TIMELINE OF THIRIA

0. In the beginning there is only the Spark, the pure essence of reality.

1. The Three Sisters emerge from the Spark, followed by the Six and the Nine. Together, they
form the gods of Thiria, collectively known as the Amaranthine.

2. The spinning and dancing of the Amaranthine creates the sun, the moon, the outer worlds,
and the physical plane of Thiria. Together, these will eventually be known as the Great
Orrery, a beautiful, spinning collection of worlds and wonders with Thiria as its center.

3. As the Amaranthine and their hosts explore their new creation, life appears on Thiria: first
plants and then animals, beasts, and finally mortals.

4. Proxies are created by the Amaranthine to act as their agents and ambassadors on Thiria:
angels, demons, faeries, elementals, genies and other mystical beings. The Amaranthine work
almost exclusively through their proxies, as their presence on Thiria causes instability due to
the massive amount of Spark that the Amaranthine's bodies contain.

5. Through interactions with the Proxies, mortal life flourishes, eventually leading to the
advent of the magical arts. At first, only the priests of Amaranthine are able to wield magic,
and they remained at the time the most powerful and influential spellcasters. However,
humans began to figure out how to perform magic on their own, either through arcane
formulae used to decipher the workings of the Spark or through the pure power of song,
which accessed a kind of magic completely removed from the Amaranthine.

6. As the priests acquire more power, eventually they begin to attain high positions of
political and empirical power, even in some cases acting as head of state. Conflicts over
philosophy, and consequently over nations, begin to become more frequent. Eventually, the
first widespread conflict is recorded when the War of the Sacred Beasts begins. Several more
similar incidents will occur in the following decades in a period that would come to be
known as the Spiral. These incidents culminate in the first – and to date only – “world war” of
Thiria: the Proxy Conflict.

7. During the Proxy Conflict, widespread magical battles begin to ravage the Thirian
landscape, and the abuse of divine magic threatens to tear an irreparable rift in the very fabric
of the Spark. Should this happen, the rift would eventually grow and plunge all of Thiria (and
potentially all of the conscious universe) into pure, primordial chaos, subject to the whims of
the unspeakable and unfathomable beings beyond the borders of the Great Orrery.

8. The population of Thiria, led by several heroes of high renown, slowly begins to turn
against the most flagrantly abusive of the priests, which only serves to fan the flames of
conflict as the priests divide their energy between fighting each other and fighting the
rebellion of the common people.

9. The damage to the Spark becomes so deep that the Amaranthine begin to feel it and realize
that a rift in the Spark would mean the end of them entirely. In a moment of rare (albeit in
some cases highly reluctant) unanimity, the Amaranthine agree to collectively sacrifice their
immortality to the Spark in an effort to repair the damage and save Thiria (and consequently
themselves) from destruction. While they still retain great amounts of power, do not age, and
could be considered “undying”, they are still mortal and could be slain as much as any man
or beast.

10. The Great Sundering occurs as the Amaranthine divest themselves of their immortality
and the Spark is healed (at least temporarily). The massive flux of power is felt across every
inch of Thiria as the priests suddenly find themselves entirely unable to access their divine
magic. Essentially rendered powerless, the churches are easily toppled by the rebellion, their
fates as varied as their patrons. Some are treated mercifully, some are executed, some are
exiled, while still some are lauded as heroes if they allied themselves with the rebellion
during the Proxy Conflict.

11. The Amaranthine go silent, choosing to hide in their extraplanar homes, and the prayers
of the faithful go unanswered. A good number of churches are abandoned or destroyed as a
large section of the population turns away from religion, either abandoning it entirely or
actively working to punish it for the sins of the Proxy Conflict. Arcane magic begins to
become the dominant form of magical working, although bardic music takes on a new
significance as it becomes known that bards are the only ones still capable of using the
healing magic common among the priests. The Amaranthine's hosts – the angels, demons,
and others – act more within Thiria in the absence or their superiors, but they are incapable of
granting the priests the same powers that were given by the Amranthine themselves.

12. With the shift away from religion comes an increase in invention and technology.
Clockwork devices start to appear, although they are still rare. Likewise, the first use of
firearms occurs, although the weapons themselves are highly volatile and often cause more
damage to the user than the target. Alchemy flourishes as the momentum of technological
progress meets arcane magic. The churches begin to repair themselves both physically and
internally. Some priests are able through meditation and self-awareness to emulate some of
the divine magic they once had, although it is quite limited. Many religions becomes schools
of philosophy, while others try to revive the worship of the Amaranthine.

13. It becomes clear that the damage to the Spark caused during the Proxy Conflict was not
fully healed and, indeed, could possibly never have been fully healed. Darkness begins to
seep into Thiria more and more, twisting parts of the land, the bloodlines of men, and even
the very nature of the world. Appearances of the undead become more frequent. Some
humans, intrigued by the power offered by the dark forces slipping into Thiria, enter into
pacts with foul beings to gain power and might.

14. The first appearance of the Amaranthine in years occurs when Urshana appears before her
temple in Karambelas. She empowers her priests there with knowledge of things in the planar
realms and guides them in discovering how to access magic through the link between the
individual and the Spark, which soon becomes known as “gnosis.” Rumors abound across
Thiria of appearances of other Amaranthine, but few can be substantiated. The activity of the
proxies becomes more frequent, and some believe that Thiria itself is turning into a
battleground between the different proxy factions.

15. The organization of the Silver Chalice forms, dedicated to destroying the servants of the
Darkness, returning the Darkness to whatever realm it came from, and protecting mortals
from the continuing influence of the divine proxies (whether for good or evil). Although
based in the Daunasian capital of Dereineau, the organization quickly spreads across the
land. Almost simultaneously, the activity of cults to the Darkness and its servitors increases.

16. The use of gnosis becomes more widespread, with some appearing to have been born with
a natural affinity for its usage. Gnostics are often feared or reviled, especially in lands where
the scars of the Proxy Conflict are still raw and magic is associated with the destruction
wrought during that time. The Silver Chalice often serves as a sanctuary for gnostics who are
persecuted or driven from their homes.

17. The current time is 140 years after the Sundering. Six individuals make their way across
the face of the Continent. Demon hunter Kieran Redmoon and his husband, exorcist Jos Balo,
travel to the city of Shantavel upon hearing rumors of a new cult spreading chaos there.
Meanwhile, their old ally Miriam Astryr is already in Shantavel, cloistered in a church of
Chalecdia, the god of healing, having taken up residence there after a near-death experience.
Quill Erico has just set up shop in Shantavel himself, hoping to sell his newest alchemical
concoctions. Finally, Xanthe Skyrinei slips into the city and insinuates herself in the courts of
the High Dukes as a courtesan. She is searching for her brother Ioannis, who was captured
during a raid years ago and sold into gladiatorial slavery. Six paths are soon about to
converge into one...