vampires. For the most part, they remain hidden, biding their time, and do not exercise too much obvious excess. |
| c.900 OT. | Appalled by the dark-elves' demon-worshipping, some of the elves who accompanied Viridel Kerithrion abandon the dark-elves to live a harsh life on the outskirts of civilization, despised by the forces of both order and chaos. They come to be called the black elves. |
| 921 OT. | Faramos XXII dies. Myurr inhabits the body of the young man who will become his successor. In the delay whilst finding the new king, the chaotics take the opportunity to increase their strength still further. The troops which were unreliable in the first war are now led by charismatic leaders, often sorcerers who have succumbed to the lure of chaos, or even been possessed by demons, using techniques developed by the Dark Twins. |
| c.925 OT. | Myurr's host is proclaimed king of Atlantis. He quickly takes the chance to declare war upon Taralak, the last country to try invading the island. Meanwhile, without the Atlantean mercenaries to keep the chotics in check, armies of drones begin to pour out of Kakhabad and the mountains to attack other human settlements. The dark-elves prepare to return to the surface and wreak revenge upon their lawful cousins. |
| c.925-935 OT. | Nine of the Grand Wizards are either subverted by the forces of chaos or killed and replaced by those loyal to Myurr. They and other wizards become necromancers or worse and many form a society called the Lifters of the Crimson Veil - a group which experiments with creating new life. Creatures such as the clawbeast and manticore are first created at this time, as are races such as xoroa, catpeople and ratmen. These new creations, as well as the thousands of undead raised by the necromancers, are forced to join the chaotic and Atlantean armies as they conquer huge swathes of Irritaria. The most horrific of the new creations, however, is a new breed of Brain Slayer, capable of holding thousands of lesser creatures in its thrall. These monsters form an elite within the armies of chaos, ensuring total loyalty, as well as enabling unprecidented tactical control on the battlefield. |
| c.940 OT. |
The three remaining loyal Grand Wizards flee Atlantis, but are caught near a temple of Hamaskis in the land later to be known as Keynlesh Ma. They perish in a fierce magical battle, but their spirits take refuge in the temple and can not be destroyed by their evil counterparts, two of whom they succeeded in killing before their own deaths.
In the east, the elves, and in particular the followers of Iatro, lead the battle against the undead forces of the vampire counts. They are most successful in the south of the region, the area now surrounding Arion, but less so in the north. The humans, too, rebel against their undead masters and the lands now called Analand are freed from vampiric tyranny. |
| c.945 OT. | The chaotic armies, confident of victory, begin to attack the forests of the elves and the mountains of the dwarfs. The races of good realize that they can not hope to defeat the now organized forces of chaos as long as the Atlantean mercenaries continue to fight for them, the human sorcerers create abominations and undead armies to support the evil troops and, most crucially, the Brain Slayers maintain total control over the forces of evil. They therefore appeal to the gods for aid. Titan, Throff and Hydana respond by sinking Atlantis beneath the waves and splitting the continent into three parts, killing most of the drones and chaos abominations, but wiping out most of the human population as well, along with large portions of the other races. At the same time, the entire area of the Brain Slayer empire is sunk beneath the new "inland sea" and the few survivors of the new breed are placed in a specially built City of the Dead, protected until such time as it will be safe for them to emerge to lead the rejuvanated forces of chaos once more. Apart from a few races sheltering in the mountains with the dwarfs and storm giants or the forests with the elves and hamakei, the inhabitants of Titan are reduced to a shadow of their former glory. |
| c.950-965 OT. | The three remaining corrupted Grand Wizards (the other four died in the splitting of the lands), now known as the Dark Ones, terrorize the plains of nort-west Allansia. The elves, aware that their wish to avoid contact with the outside world had helped the forces of evil rise to the position where the splitting had become necessary, know that they have to act. The two great elven sorcerers of the day set out and finally kill the Dark Ones, but they can not destroy their souls. Nevertheless, they succeed in putting protections upon the corpses to prevent the Dark Ones' spirits ever returning to the world (or so they think). |
| 977 OT. | 19th Winds: Goblin hero Klarn Ugbar the Three Fingered dies. |
| c.1000-1100 OT. | Believing that the Brain Slayers are just about finished as a major force in the world, Sith decides to try to create another race to serve her. The result is the Caarth (see Titan, the Fighting Fantasy World). |
| c.1104 OT. | 20th Hiding: Harlak Vanagrimsson killed by Hill Trolls. |
| c.1203 OT. | 25th Fire: Piporn Handung discovers Crown of Alumet. |
| c.1325 OT. | The first major human settlements spring up on the coasts of the continents. |
| c.1430 OT. | 15th Unlocking: Orjan the Builder founds (Royal) Lendle. |
| c.1440 OT. | The city of Karnek is founded by an order of wandering paladins on the ruins of the ancient capital of Kranat, from which the city takes its name. |
| 1464 OT. | 31st Winds: King Orjan dies and is succeeded by his son Regulus. |
| 1498 OT. | Gallantaria created. |
| 1510 OT. | Klarash formed in Khul. |
| c.1515 OT. | The strong nation of Karnek, or Kharnek, as it is now known, has grown up on the axehead plains. It holds Telak sacred and is a powerful focus for good, being the home of several knightly orders. Many new cities are built, including the riverport of Vymorna. |
| 1530 OT. | Vynheim founded. |
| 1585 OT. | Keynlesh Ma is founded in the land or Aranat, now called Arantis. |
| 1601 OT. | 15th Winds: The Dynasty of Swords is founded in Allansia. |
| 1605 OT. | 28th Hiding: Glimmer Stone is found in Shabek. |
| 1611 OT. | Zagoula founded in southern Khul. |
| c.1630 OT. | Sword of Jeren (Friendship) is given to Prince Gethren Aranang of Bellesaria by the elves in return for his aid in cleansing a Dark Elf settlement near the northern edge of the Plains of Bronze. |
| c.1650 OT. | Kaynlesh-Ma is growing in prominence and Halak is a tiny port. |
| 1688 OT. | 16th Locking: Blessed Crusade leaves Arkleton. |
| c.1695 OT. | The spirits of the three Grand Wizards which took refuge in the temple of Hamaskis reveal themselves and begin to teach humans magic again. |
| 1702 OT. | 9th Hiding: Work begins on the King's Highway in Ximoran. |
| 1712 OT. | 2nd Close: The great wizard Erridansis Whitewolf sets up his school of magic in the Forest of Yore. |
| 1735 OT. | 1st Ruddlestone War (with Brice). |
| 1773 OT. | 25th Watching: The Celenesian War begins. |
| 1774 OT. | 1st Dark: Sorcerer Farinas executed in Carsepolis. |
