Southaven

Global Timeline

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The Heroes of Southaven - Global Timeline

The Age of Creation (Timeless/Pre-History)

The World Builders

  • The World Builders create countless worlds for their unseen masters
  • The Perfect World is crafted - a paradise unlike any before
  • The First Betrayal: Elandria and Faeren convince the other Builders to hide the world from their masters
  • All Builders, including Taelkor, initially participate in concealing the world

The Age of Awakening (~10,000 years before Solaran Calendar)

~10,000 BSC (Before Solaran Calendar)

  • Taelkor’s Disillusionment: Consumed by guilt over their betrayal, Taelkor turns against the other Builders
  • The Awakening: The Builders sacrifice their physical forms to create mortals with free will
    • Gods lose physical forms, becoming dependent on worship, rituals, and their claimed domains
    • They exist in near-total isolation in the void, with only flickering connections to reality through rare rituals
    • Taelkor refuses to participate, retaining his physical form and independence
    • For thousands of years, gods are barely aware of the world - nearly senseless, drifting between moments of clarity

~10,000-6,000 BSC - The Long War

  • The War of Annihilation Begins: Taelkor wages war directly against mortals, attempting to erase all life
  • Mortals pray desperately to the gods, but receive only cryptic, fragmented responses
  • Taelkor is banished and weakened repeatedly, but never truly destroyed
  • Each time he returns, he is slightly weaker but more cunning
  • Scattered civilizations rise and fall, barely surviving Taelkor’s periodic returns

The Age of the Black Architect (~4,000-3,300 BSC)

~4,000 BSC - Taelkor’s Revelation

  • After millennia of failure, Taelkor finally understands: he can USE mortals, not just destroy them
  • The First Order of the Black Star forms - mortals who believe the world is flawed and must be unmade
  • Taelkor’s cultists begin coordinated campaigns of destruction
  • This is the true beginning of organized apocalyptic warfare

~3,700-3,500 BSC - The Architect’s Ascendancy

  • Black Star armies sweep across the known world
  • The Deadlands are created - Taelkor’s greatest display of power, an entire region reduced to lifeless waste
  • Multiple kingdoms and early civilizations are completely annihilated
  • The gods, still barely conscious in the void, struggle to respond
  • Desperate mortals create primitive temples and develop powerful rituals to strengthen their connection to the gods

~3,500 BSC - The Age of Relics

  • As defeat seems imminent, mortal heroes create legendary artifacts to combat Taelkor
  • The Relics of Power are forged:
    • Location and nature of each relic developed by mortal ingenuity and desperate divine inspiration
    • Each relic channels a fragment of divine power without requiring constant godly awareness
    • The relics become weapons, shields, and tools that can harm Taelkor directly

~3,350-3,300 BSC - The Final War

  • United mortal armies, wielding the Relics, launch their final assault
  • ~3,300 BSC - The Last Battle:
    • Occurs in what is now the Elfwood
    • Devastation nearly destroys the entire region
    • Forests burn, mountains crack, leylines rupture
    • Taelkor is finally defeated and banished - not destroyed, but weakened beyond recovery (for now)
    • The victory comes at terrible cost: entire cities lost, bloodlines ended, knowledge destroyed

The Age of Recovery (~3,300-1,000 BSC)

~3,300-3,250 BSC - Immediate Aftermath

  • Surviving mortals work to heal the shattered lands
  • The Elfwood is dying from the destruction of the Last Battle
  • Druids of Faeren gather to save what remains
  • ~3,280 BSC - The Ring of Verdant Stillness is forged:

~3,200-3,000 BSC - The Ember Halls Era

  • ~3,000 BSC - The Ember Halls are constructed in The Pale Mountains
    • Built by an ancient dwarven civilization as a fortress-city
    • Serves as a beacon of hope and reconstruction
    • Becomes a center of learning, preserving knowledge from before the Last Battle

~3,000-1,500 BSC - Scattered Kingdoms

  • Various city-states and kingdoms rise across the world
  • The gods slowly become more present as worship and rituals grow stronger
  • Different sects emerge worshipping individual gods
  • Queen Aelra Sylanthiel continues using the Ring, telling herself it’s still necessary
  • Decades turn to centuries; the “temporary” measure becomes permanent

~1,500-500 BSC - Age of Division

  • Multiple kingdoms vie for power
  • Religious conflicts between different godly sects
  • The Ember Halls decline but remain inhabited
  • Queen Aelra rules over Vel Enweir (which will later become Balandel), her realm sustained by the Ring
  • No one remembers the Ring’s true purpose anymore - even the druids believe Faeren simply blessed the forest

The Solaran Age (Year 0 - Present)