| 1785 OT. | Rimon founded as an overspill for Halak. |
| 1805 OT. | 2nd Ruddlestone War (with Brice, again). |
| 1845 OT. | 15th Reaping: Great Wall of Analand begins construction. |
| 1877 OT. | 19th Locking: Treaty of Seven signed in Djiretta. |
| 1887 OT. | 28th Unlocking: Carsepolis struck by plague. |
| 1889 OT. | 7th Watching: Slave rebellion in Kakhabad. |
| c.1900 OT. | Seeing Kharnek as the major threat in the region, the demon princes set about turning the nation's martial ideals against them, twisting righteous anger against the forces of chaos into lust for slaughter, and valour in battle into mindless frenzy. |
| 1904 OT. | 25th Warming: Alash Firestealer dies. |
| 1955 OT. | 19th Freeze: Fangthane dwarfs invent gunpowder. |
| 1997 OT. | Five adventurers from Zagoula release the Dead City's prisoner, the Brain Slayer high king, Birel Brotherslayer. |
| 1998 OT. | The War of the Wizards, etc. (attack on Zagoula in Sowing/Heaven's Weeping). |
| 3 AC. | Kharnek is destroyed by adventurers from Vymorna attempting to stop an evil ritual involving the sacrifice of ten thousand victims. The only way to stop the city is to destroy it completely with forbidden magic. Vymorna becomes leading city on the Axehead Plains. |
| 7 AC. | Sir Gwythain the Protector and Enthus the Martyr imprison the Kurakil in the Demafrauge and the Templars force back the remains of the chaotics who poured out of Kakhabad during the Rise. |
| 29 AC. | 21st Locking: The Wild Hunt rides through Silverton. |
| 54 AC. | 2nd Watching: Corim and Debaar enter Silur Cha. |
| 65 AC. | 3rd Sowing: Ellerhan Keep falls to Goblin invaders. |
| c.80 AC. | Vermithrax Moonchaser, the Grand Wizard of Yore, starts his magic school close to the site of that of Erridansis Whitewolf, which was destroyed in the War of the Wizards. |
| 81 AC. | 17th Hiding: Orien, last king of Ximoran, dies. |
| c.82 AC. | The hero Qadarnai imprisons Mortis, the Lich Lord in a crypt on Stayng Island, using one of the legendary Elf Spears (cf. Aelfgar in FF54 Knights of Doom). |
| 90 AC. | 3rd Reaping: Queen of Silver banished. |
| 103 AC. | 2nd Watching: The Riddling Reaver is unmasked in Ximoran. |
| 105 AC. | 8th Dark: Harantis of Kish dies. |
| 124 AC. | 14th Watching: Arrowhead Islands invaded by Pirate Queen Zustra. |
| 145 AC. | Razaak's spirit inhabits a powerful human wizard in Salamonis who then becomes the apprectice to the Grand Wizard of Yore, Vermithrax Moonchaser. |
| 150 AC. | Razaak steals Moonchaser's store of black magic resources and goes to the flatlands to perfect the new magic and gather the remnants of the forces of chaos left over from the War of the Wizards. |
| 160 AC. | 28th Warming: Netherworld Sorcerers appear to Prince Hajerlan. |
| 160-190 AC. | The forces of chaos in Khul multiply in the east without opposition. Slowly, they are welded into a single, reasonably cohesive force by Arachnos, one of the most evil men ever to have lived (and with contemporaries like Karam Gruul, that's saying something!). Meanwhile, in the west, the council of seven keeps Ishtra at bay, until Xakhas, an ambitious sorcerer from the southern lands around Zagoula, begins to unite the people of that region in hatred of the Council, which, he claimed, abandoned them to the chaos hordes during the Great War. Under his leadership, they set about renovating the ruins of Zagoula, whilst he experimants with magical mutations and augmentations to living creatures. |
| c.165 AC. | Zeverin inhabits Gandor Dire, one of the most gifted magicians of his day, and slowly perverts him, persuading him to create the Citadel of Chaos. |
| 170-175 AC. | Discontent with his place, Belgaroth, the brother of the rightful king of Ruddlestone, turns to the veneration of the Demon Prince Myurr and begins to recruit his own band of followers to rival the Knights of Telak. |
| c.174 AC. | Razaak begins to demand power over nearby lands. |
| 175 AC. | 1st Close: Brice, its rulers under the influence of Myurr through his chief agent, Karam Gruul, invades Gallantaria, thus starting the War of Four Kingdoms. |
| 175-85 AC. | With the north-western part of the Old World weakened by the War of the Four Kingdoms, Karam Gruul experiments with dark practices (which he calls Notura) first used by the Lifters of the Crimson Vale (see above), creating, amongst other things, the mandrakes, Shocker, wards of Notura and Deathstones, from which organic monstrosities grow called Land Blights which steadily poison the earth, leading all sorts of vile abominations to take hold. |
| 176 AC. | King Constain is murdered by Baron Tag, who is in league with the Northlanders and Bricians. After a period of confusion, the Inner Council of Gallantaria appoints the court wizard Tantalon as the regent. |
| 177 AC. | Belgaroth, having assembled a force of supporters in his cause, rebels openly against the rightful king of Ruddlestone, setting up a pretender capital at Caer Skaal. |
| 178 AC. | The War of Four Kingdoms comes to an end with Gallantaria under the rulership of the court wizard Tantalon. He sets twelve tasks which a prospective ruler must complete in order to claim the throne. |
| 179 AC. | Someone passes the test devised by Tantalon and is proclaimed King of Gallantaria. |
| 183 AC. | Voivod returns to the earthly plane to lead Myurr and Ishtra's forces to victory. Myurr is granted the honour of hosting the undead one, due to his work with the Netherworld Sorcerers. However, one of Gruul's experiments, a Moonrunner called Daern, and a veteran of the War of the Four Kingdoms, is chosen by Titan, himself, to stop Voivod from fulfilling his mission. Daern succeeds, thanks to the Spear of Doom, one of only two God-forged weapons known (the Arm of Telak from Battleblade Warrior is the other, incidentally). Daern's experiences lead him to become a bounty hunter, seeking out the criminals and followers of Myurr who instigated the War of the Four Kingdoms, as well as destroying many of Karam Gruul's creations which still roam the countryside. |
| 185 AC. | Xakhas leads the forces of Zagoula northwards to attack the lands of the Council of Seven, his forces bolstered by all manner of perverted mutant creatures. The council reacts quickly, however, and despatches a large force under the command of the great warrior Skarlos. Supported by the Mage Order and also by an unexpectedly militant local population led by the priest of Oiden, Skarlos defeats the enemy. The Mage Order and the priesthood of Oiden combine their powers to imprison Xakhas beneath the earth and build a temple to Oiden and a castle to guard the entrances. A new garrison city, Neuberg, is founded to further ensure the safety of the Council's lands from encroachment by the southerners. |
| 187 AC. |
In Allansia, Razaak is killed by Kull, one of the greatest heroes of the day, and his spirit trapped for 110 years by an elven wizard. The elves scatter the remnants of the Allansian chaos horde, some of whom take refuge in Trolltooth pass, others in the mountains to the north and others in the Citadel of Chaos, where exposure to Zeverin's influence is slowly making Gandor more susceptable to the lure of Chaos.
Soon after, in the Old World, Daern hunts down Gruul and brings him to justice, whilst the loyal Knights of Telak in Ruddlestone besiege Caer Skaal, finally destroying it and defeating Belgaroth. With the defeat of his two most powerful followers, Myurr is forced to abandon his plans for domination of the Old World, at least temporarily. |
| 187-192 AC. | Whilst hunting down Gruul, Daern inadvertantly and unknowingly completed a ritual allowing the Kurakil to possess the body of a human, Conrad Zaar. Conrad escapes all attempts to capture him and, sustained beyond death by the Kurakil's magic, travels to Ruddlestone, where it had been imprisoned in the Demafrauge. There, it begins to form a coven which takes the name the Cauldron of Midnight, dedicated to freeing the demon from the casket in which it had beed trapped for almost two centuries. |
| 188-195 AC. | After the defeat of Xakhas and seeing that the other Demon Princes' activities on the other continents are also going badly (Myurr's rapid fall from power, the Old World's rapid recovery from disaster, Razaak's death and so on), Ishtra decides to delay his bid for power until he can expect some support from either of the other two continents. |
| 192-197 AC. | As the body of Conrad Zaar begins to decompose despite the Kurakil's magic, the beast is forced to possess a Ruddlestone monk, Farren Whilde. Fearing discovery by the increasingly aggressive activities of the Ruddlestone Templars, it flees into Kakhabad, where it hides for almost a century. For the next eighty years, the Templars manage to keep order throughout the Old World, with the obvious exception of Kakhabad. That is not to say that Lendlelanders and Northlanders do not bushwhack merchants or that Brice stops planning wars with anyone and everyone, or that Kakhabad becomes any less dangerous or more civilized, but by and large, there is little sign in the Old World that the world is on the edge of destruction. |
| 195 AC. | Daern, now acclaimed as a hero, has his pick of the jobs, travelling the world, including a brief visit to Arion in Khul. When he hears that the king's daughter, Telessa, has been kidnapped by Arachnos in the first move by the Khullian chaos horde to conquer the continent, he rushes to her rescue, killing Arachnos in the process. Daern remains in Arion to woo Telessa and win her hand in marriage. The crown of Arion is worn by his descendants and the chaos horde scatters for the better part of a century. |
| 199 AC. |
29th Warming: King Lowa Ashfell of Buruna is born.
22nd Reaping: In Gallantaria, the Ting ring is lost. |
| 201 AC. | 14th Freeze: Goldrush in Icefinger mountains starts. |
| 209 AC. | 24th Locking: Wolftown falls to bandits. |
| c.210 AC. | After the death of Gandor Dire, Zeverin leaves the Black Tower in the capable hands of Craggen Dire, the son of the host in whom Zeverin has been residing for the past few decades and possesses the mind of a one of the most powerful sorcerers in all Allansia, an Arantian named Ar Gaddayon. He then begins to experiment in a new area: that of creating and maintaining magical edifaces such as towers using the powers of demons. The first attempt, using the greater demon Rivel is unsuccessful and results in Ar Gaddayon having to leave Keynlesh Ma for relative anonymity in the north, where he gets in touch with Craggen Dire and a coven of witches in a village called Dree, whom he subtly encourages to conduct helpful experiments in dealing with demonic energies. However, he does not forget his earlier researches and continues to experiment with physical mutations, creating a cadre of supporters known as the Brotherhood to serve him. |
| 214 AC. | Yaztromo and Nicodemus are born (2 Unlocking, 15 Warming respectively). |
| c.215 AC. | Zeverin has constructed the Tower of Hades in northwest Allansia, supported by the energies of three demons, whilst his allies Craggen Dire and the witches of Dree have managed to produce human-demon hybrids. Then, when he is sure all is perfect, Zeverin and his patron demon Sith unite to create possibly the most dangerous being in the universe (and for some considerable time, out of it!). He is vulnerable to a jewel known as the Eye of the Cyclops which was used to bind him to the corporeal plane. These offspring are called the Demonic Three: Balthus Dire, Zharradan Marr (previously Dree) and Zagor. |
| 219 AC. | 3rd Locking: Colletus the holy man is born in Analand. |
| 220-250 AC. | The Archmage (possessed by the Kurakil) builds a vast citadel at Mampang in Xamen. |
| 225 AC. | 6th Reaping: Prince Salamon (later to be King Salamon LVII) born. |
| 227 AC. | 23rd Unlocking: Siege of Amarkisk ends. |
| 231 AC. | 15th Sowing: King Salamon XVI dies. |
| 234 AC. | 21st Watching: Baron Skumvit born. |
| 240 AC. |
22nd Warming: Vermis Island is destroyed by a tidal wave.
20th Reaping: Earl Stormfar of Lendle dies. |
| 243 AC. |
28th Fire: Prince Darrow of Kelther is killed by a tiger.
5th Hiding: Garius of Halak is born. |
| 244 AC. | 25th Dark: Lord Falashti of Arion born. |
| c.245 AC. | The Demonic Three murder their tutor, Volgera Darkstorm, and travel their separate ways. Balthus Dire returns home to the Citadel and murders his father to take over from him. After the demise of Ar Gaddayon and the destruction of the Tower of Hades in 247 AC., he becomes the de facto leader of Sith's forces in central Allansia. |
| 247 AC. | A brave group of heroes (including a young wizard named Gereth Yaztromo) investigates strange goings-on at the Horizon Inn, which is being used as a front for Ar Gaddayon's Brotherhood. They succeed in destroying the Tower of Hades using the orbs in which the sorcerer had trapped the essences of the demons supporting the tower and kill him in the process. Zeverin next possesses the mind of one of the local wizards with whom Ar Gaddayon had been communicating in order to share knowledge. This wizard, Xortan Throg, was not dedicated to chaos before the possession, but neither was he a servant of order, so he made a perfect host for the Dark Twin, who played upon Throg's belief that he was the rightful king of Allansia via the last king of Carsepolis in order to bend him to the service of evil. |
| 249 AC. |
5th Fire: After exploring old Allansia for a few years, Zagor arrives at Firetop Mountain, an old dwarf stronghold and a place of power. He recruits a local tribe of orcs to guard the entrance and drives out or kills all but a handful of the occupants. He then reshapes the interior, recruits an apprentice (in 259 AC.) and settles down to the serious business of communicating with other worlds/universes.