Year -100 to 0 - Rise of the Church of Elandria

  • Year -100: Church of Elandria consolidates power under a unified doctrine
    • Absorbs smaller Elandrian sects
    • Establishes the hierarchy of Saints and the Eight Sacred Orders
    • Becomes the dominant religious institution in the southern lands

Year 0 - The Solaran Prophecy

  • Saint Calros (Patron of Truth) receives a prophetic vision
  • Vision proclaims: “A new age of light and prosperity will dawn under the Kingdom of Solara”
  • The prophecy inspires the founding of Solara - a kingdom dedicated to Elandria and Orithon
  • The Solaran Calendar begins: Year 1 SC (Solaran Calendar)
  • This becomes the dominant dating system across much of the known world

Year 1-300 - Early Solaran Kingdom

  • Solara expands from its coastal heartland
  • The Church of Elandria becomes the state religion
  • Art, culture, and scholarship flourish
  • The prophecy seems to be coming true

Year 300-500 - The Windcrest Expansion

  • Solara begins expanding westward into the Windcrest Valley
  • Scouts discover the Aramond River and establish outposts
  • Year ~400 - Aramond’s Lookout established:
    • Named after Aramond the Watcher, a legendary Solaran scout/ranger
    • Built at a strategic point on the river for monitoring northern approaches
    • Becomes a waystation for travelers and traders

Year ~500-567 - Peaceful Growth

  • Trade routes establish between coastal Solara and inland settlements
  • The Windcrest Valley becomes valuable farmland
  • Aramond’s Lookout grows into a small settlement

Year 567 - The Fall of Faeren’s Glade

  • Margatha Verdantsong, a druid of considerable talent, loses her lover in a hunting accident
  • Refusing to accept death, she delves into forbidden magic
  • The Ritual of Stillness: Margatha attempts to halt death itself within Faeren’s Glade
    • Tries to bind the Guardian Stag’s life force permanently to prevent its natural death and rebirth
    • The ritual fails catastrophically
    • The Guardian Stag transforms into the first Rotwood Stalker - a twisted abomination
    • Faeren’s Glade dies, becoming the fetid Blacktide Swamp
    • Margatha transforms into a Green Hag, becoming Margatha Blacktide
  • Surviving druids seal the swamp with powerful wards
  • The corruption is seen as an omen, but most believe it’s contained

Year 600-900 - Regional Development

  • Multiple settlements grow in the Windcrest Valley
  • Blacktide Swamp remains avoided and feared
  • Various halfling villages, human towns, and trading posts emerge
  • Stories of Margatha Blacktide become local legend - some believe her to be merely a tale to frighten children

Year ~967 - Southaven Founded

  • The settlement at Aramond’s Lookout expands significantly
  • Officially chartered as Southaven - “the haven south of the Elfwood”
  • Becomes a key trading hub between Solara and northern regions
  • House Kael emerges as the leading noble family

Year 1056 - Lusteris Founded

  • A group of Solaran dissidents, tired of Church dominance and royal authority, leave for the desert
  • They establish Lusteris in the harsh lands near the Deadlands border
  • Most believe the city will fail within a generation
  • Against all odds, Lusteris thrives through trade, innovation, and independence
  • Becomes a haven for those seeking freedom from Solaran control

Year 1097 - The Witchwood Corruption

  • Witchwood, once a beautiful forest south of Southaven, begins to darken
  • Over the following decades, the forest becomes cursed and dangerous
  • Source of corruption unknown, but locals suspect lingering Black Star influence
  • By 1120, the Witchwood is completely corrupted and avoided by all travelers

Year 1150-1250 - Modern Era Begins

  • Southaven grows into a prosperous town under House Kael
  • The Ember Halls are partially re-inhabited by various groups
  • Trade networks expand between Solara, Lusteris, Southaven, and elven territories
  • Rumors of cult activity begin circulating again

Year ~1217 - The Cult Reorganizes

  • The Black Star Cult, dormant for centuries, begins reorganizing
  • Malrith Kelbirn, the Starborn emerges, claiming visions from the Black Architect
  • Cult begins systematic infiltration of key locations
  • Initial activities remain hidden from authorities

Year 1240s - Family Generations

  • Lord Kael’s children (Brenlan Kael and Velara Kael) are born
  • Various player characters are born
  • Cult infiltration accelerates but remains hidden from public view

Year 1257-1262 - Cult Acceleration

  • First signs of corruption reappear in minor groves near Balandel
  • Cult begins replacing druid ambassadors with operatives
  • Queen Aelra Sylanthiel grows increasingly concerned about the Ring’s stability
  • Disappearances begin in outlying regions
  • Kidnappings escalate

Current Campaign Era (Year 1267)