31st Hiding: : Veern Skydancer murdered in Dorhame. |
| 250 AC. | 27th Sowing: Rannik born in Port Blacksand. |
| 252 AC. | 17th Unlocking: Azzur siezes Port Blacksand from Baron Valentis. |
| 258 AC. | 31st Watching: Yaztromo and the Hamakei Vulpa Heartsfire banish the greater demon Rivel. |
| 260 AC. | 12th Sowing: Chadda Darkmane born in Salamonis. 15th Hiding: Chief Uzgreg Sour-Shriek steals the Hand of Ys. |
| 261 AC. | 24th Freeze: Prince Salamon born. |
| 262 AC. | 7th Sowing: Blacksand Adventurer's guild formed. |
| 263 AC. |
Xortan Throg, possessed by Zeverin, starts to build his tower in the southern limits of Darkwood Forest, over the top of a goblin village whose members he uses as slave labour. The defeat of the awesomely powerful Ar Gaddayon, along with that of his twin in the body of Razaak, leads Zeverin to try a different tack. Instead of controlling the most powerful wizard he can find, he tries to keep as low a profile as possible and builds up a network of supporters who will provide potential short term hosts. This will eventually stretch from the Dragon Reaches to Hachiman and from Zamarra to Mampang, but the majority will be concentrated in the north of Allansia where they will continue Zeverin's researches into tapping the power of demons.
As a secondary form of insurance, Zeverin and Throg learn to create simulacra, golem-like automata which can be directly controlled from afar, thus further removing the risk to Zeverin of any encounters with heroes. |
| c.264 AC. | Lopar loots a tomb in the desert north of Keynlesh-Ma, removing an Ankh and thus releasing the spirit of a priestess of Sith who died centuries ago. She places a curse upon him, making him gain the features of an animal, and then sets about recruiting a coven, which will be known as the Cult of the Cobra, to return her master, Akharis the mummy, to his former glory. |
| 265 AC. |
Crown of Kings is passed to Ruddlestone.
Llarmans Segoth is born in XXX in Kazan. |
| 267 AC. |
4th Freeze: A newborn baby boy is abandoned in the snow and taken in by the Dark Elves, who will call him Malbordus. Unbeknown to them, the child is the unsuccessful result of another of Zeverin/Xortan Throg's experiments to create ever more powerful human/demon hybrids.
Derry Menay is also born in this year, in Wolftown. |
| 268 AC. | 14th Warming: Prince Farrion of Sardath born. |
| 269 AC. | Crown of Kings is passed to Lendleland. |
| 270 AC. |
Ishtra's leading wizards are researching two areas of interest: magical creation of new creatures (which every sorcerer since the fall of Atlantis has sought to master) and element control (especially Grimslade and Morgana).
Count Reiner Heydrich of Mortvania, a vampire, hatches a plan to become the most powerful vampire in history; possibly in order to take over from Voivod as Death's most trusted minion on the corporeal plane. He thus enlists the aid of three witches from the Shamutanti hills. |
| 271 AC. |
30th Unlocking: Orc king Yargaas Skull Splitter defeats three hill giants.
27th Close: Grinning Lord Dorien dies. |
| 273 AC. |
Crown of Kings is passed to Gallantaria.
Llarmans Segoth is Selected by Segrek of Kazan and has to leave the land to fend for himself. He spends the next few years scratching a meagre existence. |
| 274 AC. | Skumvit opens Deathtrap Dungeon in Fang. |
| 276 AC. | 11th Reaping: Thaddeus Lecarte goes missing in the Desert of Skulls. |
| 277 AC. |
Crown of Kings is passed to Brice.
Naggamenteh's Book of Tortures published. |
| 278 AC. |
12th Dark: Lizard men from Silur Cha besiege the city of Vymorna. The defenders number approximately 100,000.
20th Sowing: Temple to Kukulak established in Port Blacksand. Llarmans Segoth's exceptional abilities (and the fact that the Southerners are hard-pressing the garrison) lead to him being able to join the Neuberg army at age 11. The Demon Prince Myurr possesses the advisor to the king of Gallantaria, stirring up unrest by imposing harsh measures against the citizenry. However, a young Templar called Karad, recently appointed as a Demon-Stalker, recognizes the evil one and the plan is foiled. This is all part of Myurr's plan, however, as he needs to convince the Netherworld Sorcerers that Good is in the ascendancy. |
| 279 AC. | Battle of Helm Hill near Neuberg, vs. Southerner Army from Zagoula. The young Llarmans Segoth saves the life of Baron Tholdur and the southerners are defeated. The Zagoulans realize that without some help, they have little chance of overcoming their enemies, and so throw in their lot with Ishtra's forces and Ishtra in return arranges for them to be provided with sorcerous support. |
| 280 AC. |
The last surviving Deathstone created by Karam Gruul in the Old World has slowly expanded and grown into a Land Blight, which now corrupts large parts of the countryside. Meanwhile, The Conclave of Grand Wizards creates a floating ship, the Galleykeep, armed with various magical weapons. It is intended to hunt down the Conclave's enemies (i.e. evil wizards) on the other continents.
Sowing: Llarmans Segoth travels north to the Arrowhead Isles, where he has heard that a good warrior always has a place, regardless of age, race, etc. On the way, he does many good deeds, including helping a good witch, for which he receives a magical brass ring which warms in the presence of danger and always tells him where north is. Using this, he maps a route through Scorpion Swamp (in Winds), at the same time obtaining a sample of the Antherica Berry for Selator the Green, a wizard associated to the Mage Order, and disposing of Grimslade, one of the wizards working on elemental control for Ishtra. From Grimslade, he obtains one of the powerful Fire Swords (which Grimslade forged on the classic design popularized by the Atlantean Battle Enchanters) although when he later joins the garrison of the Varadian Alliance (which replaced the Delphic Alliance some centuries ago) in the Arrowhead Isles (in Warming), he makes do with a mundane blade. 9th Winds: Rioting in Alkemis due to the doubling of the citizens' tax. |
| 281 AC. |
Crown of Kings is passed to Analand.
A sorceress from Zengis, Shareela, travels to the northern wastes as part of her test of sorcery. There, she is met by an ice demon, which persuades her to attempt to bring together those forces from Razaak's army which fled into the north. She will become known as the Snow Witch. [In Titan, it says that Shareela has lived in the Crystal Caves for many years, but in FF9 Caverns of the Snow Witch, the figure 5 is mentioned] For the last century, Myurr has been biding his time, waiting for an opportunity. Now, one seems to have presented itself. With the past few years being so uneventful, the forces of good have grown complacent and even arrogant, planning to expand their influence over the other continents with the Galleykeep, for example. Myurr uses this to trick the Netherworld Sorcerers into thinking that Good is in the ascendancy and persuade them to redress the balance between good and evil by aiding the forces of chaos. Their first act is to resurrect Myurr's servants Belgaroth and the Knights of Doom in Ruddlestone, but Myurr has even greater plans, to open a portal to the demonic planes through which an army of demons could enter the corporeal plane. Karad, a Dragon Knight of Telak (i.e. a Demon Stalker) who was born in Gallantaria, succeeds in destroying the Land Blight and foiling Myurr's plans to subvert the Netherworld Sorcerers, rescuing his parents from Myurr's grip in the process. However, his trials are not over. Karad is summoned to Ruddlestone, the heart of his order (the Templars), to undertake a dangerous mission to defeat Belgaroth and the Knights of Doom, and Myurr once again has cause to hate the Demon Stalker. Myurr is all but finished as a major force even up to the present day. Returning to the capital, Karad is charged to combat the growing cult activities. Granted special authority as a Witch Hunter, he soon identifies the Cauldron of Midnight as the primary danger to the kingdom. He formes the Ruddlestone Resistance, a regiment of irregulars, to combat the cults. 7th Warming: Temple of Filash in Silverton burns down. On Fire Island, the Lizard King is infested by a Gonchong. |
| 282 AC. |
Unlocking: Derry Menay returns to Wolftown only to be arrested for shoplifting. He is forced to cooperate with the local wizard's guild in helping them to remove a rogue mage from a nearby underground complex. Despite not getting paid for the job, which he accomplishes with some aplomb, he does walk away with a magic sword and an illusion detecting amulet, as well as added confidence in his own abilities - enough, at any rate to keep pestering a guild of strongarms until they take him on, young as he is.
Fire: Gold is found in the Cloudhigh mountains. A landslide has uncovered the old Portal between the worlds and before long prospectors find it. The old Brain Slayer spells are still active and before long the Portal has a new Warlord. Watching: Zark the Violent killed by an unappreciative audience. |
| 283 AC. |
?: Alexandros II, King of Vymorna dies. His wife continues to lead the defence in his absence.
Sowing: Llarmans Segoth's tour of duty with the White Tiger regiment of Arrowhead Isles marines is at an end, but he has distinguished himself so well that he is the one chosen when it is discovered that the Lich Lord, Mortis, has been inadvertantly freed from his prison. Segoth willingly travels to Stayng Island to fight Mortis and attempt to avert the imminent invasion by the pirates of Blood Island. Whilst on the mission, Segoth becomes the Chosen of Lhyss (Sindla), not just due to his actions here, but because his future could be great indeed. Winds: Ishtra manifests in eastern Khul through the use of dream magic and the activities of his supporters Morgana, Shenyakaz and Jaxaartes. He arranges to have one of his generals from the Great War against Chaos, a wizard called Shanzikuul, resurrected, to lead the eastern forces of Chaos in Khul whilst Shenyakaz will restore Xakhas to lead the western. Warming: After finally destroying Mortis, Segoth leaves the garrison with little fuss, although he will always be most welcome to return, either as soldier or as guest of honour at the ruler's banquet. Much changed by his time with the marines, and by his encounter with a goddess, he has a desire to see his old friend Tholdur, again, and so returns to Khul. Whilst travelling south, he hears that the Margrave of Kleincastel is seeking adventurers to venture to the Cloudhigh mountains, where miners drawn by the discovery of gold have been disappearing. With the help of the wizard of lake Mlubz, Segoth destroys the ancient Portal used by the Brain Slayers to create their zombie armies. He then continues on his travels once more, intending to stop by and pay a visit on Tholdur sooner or later, but continually interrupted by people seeking his aid. Fire: Baron Tholdur travels to Zagoula and returns under the influence of the sorceress Shenyakaz, with a retinue of southern soldiers. They plan to release their great leader, Xakhas. Also, Captain Bartella nearly escapes execution in Rimon. Watching: Birdmen from Xamen steal the Crown of Kings from the king of Analand at the behest of the archmage. Reaping: The Grand Wizard of Analand's best pupil, Amberon, enters Kakhabad to retreive the Crown of Kings from the Archmage. He does so with the help of several allies and destroys the Kurakil's link with the physical world in the process. Banished once more to the Demafrauge, the beast is even more determined to gain its final release. Hiding: Ruddlestonian adventurer, Maldorn, returns home on pilgrimage and becomes involved with the fight against the Kurakil and the Cauldron of Midnight. He recovers the accoutrements of Sir Gwythain the Protector who originally helped to imprison the Kurakil in the Demafrauge and, with the help of Karad, manages to defeat the Cauldron and the Kurakil. The sword, Deliverer, and Sir Gwythain's shield are returned to their resting place and Maldorn continues to seek his fortune, after being knighted by the king. Karad continues to combat the covens and cabals in Ruddlestone, although they no longer pose a threat to national security. Shortly afterwards, a wood elf mystic called Elendurin takes on and defeats Ishtra and Morpheus in the dream realm, with the help of the goddess Galana. |
| 284 AC. |
Freeze: Down on his luck, Maldorn the Spellbreaker travels to Mortvania in Mauristatia, where he encounters Reiner Heydrich and his sister, Katarina. He frees the county from their evil rule, killing Katarina, with the help of the ghost of Reiner's brother Siegfrid. Maldorn keeps Nightstar, the only sword capable of killing a vampire. (As an aside: who enchanted this blade?). However, due to the magic of the witches, Reiner survives, although he is forced to flee to his emergency hide-away in Analand.