First Month

  • Session 1: Disappearances in Southaven begin; party forms to investigate

Second Month

  • Session 2: Party investigates Southaven Mines; discovers cult connection

Third-Fourth Months

Fifth Month

  • Day 2: Margatha Blacktide defeated
    • Party discovers cult has been trafficking children to her
    • Margatha slain after attempting to bargain for her life
    • Swamp remains cursed with 700-year-old corruption
    • Ancient Rotwood Stalker still lurks in the depths, imprisoned by Margatha’s failed ritual
  • Session 8: Party travels to Lusteris
  • Session 9: Political intrigue in Lusteris
  • Session 10: Major revelations about the cult
  • Session 11: Further investigations
  • Session 12: Party retrieves a powerful artifact
  • Session 13: Dark rituals uncovered

Sixth Month

Seventh Month

Summary of Key Dates

EventYearNotes
The Awakening~10,000 BSCGods create mortals, lose physical forms
The Long War begins~10,000 BSCTaelkor vs. all mortals for millennia
Taelkor adopts mortal followers~4,000 BSCFirst Order of Black Star
The Deadlands created~3,700 BSCTaelkor’s greatest display of power
Relics of Power forged~3,500 BSCMortal heroes create legendary weapons
The Last Battle~3,300 BSCTaelkor defeated, Elfwood nearly destroyed
Ring of Verdant Stillness created~3,280 BSCEmergency measure to save Elfwood
The Ember Halls built~3,000 BSCAncient dwarven fortress-city
Church of Elandria rises-100 SCConsolidates power as dominant religion
Kingdom of Solara founded0 SCFollowing Saint Calros’s prophecy
Aramond’s Lookout established~400 SCNamed after legendary Solaran scout
Margatha’s Fall / Blacktide Swamp567 SCDruid’s ritual corrupts Faeren’s Glade
Southaven officially founded~967 SCGrows from Aramond’s Lookout
Lusteris founded1056 SCDesert city by Solaran dissidents
Witchwood corrupted1097 SCBeautiful forest becomes cursed
Malrith Kelbirn rises~1217 SC”The Starborn” reorganizes Black Star Cult
Current campaign1267 SCHeroes of Southaven, Seventh Month

Important Historical Context

The Gods’ Isolation

For thousands of years after the Awakening, the gods existed in near-total sensory deprivation in the void. Their connection to the mortal world was so tenuous that they could barely perceive events, let alone intervene. This explains:

  • Why divine communication is often cryptic and difficult
  • Why the gods seem distant and incomprehensible to mortals
  • Why mortals had to develop the Relics of Power themselves
  • Why worship and rituals became so important (they strengthen the gods’ connection to reality)

The Ring’s True History

The Ring of Verdant Stillness was created with good intentions as a temporary stabilizer. Queen Aelra has been using it for over 3,000 years - far beyond its intended purpose. This creates a dark parallel with Margatha’s failed ritual 700 years ago - both attempted to halt natural cycles, though the Queen’s method was initially sanctioned by the druids themselves.

Margatha and the Swamp

The 700-year-old corruption of Blacktide Swamp predates Southaven by ~400 years. This means:

  • The swamp was already a known danger when humans first settled the region
  • Aramond’s Lookout was partially established to monitor threats from the swamp
  • The Ancient Rotwood Stalker has been trapped in undeath for seven centuries
  • When the party killed Margatha in Session 3, they ended her mortal existence, but the cult has now raised her as a Death Hag

The Cycle of the Black Star

The Order of the Black Star has risen and fallen multiple times:

  1. First organized ~4,000 BSC under Taelkor’s direct command
  2. Defeated along with Taelkor ~3,300 BSC
  3. Scattered remnants persisted through the ages
  4. Reorganized ~1217 SC under Malrith Kelbirn
  5. Currently at peak power, orchestrating the Siege of Southaven

Unresolved Mysteries & Future Hooks

The Relics of Power

  • What are they exactly?
  • Where are they now?
  • Can they be used against the current Black Star threat?
  • Connection to the artifacts the party has been seeking?

Taelkor’s Current State

  • Is he truly banished, or slowly regaining power?
  • What is Malrith Kelbirn’s actual connection to him?
  • Could the Siege of Southaven be preparation for his return?

The Witchwood Corruption (1097 SC)

  • What caused this relatively recent corruption?
  • Is it connected to the Black Star Cult’s resurgence?
  • What lies within the Witchwood now?

Queen Aelra’s Fate

  • Can she safely release the Ring after 3,000 years?
  • What will happen to Vel Enweir/Balandel if she does?
  • Is she herself corrupted by millennia of unnatural preservation?

The Ancient Rotwood Stalker

  • Can it be freed from its 700-year torment?
  • What was the Guardian Stag before corruption?
  • Could it be purified and restored?

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