Dark: One of the original dragons which sided against the gods of Good in the First Battle, the Night Dragon, is starting to awaken in the Dragon Reaches. Its power causes cultists to flock to its banner and the mortal dragons are severely worried. Unlocking: Llarmans Segoth finally manages to get around to visiting his old friend, Tholdur. However, it is not to be as within sight of Neuberg, he finds himself caught up in the greatest adventure of his life, when he is entrusted with the Aleph, the most important artefact in the whole multiverse, and forced to fight an archmage from another world, whose power dwarfs even that of great wizards of Titan such as Zagor and Zeverin, who can command the gods themselves. Nevertheless, no being is invulnerable and with help from a few allies (including the reader of signs, Semeion), Segoth succeeds in saving the multiverse. Returning to his own world, Segoth needs more than ever to talk things over with his old mentor, but once again, he finds himself thrust into the midst of danger, as he is captures by the force of southern soldiers which has taken over the city. Segoth escapes with the help of the priest of Oiden, Huw, and learns from him about the plan to resurrect Xakhas. Llarmans enters the castle sworn to defeat this ancient evil and free his friend. He finds the Sceptre of Skarlos, an ancient weapon of frightening power (as well as two weapons of lesser magnitude), which passes to him when the grateful Baron announces that he is making Llarmans his heir in all things. It is a popular decision with the people of Neuberg, newly freed of the oppression of Xakhas by dint of his courage and skill. It is not long before Segoth feels the need to seek out fresh challenges, however and at the Baron's suggestion, he joins the garrison at Zamarra. Little does he know how soon his skills will be called upon. Sowing: The Grand Wizard Alsander is kidnapped by one of the world's most powerful sorcerers, Mordraneth, Stealer of Souls. The Grand Wizards send a force led by Shantizair of Gallantaria to neutralize Mordraneth. They believe him to be hiding in Allansia, so they send the expeditionary force in the Galleykeep. However, Mordraneth has perfected a form of universal counter magic, which Alsander had been working on how to circumvent, so for the force to have any chance, he must be rescued. No wizard can do the job, since Mordraneth's prison island (the Isle of Despair, off the Island of Scars) is protected by the counter magic, so the Conclave decides to ask the most accomplished adventurer of the day, Maldorn. The Spellbreaker performs admirably, first rescuing Alsander and then, when he discovers that Mordraneth is not really in Allansia at all but hiding on the Isle of Despair, he continues on to vanquish this deadly opponent, with Alsander's help. Alas, the same can not be said for Shantizair and his army, for they spend a few weeks scouring western Allansia for signs of Mordraneth, not communicating with locals for fear of alerting the Stealer of Souls to their presence, before being attacked and captured by Zharradan Marr's legions on Tooki war griffons, who intends to use the Galleykeep to search for the elven city of Eren Durdinath and his prisoners for experimentation. Winds: Shanzikuul decides that the best way to maintain control over the masses is to steal the Staff of Leadership from the Grand Wizards in the Old World. To this end, he despatches an Astral Slayer, a powerful demon, which manages to circumvent the Grand Wizards' protections and murder the Grand Wizard of Analand, before stealing the Staff. Back from the Isle of Despair, Maldorn returns to the Old World for a series of minor adventures, before being summoned by a conclave of Grand Wizards, which wants him to recover the Staff of Power stolen by Shanzikuul, since, as a warrior, it will be more difficult for Shanzikuul to track him than a wizard. Maldorn succeeds, with the help of a Dark Elf called Naas, who also seeks the Rod and who lends him a powerful Dark Elf artefact: a bronze bracelet which protects the wearer against hostile magic. He finally defeats Shanzikuul and Naas and returns to the Conclave with the Rod and a magical weapon called the Moonsword. 22nd Winds: Pride of Rimon sunk by pirates. Warming: The great-grandson of Daern and Telessa sets out to defeat Morgana, who has almost perfected the art of element control using sigils. He requires the help of two (Netherworld?) sorcerers, but manages to win through in the end. 19th Fire: With Xakhas, Shenyakaz, Shanzikuul and Morgana dead, the chaos horde has to be led by Ostragoth the Grim and Jaxartes, but they prove more than equal to the challenge as Jaxartes extinguishes the Eternal Flame which animates the six stone dragon sentinals of Zamarra and Ostragoth lays siege to the city whilst the Mage order is in residence. The mages know that they have an exceptional person in Llarmans Segoth, however and prepare a magical torch which he is able to use to reignite the flame, once he has learnt the secret of the Wazarri Silent Knights. The dragons, knights and Zamarran guard make short work of the chaos horde, which is scattered, and with the last of Ishtra's super-wizards gone, there is little hope for its reformation in the near future. 24th Fire: A misunderstanding over the destruction of a caravan leads to the start of a conflict between Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr. King Salamon, understandably worried by this, orders a young captain of the guard to investigate and if possible prolong the war, so that they do not turn their attentions upon the civilized lands. With the help of the goddess Libra, Chadda Darkmane forces Zagor to help him defeat the fellow members of the Demonic Three. Darkmane disrupts Marr's attack by throwing the portal to the realm where Marr lives off the Galleykeep, whilst Libra traps Dire in the spirit realm. Without their leaders, the two forces form an uneasy truce as Dire's apprentices try to return him to his body and Marr's legionaries search for the mirror. Darkmane would have died in the attack upon the Galleykeep, but Libra saved him and took him to Yaztromo for healing, marking the start of their close friendship. Reaping: Both Dire and Marr are back in charge of their forces, but the truce holds. Fortunately for the forces of Good, it is not strong enough for the two to start working together. Marr obtains the three vapours but does not know how to use them. In an experiment involving the creature into which Shantizair had been transformed, something goes awry and he escapes, although not before testing the two uninteresting vapours for Marr. Unfortunately for Marr, the monster goes on to find not only the vapour of sorcery, but also the entrance to Marr's netherworld realm, and destroys the mirror, as Darkmane had been unable to do, using a crystal club which due to an unusual alignment of the lattice existed in both the real world and the netherworld (or something). Free of the Marrangha which had transformed his body, Shantizair returns to normal, regaining his memory and his magical abilities. Shantizair returns the vapour to the elves, frees those of his colleagues who remain alive after Marr's experimentation and learns the situation with regard to Mordraneth from the Grand Wizards in the Old World. Intending to stop at Salamonis for supplies before returning to the Old World, Shantizair learns of the potential disaster his defeat of Marr might bring on the city-state, as Dire now lies unopposed in Trolltooth pass. Eager to make amends (and soothe his bruised ego over being captured by Marr), Shantizair arranges to try to sneak into the Citadel of Chaos to assassinate Dire whilst the remains of his crew train replacements from the willing youth of Salamonis and the surrounding lands. The magical duel is hard-fought, but in the end, Shantizair is triumphant. He returns to Salamonis to a hero's welcome. The chaotics who had worked for Dire and Marr are quickly recruited by Zeverin's cabal as he prepares to abandon his circumspect profile in order to put into operation his plans for conquest. Hiding: On Solani Isle near Jitar, four minor human mages have been experimenting with elemental magic for some years when the Master of Fire is possessed by a Dire Spectre. He defeats his colleagues and terrorizes the nearby coast. The excess use of power comes to the attention of the Conclave of Grand Wizards, but they can not tell the cause. SOMEONE visits Yaztromo to make a map from Chadda Darkmane's recollections of Firetop Mountain. They then enter the mountain to assassinate him and take his treasure, with which to set up a mutual defence fund for all the towns and villages of central Allansia. After tricking Zagor's apprentice into giving up the Eye of the Cyclops, they use it to banish him, but not to the pit, as they think, but rather to the world of Amarillia, where he practices evil on a scale not even contemplated on Titan. His apprentice seals the mountain up tight, awaiting his return, but not before the adventurers make off with the loot. |
| 285 AC. |
Crown of Kings is passed to ?
Dark: Whilst waiting for the weather to improve sufficiently for a crossing of the Western Ocean, Shantizair agrees with the Conclave that he should investigate the happenings on Solani. Expecting to be facing a powerful elemental sorcerer and instead faced with an ethereal creature, he doesn't stand a chance - not being known for his speed of reaction to circumstance anyway - and dies before even setting foot on the island. Unlocking: Unaware of the ignominious failure of the Grand Wizards to deal with the problem of the bad fishing weather, the fishermen of Jitar send an expedition to see what has gone wrong. Only a youth survives to land on the island, but, approaching with no preconceptions and a willingness to accept help from wherever it is offered, Tristram succeeds where Shantizair had failed and uses the elementalists' focus jewels against them to lay their spirits to rest and banish the Dire Spectre. The experience tells him that he is not destined to be a fisherman all his life and he travels to the nearest port to sign on as an apprentice seaman at the first opportunity. Sowing: With the weather now favourable, the Galleykeep returns to the Old World (or not, if it is going to appear in the Sargon adventures discussed on the RT mailing list). Winds: Xortan Throg helps Prince Barinjhar of Chalice to kidnap his fiancee, Princess Sarissa of Salamonis, taking her to Throg's tower. This is really a distraction from the real work of re-uniting the chaos horde scattered after the destruction of the Citadel of Chaos, but Zeverin's control of Throg is based upon the latter's belief that he is the rightful king of Allansia, so Zeverin is unable to repress his hatred for the usurper king Salamon. SOMEONE is sent to save her, but they find out that the wizard guarding her is just an automaton; the real Xortan Throg has escaped. Also, this show of power demonstrates that he is far more dangerous than anyone thought (due to Zeverin's influence), and must be hunted down. Warming: SOMEONE get a lead on Xortan Throg's whereabouts: he is hiding in the sewers beneath Blacksand and intends to raise the skeletons of the soldiers who died defending the old city of Carsepolis. They track him down and defeat him using a crystal of Power, with help from a spirit called Sargon the Black, whom they return to life in the process. Zeverin next moves to his cabal in the north and begins to make contacts with the dark elves in the area. He also enlists the aid of the Night Demon Relim in his plans to create a demon-controlled tower. The chaotics he had built up in central Allansia fall temporarily under the sway of another (Cawlis) whilst he is away, however. Fire: Arakel steals a scroll from Yaztromo's tower, allowing the demon Rivel to be released from captivity. Chadda Darkmane, still convalescing at the tower is sent to recover it and prevent the demon from entering the world, with the help of Vulpa Heartsfire, the Hamakei who assisted Yaztromo in binding Rivel in the first place. Whilst returning to Yaztromo, Chadda is waylaid by an encounter with the Cult of the Cobra, the society dedicated to bringing about the return of Akharis. Charged by the shamen Lopar with setting the evil to rest once again, Darkmane enters the newly-uncovered pyramid and uses every means at his disposal (including magic, reluctantly) to destroy the Cult and the mummies at its heart, before returning the Ankh taken so long ago by Lopar, thus trapping the spirits of the dead in the temple where they belonged. Watching: Chadda returns to the north as Yaztromo is embroiled in a situation with a group of bandits striking towns close to Darkwood. It turns out that they are led by a demon, Cawlis (the "father" of Zharradan Marr?) and intend to reassemble the parts of Axion to find out from him the secret which allowed him to create life when all before and since - Gandor Dire, Karam Gruul, Shanzikuul, Xakhas, Zharradan Marr and even the Lifters of the Crimson Veil themselves - had managed only the basest mutations by comparison. Cawlis does discover the secret, but is defeated by Yaztromo and Darkmane, using the power of the Bloodstone, before he can make use of it. After the defeat, the bandits scatter and a force of dwarfs from Stonebridge and Fangthane arrive to tear down Haellsgarth piece by piece so that its secrets can never again be perverted by the forces of chaos. |
| 286 AC. |
Unlocking: Whilst hunting a Yeti in the north, Derry Menay discovers the lair of Shareela, the Snow Witch. He kills her (telling himself that he is doing it for the treasure and not to free the slaves, no doubt), but before he can escape he is afflicted by a Death spell, forcing him to travel south to see Pen Ky Tora, the Healer. After this brush with death, Menay resolves to go and see the world - provided there is a GP in it, of course. The ice demon is slain and the slaves released soon after. Soon, Zeverin's cabal in the north recruits the surviving chaotics to join the growing horde.
Meanwhile, Stubb the dwarf, one of Menay's companions whom he rescued from the Crystal caves, returns home to Stonebridge, where he discovers that Gillibran's hammer has been stolen by an eagle despatched by the rival dwarf villiage Mirewater and accidentally dropped into Darkwood forest when the eagle was attacked by a pair of nighthawks. He and an old friend, Bigleg, immediately set out to recover the hammer so that the dwarfen village can repel the increasingly frequent attacks by hill trolls. Whilst on his way to visit Yaztromo, Chadda Darkmane finds Bigleg, dying after he and Stubb were attacked by hobgoblins and Stubb was killed. He tells Chadda the whole story. Darkmane immediately searches Darkwood for the hammer and once he has found it, he takes it to Gillibran, in Stonebridge. No sooner has he arrived, however, than Yaztromo comes looking for him to tell him that he is needed for a mission of great importance. In order for Malbordus to learn the final stages of Dark Elf magic, he must complete a test, decided by his tutors. Yaztromo has discovered that Malbordus's test will be to recover the five dragon artefacts from the lost city of Vatos, with which the Dark Elves could do tremendous damage. In fact, this poses three distinct dangers: Malbordus being allowed to learn the final stages of dark elf magic, the dark elves obtaining the dragon artefacts and the possibility of an alliance between the dark elves and the evil leaders of Vatos. With no chance to rest, Chadda is sent off to intercept Malbordus and destroy the artefacts with Gillibran's hammer (the nearest magical weapon to hand). However, when he meets Malbordus, he finds that the magic of Vatos has partially negated Malbordus' own, leaving him vulnerable. Chadda then returns to spend a few weeks with Yaztromo, before going back to his job in Salamonis. Sowing: Derry Menay works his passage to the Old World to seek his fortune. Unfortunately, matters in Analand have stabilized since the return of the Crown of Kings and he finds little in the way of adventure until running across Reiner Heydrich, whom he finally defeats, after dealing with the three witches. He recovers the great Templar sword, Imperator, which was lost when the last of the Thorn Knights of Telak (the Vampire Slayers) died imprisoning the vampire elders in the Ghoulcrypts. Menay then returns to Allansia with his new-found prize and an idea to enter Deathtrap Dungeon. Winds: SOMEONE find out what Sargon the Black has been up to since he returned to life: he has been planning to return Titan to the primordial void. They foil one small part of his plans, involving a Golem in Port Blacksand, and then try to investigate what else he may be preparing. Reaping: Whilst on a state visit with the leader of the Mage Order, Astragal, to the regent of Gorak, Llarmans Segoth learns that he is the true heir to the throne and that he is the only person who can stop Orguz and the Khuddam of the demon lord Malice, who have stolen the True Shield, which keeps the chasms below Gorak sealed. Segoth enters the chasms armed with the Twin Sword of Light and fights his way through the denizens of the chasms, with the help of the Gaddon Sensewarriors, to challenge Orguz and the Khuddam themselves. In probably the hardest battle of his life, Segoth defeats his enemies and restores the True Shield to Gorak, where he is crowned King within a week. |
| 287 AC. |
Sowing: Segrek, the ruler of Kazan, dies. Chingis, his vizier, keeps the news quiet and secretly sends out assassins to kill all the members of the select before they can journey to Sharrabak and claim the throne.
Winds: In his quest for power, Zeverin persuades the leader of a small colony of dark elves on the edge of the forest of Night, a powerful sorcerer, to imprison the storm giant Corianthus and interrogate him. His knowledge of weather magic could be very useful to Zeverin's planned flying tower. A device found in the giant's eyrie allows the elves to gain certain powers which they use to increase their influence in the surrounding areas. In particular, Zeverin learns of a magical item capable of protecting the user against mind control - or turning the power back on the user. For obvious reasons, he badly wants this item, and the dark elf sorcerer sends out scouts to obtain it in order to use the magic to break Corianthus's resistance. However, before he can get it, it is found by a forester living in the southern forest town of Grimmund. This XXX enlists the aid of the elves of the forest of Spiders, the dwarfen prisoners of the Dark Elves and the lightning goddess Thyra to destroy the colony and wipe the mind of the sorcerer. However, Zeverin decides that he can not afford to wait any longer and must press on with his plan even without the aid of the dark elves. Warming: A northern villager discovers Zeverin's plans to use a magical tower to transport the remains of the northern chaos horde south to attack civilization whilst the creatures of chaos already there attack from within. With the help of the ice elves, whom Zeverin tricked centuries ago, he manages to defeat both the Dark Twin and the Night Demon Relim. At the end, the ice elf Elkonan appears and imprisons Zeverin in a magical cage from which there is no escape. Without their leader, the remains of his cabal is unable to maintain control of the creatures of chaos, and the remains of the northern chaos horde are gathered up by Sargon the Black, although his influence in more civilized lands is not sufficient to allow him to recruit those as well. 21st Watching: Derry Menay is the first person ever to complete Skumvitt's Deathtrap Dungeon, winning 10,000GPs in the process. Reaping: Whilst in Blacksand, Chadda Darkmane learns of the danger posed by the Night Dragon and resolves to defeat it or die in the attempt. Travelling to the Dragon Reaches, he almost does the latter, but is saved by a willingness to accept that magical help may be necessary to defeat such a foe as well as his usual unsurpassed courage and fighting prowess. |
| 288 AC. |
Winds: Tristram of Jitar is set upon by pirates and thrown into the sea. By chance, he lands in Atlantis where he obtains X black pearls and the magic to create skeleton warriors out of them. He then uses these to take over the pirate ship for himself.
Hiding: Whilst visiting the outskirts of his kingdom, Llarmans Segoth is attacked by an assassin sent by Chingiz. Infected with deadly poison which only Astragal's speedy ministrations save from being fatal, he can only be cured by placing the dagger back into the hands of the man who sent it: Chingiz. Inadvertantly, Chingiz has forced Segoth to enter Kazan and try to become ruler, when he would have been quite happy as King of Gorak otherwise. Segoth is hence the ruler of Kazan and Gorak and heir to the city of Neuberg. |
| 289 AC. |
Winds: Llarmans Segoth is once again plucked from the world of Titan, this time to aid the world of Orb, where some priests of Death are trying to destroy the world. Segoth brings a Talisman back to Titan with him, thus preventing it from falling into the wrong hands.
Watching: Tristram of Jitar's ship is boarded by Carnuss's pirates and he is taken to be tested for the Trial of the Champions (to be re-opened this year). He finally battles through to take his revenge on Carnuss for sinking his ship and wins 20,000GPs to boot, more than enough to buy another ship. Whilst he is waiting for the new ship to be fitted, however, he decides to visit his old friend Mungo from Oyster Bay. He tells Tristram terrible tales about the lizardmen on the island and Tristram is persuaded to help the islanders throw off the lizard king's oppression. Whilst doing so, he finds six Fire Swords. One he keeps, and the other five he gives to a group of five knights who appear to aid the islanders in the final battle. After the victory, he goes back to sailing, which is all he has ever wanted to do. Reaping: Miners excavating too deep into the mountains reopen Razaak's tomb, allowing him to escape before the elven sorcerer's geas could take effect. He immediately begins to gather the forces of chaos left over from Zeverin's schemes to him and extend his power. Hiding: Zagor returns to Firetop Mountain from his long stay in Amarillia. He is no longer vulnerable to the Eye of the Cyclops and plans to destroy the world of Titan, as well as others. |
| 290 AC. |
Warming: Chadda Darkmane learns of Razaak's reanimation and goes to Yaztromo for aid in fighting the abomination. In the end, he succeeds and using a magical Gargantis horn Yaztromo is able to destroy the 1700 year old wizard for good. However, this does not lessen the danger from the forces of chaos as unbeknown to Chadda, a Shadow Demon, Agglax has been released into the world and will quickly take over the remains of Razaak's armies.
Fire: Tired of living an easy life, Derry Menay finally admits to himself that he goes on adventures not for money, but to feel he is doing something helpful. Accordingly, he decides to kick-start the mutual defence policy by raising his own army and smashing the chaos horde once and for all. He uses a crystal of Power to banish the Shadow demon and then hunts down the remaining chaotics once the army's cohesion has fallen apart without a leader. This direct action works, as the villages and towns finally start working together and raise an army to finish off the chaotics for good, whilst they are all in one place. Watching: After leaving Yaztromo, Chadda passes by Firetop mountain and notices that the top is black. He is soon on a mission to destroy Zagor, for which he has to collect the four Supreme Elementals of Light. Even then, victory is narrow. However, what is good for Titan nearly spells doom for Amarilia, as Zagor returns there to wreak vengeance upon the descendants of those who opposed him there before. Meanwhile, Yaztromo finds a lead upon Sargon's whereabouts. He is travelling south with the remains of the northern chaos horde to search for Kaad, a village in central Allansia. With the armies of all the towns and villages, as well as most of the cities, occupied with hunting down the remnants of the central horde, it is up to SOMEONE to organize a defence, which they do. |
And this is as far as I have managed to take it. There is a lot of information on the period between the splitting of the lands and the War of the Wizards in Titan, the Fighting Fantasy World and it is for this reason that I have concentrated on the other parts of the history, where less is known.
I should remind readers that the events above are not always exactly as described in the books or as intended by the authors. Where I have had to change things, either to remove an inconsistency, or simply for realism, or just to tell a good story, I have done so. For example, many of the heroes of the later books have been amalgamated, primarily so that when a great evil threatens a continent, the best available adventurer takes on the challenge. I have tried to keep anachronisms to a minimum (so the Ruddledtone born adventurer I have called Maldorn has not been amalgamated with the Gallantarian born Daern, for example), but some have been unavoidable, and for this I apologise. Feel free to use the sections you like in your games and discard those you think stray too far from the canonical "truth" of the books.
If anyone has any comments, please email me. Thanks.
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